A Consultant's Chronicles

Line[s] of the Week 1-18-09

This week's Line of the Week was a draw [which happens on occasion] & all reference the inauguration [did anything else happen this week?]. First, describing the feeling on the mall before the actual ceremony, columnist Susan Collins noted that while there was a real feeling of community, it was also true that:

"...you could be trampled to death by thousands of very friendly people who were being moved around like the world’s most mellow herd of cattle..."

On the other hand noted pundit Maureen Dowd remarked on the part of the ceremony where a small error took place necessitating a "do-over" yesterday. About our new president & the current chief justice [that he did not confirm] she said:

"...There was also that match of the titan smarty-pants..."

Finally, coming straight from the inaugural speech itself, this last line was one I had to think about & digest for a while. To our enemies he said:

 "...We will extend our hand if you unclench your fist..."

Thinking about that I realized that in the last 8 years, all sides could be accused of having "clenched fists" starting with us!

*the lines were listed in no particular order

 

A Unique Perspective on 2008

As I was recently reading yet another fabulous book by Khaled Hosseini [author of Kite Runner] called A Thousand Splendid Suns , I came across a line which for me quite possibly sums up the 2 key events of 2008; the very good  [the election] & the very bad [the financial crash].

In a part where a mother was reflecting on her daughter's explanation of her recent geology lesson concerning tectonic plates, the child explained:

"...there were 'fractures & powerful collisions deep down & how sometimes all we see on the surface is a slight tremor..." *

As the year began, most of us certainly felt "tremors" but for all practical purposes, Hillary Clinton never saw Barack Obama coming until it was too late. Similarly, we were all "blindsided" by the financial meltdown because until the summer or early fall, we only felt some "tremors!"

*This quote can be found in A Thousand Splendid Suns on p.291

Line of the Week 12-28-08

NBC news pundit Nora O'Donnell gets the nod for the last "line of the week" in 2008. On the Chris Mathews Show [on 12/28] when asked about the pivotal moment in the presidential election, she selected [& I personally believe correctly so] Barack Obama's mid primary caucus run on Hillary Clinton, which was a part of his team's planned long-term strategy. She reasoned that:

"...Proper preparation prevents poor performance..."

Alliterative & true...in politics, business, & in life. Perhaps after 8 years of George W. Bush's mangled malapropisms, language is making a comeback?

Footnote: This post was officially created in 2008. As of 2009, I will have a separate category for my "line of the week" posts. Originally conceived as a kind of light-hearted way to end the week, I have found that they are hugely popular so this will enable you to find past posts far more easily.

Yuletide Greetings: The Business Year In Review & Beyond

  Merry Christmas! 

Here are some fun "bon mots" to bring you Christmas cheer that I found & just had to share :

At Christmastime 2008,
In this, our fragile fiscal state,
We search our economic soul
And find the world's a lump of coal,
Where many cover food and rent
Then wonder where the paycheck went,
Or, if they dare to peek, they gaze
At 401s with fractured (k)s.
Plus, as you're reading this, you'll find
The value of your home declined
(Poor Sheila Bair works overtime,
But still foreclosure figures climb),
Or if you sought a small-biz loan,
The bank just laughed you
off the phone.
You're Big Biz? Well, it's still no dice:
The credit market's Arctic ice.
The Dow fell stomach-churningly,
And Bear Stearns is a memory,
Nor is there any point in dreamin'
Richard Fuld will bring back Lehman.
Messrs. Paulson and Bernanke
Mainly leave folks dazed and cranky;
As the bailouts get rewritten,
The reaction? Less than smitten.
On the front page, Bernie Madoff;
On Page Two, new thousands laid off.
'08's theme, if such there be,
Is simply negativity,
Where every bond or fund or stock
Is in a state of constant shock
And every industry's dismayed
Enough to plead for federal aid.
In such a climate, can we cope
With anything that smacks of hope?
What, hope? That hoary, corny thing
To which a nation used to cling
When ears beneath fedora hats
Heard F.D.R. give Fireside Chats?
With every indicator down,
Against all odds, it's back in town.
So Christmas greetings first to him
Who made the outlook seem less grim:
For Prez-elect, salute so calm a
Presence as Barack Obama....

Click here to read the rest....

**Yuletide poem was created by Mark Miller & can be found in its entirety in BusinessWeek

Coping With The Recession: 'Bloom Where You're Planted'

I mentioned that I was at a business Christmas party last week where the conversation represented a snapshot of our sinking economy. It occurred to me today that in order to survive this recession as well as many other life changes, it might be helpful to adhere to the watch phrase employed by Hillary Clinton. Huh? Life lessons from Hillary Clinton!? Could I possibly be talking about the same  Secretary-of-State-designate, former presidential candidate, current NY Senator, & former First Lady?  Yup, that would be the same person. What on earth could she have to say?

'Bloom Where You're Planted'*

It's been observed by even her most ardent detractors that among her many skills, Sen. Clinton is the ultimate survivor. Why? It appears that even when she is caught in uncommon amounts of political & personal "barnyard muck" [whether it's due to her own making or someone else's, notably Bill ] somehow, some way a new bud springs to life ready to blossom. How does she do it? She believes & lives by the phrase "bloom where you're planted." What exactly does that mean?

Critical Survival Lessons In A Recession

"Bloom where you're planted" simply means turning negatives into positives. In a recession amid all the requisite belt-tightening, what can be gleaned from Clinton's philosophy? First, she doesn't get caught up in what's past & can no longer be changed. Lose the primary? Don't get caught looking in the rear view thinking, "woulda, coulda, shoulda;" instead move on in order to create &/or be ready for the next challenge. As a result, yesterday a presidential candidate & Senator but today, Secretary-of-State-designate, the plum cabinet position in any administration. This is exactly the right lesson for surviving this sinking economy. The recession is what it is; you did what you could about it on November 4th. Now fixing it is someone else's problem. You have more immediate concerns. Stay focused on the task in front of you--getting a new gig. 

Use What You've Got To Get Something New 

If you should be "pink slipped" this month, grieve by all means but not for too long. Try to marshal your energy to see how you can re-package/re-market your skills set into a new job, perhaps in a different industry. What does this mean when your job has been cut? Use this time, the tools & the network you have at your disposal to find new & perhaps better opportunities. Perhaps this is the chance to get the job re-training or other skill upgrade you wanted but always lacked the time. Getting new tools may make you indispensable in your next job.  Also realize that you have some key advantages not available to Clinton. Everything you do will not be seen around world since most of us don't function in a fishbowl unlike Sen. Clinton & most people in your world will be rooting for your success while sadly it seems that there are a good number of people who seem to rejoice in Clinton's failures.

*Senator Clinton may live by this phrase but its origin is Genesis 12:1-9; Matthew 13:31-32

Line of the Week 11-30-08

It seems inescapable that so much of what is happening during this presidential transition phase is instructive to us in both our business & personal lives. Therefore this week's Line of the Week highlights the notion that "perception is reality" by reflecting 2 very different views about the same person-Hillary Rodham Clinton because of Obama's selection of her to be his Secretary of State.

In a letter to the editor in the New York Times this week a reader noted that:

"...You can’t even see Russia from New York..."
     Mark R. Godburn

However, in a comment on another blog that talked about  vice-president-elect Joe Biden & his seeming inability to stick to a prepared script, [contributing to his numerous gaffes], a reader wrote:

"...Biden? Who is Biden? 'Acting president' Hillary does not recognize him..."   
    Author Unknown

The Problems With  "Perception is Reality"

The 2 problems highlighted here are that when we catalogue people in our minds for the sake of speed & simplicity we frequently do so based on one quick snapshot of them.  It then becomes difficult for competing information to break through.  The other problem is that while we know people aren't one-dimensional, more often than not, we both perceive & treat them that way. Although it seems so obvious, just recently I was explaining to clients that people are not all good or all evil & that you cannot treat their personal characteristics as something you can pick & choose as if they came on an "a la carte menu." Instead the task is to assess the good & the bad in order to decide which outweighs the other understanding that a person’s positive & negative attributes are a “packaged deal.”

    

 

 

Line of the Week 11-23-08

Commenting on the pragmatism reflected in Obama's cabinet selections one of which includes his former archrival Sen. Hillary Clinton, columnist Richard Cohen observed the following:

"...A presidential campaign is really a government looking for a parking space..."

Line of the Week 11-16-08

This week's Line of the Week simply reflects one of the storylines with the biggest "buzz:"

"...Obama is considering Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State. Here we go again with the sexism; pigeonholing her as a secretary..."
-Steven Colbert

Convention Lines of the Week 8-24-08

Since I am anticipating an unbelievably memorable speech from Barack Obama tonight, I decided to let any particularly notable turns of phrase to be a source of a separate post. Thus far this week has provided many memorable lines from which to choose from so I confess, I had to whittle things down to a small group. A quick cautionary note: I intend give both parties equal time in terms of any notable lines that are especially partisan in nature.

First, talking about how George W. Bush has driven our economy into a ditch, Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio said:

"...You know, it was once said of the first George Bush that he was born on third base and thought he’d hit a triple,” said Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio, an early supporter of Mrs. Clinton’s in the primaries. “Well, with the 22 million new jobs and the budget surplus Bill Clinton left behind, George W. Bush came into office on third base — and then he stole second...”

Second, by way of thanking her most fervent supporters, early in her speech Tuesday night Sen. Hillary Clinton gave a warm, & loving "shout out" to them all by calling them:

"...the sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits..."

Then, the junior Senator from NY provided what will undoubtedly be one of the battle cries when the Democrats leave Colorado:

"...No way, no how, no McCain..."

Finally, last night former President Bill Clinton reminded us all of something we may have lost sight of since September 11: 

"...People have always been more impressed by the power of our example than the example of our power..."

When You Don't Get The Corner Office: "Get Going, Keep Going "

While my fellow bloggers are busy as bees, I guess I am taking a slower, more deliberate approach since I am trying to make what happens at the convention relevant to people who are in the business world.

Today Obama made history when he officially became the first African American nominee for President. Last night however, Hillary Clinton had the tough job of uniting the party even if she may still be licking her fairly fresh wounds in private. So what's the "takeaway?"

1. "Never let them see you sweat!" Her speech was credible, unifying,   emotional, and well it just flat "brought down the house" no matter how hard it was on the inside.
2. For anyone who didn't quite actualize their dream whether it's the plum job, the critical pay raise, or being the first woman to be formally nominated by her party to be President, Hillary made your task perfectly clear. Quoting Harriet Tubman she urged her fellow Democrats and by extension those of you, "get going, keep going!"

No matter what your aspirations may be, hers was a great political speech but it was also an excellent motivational one. Now what Bill will do is the question of the night...