It's a Matter of Time

Finally back to some normalcy. Here are my long overdue thoughts of the past several years of struggle and success.

Much has occurred over my tenure in corporate business that makes me look back with a perspective of illumination. I am at my 4th company and . realize, whether through fate or prayers, I have found myself. A lot has happened, as you can tell from my previous writings, that makes me realize there is good management and peers and there is complacent management and peers.

It seems that in my 1st decade of business I had found individuals willing to provide guidance and support in my personal and group/team success. The following years left gaps of lack of confidence, no personal commitment of peers for the success of the whole, willingness to sacrifice and most importantly poor management/team mentoring. There is no blame here and if anything, my error for ignoring the signs.

I have come to a point in my life that success and salary (award) don't always coincide. In fact, the interesting part to this story occurs on the day I was interviewed for my current position.

Following the interview, the interviewer made a salary offer. I said I would think about it and left. On my way home, I telephoned my wife, as I wasn't exactly sure but was confident the new job was more of a lateral opportunity and salary was not the important goal to accepting the job. I wanted to make sure I wasn't stepping backwards from where I was leaving, which wasn't saying much. I asked my wife could she look at my last pay stub and let me know my annual salary. She told me and I told her the offer. It was, as we both thought, a lateral move in salary but a role I felt brought value-add to not only company but myself. By that evening, after discussing further with my wife, I accepted the job offer.

Well, weeks went by and my first check arrived. It was an auto-deposit. Marie had been reviewing the bank account when she telephoned me. She said, " Do you remember when I looked up your salary for the interview offer?". I replied, "Yes." She said, "I am so sorry but, I inadvertently selected an earlier check stub before you got a good raise and you are making several thousand less now. Will that bother you?". I'll tell you my answer in a moment as herein is the reason I write.

I had been at the new company less than a month and knew within a week this was like no other organization or management I had ever experienced. Teamwork; I mean honest to goodness teamwork. Not one mention of "It's not my job". Some absolutes but with offerings of what can I do to help, acknowledgments of work well done and discussions of activities bringing value-add to the department. Where there was doubt or proof of no value-add, the activity was dropped like a hot potato. I was coming home from work with a smile and a disposition I had not felt in years. Although, I would like to have a 9-5 job, the earlier hours didn't cause any further distress. I was happy, as the people I worked with were happy.

So I replied to my wife, "If it doesn't significantly impact our financial stability immediately and there is, I am sure, a chance to recover lost salary within 18 month, than no, less pay doesn't bother me".

People and attitudes are everything.

What do you want from the job?

The most popular question posed for working and non-working.

As members of the human race we should look beyond our own personal needs/wants. This is a time of selfless giving and if possible providing to those you have not. I know there are many who have been out of work for significant amount of time and struggling just to have some form of dignity. But, if the question is posed as a personal question, then here is what I want:

I want a job where I can share and contribute with other peers and enjoy the camaraderie of achieving the same goal: the success of the company/department vision. Having been one of the few lucky ones to land a job after losing one of 36 years, I have witnessed several employees work in fear and stress of others within the company. I provide internal customer support/service to about 130 people at a specific office. I spend about an average of 3 hours a day in traffic to end up like several who walk in fear because of a few individuals. I treat my peers the way I would like to be treated. You'd think this is a shared perspective but I have observed that if I treated my peers the way that some within the company do, I would be disrespected. Yes, of course there will be times of some discontent and the receiving person will not be pleased with the support or solution provided. It’s the attitude of superiority, with warden like behavior, as opposed to one of fellowship and cooperation that can ultimately doom any organization. It's easy to tear down someone but much harder to help build them.

What do you want from the job? Cooperation, sharing and mentoring: the ultimate success to any company/team environment is how it is built and maintained.

With Some Certainty - It Too Will Pass.

When I was laid off in April, I treated every day as though I were going to work. And I did. I was in a temporary career now looking for work. I didn't want to take any time off because it was important for my self esteem and family financials, that I procure work quickly.

I had promised myself to GET OVER IT (Great Eagle's song-lyrics). As with the death of someone close, everyone in some small or large way will go through 7 stages of grief. Yep, even with the loss of a job. Although the stages may be brief, even just a thought but, all do experience some form of each of these:

1. SHOCK & DENIAL

2. PAIN & GUILT-
3. ANGER & BARGAINING

4. "DEPRESSION", REFLECTION, LONELINESS

5. THE UPWARD TURN

6. RECONSTRUCTION & WORKING THROUGH
7. ACCEPTANCE & HOPE (aka CLOSURE)

Some take longer than others. Fortunately, I had closure quickly. I wanted it quickly. I wanted to put my best foot forward and show the world that I'm not steppin'-off.

The closure doesn't make the financial situation any easier. The unemployment checks cover only about 80% of the mortgage and my wife Marie works but barely enough paycheck to cover all other expenses. She is a fitness trainer and feeling the economic crunch just as much as everyone else. And believe me, we are no where near an extravagant lifestyle BUT do have a very nice home, ergo, big mortgage. I say this because the biggest and hardest part is the financial bleakness that attempts to drag you down daily. I read somewhere the # 1 argument/altercation/issues among couples, or at least in the top 3 is FINANCE.

We on the other hand don't argue about finance but some times bury our heads in our hands. We discuss and try to figure the next phase of "What if". It can drive you buggy. Marie (my wife) is unbelievable. She has a plan A,B,C all of which are excellent plans. She must be left-brain but tremendous ability to use the right-brain. She can also find the silver lining in anything. No really! I recall (but, I may be exaggerating) as we were taking the dog for a walk, I had noticed someone did not pick up after their dog. I was beside myself (btw, I think I've lost an inch in height. You notice things like that when your beside yourself). I said " I couldn't believe that someone let their dog crap in someone else's driveway and not clean it up." Well, Marie of course, calmed me down and said "But Honey, think how the dog felt." I finished the walked.

You know, I dislike the end of summer days because frankly, I am a morning person. If the sun is up at 5:30am, I'm up. But recently the sunrise has occurred around 6:30a. I just haven't been jumping out of bed with any pep as I feel like I have been putting so much emphasis on procuring the job that I have forgotten to also enjoy my wife and family. I went down stairs, made coffee, kissed my wife when she came down and told her, with certainty, someones calling this week.

I mentioned in the previous blog the phone would ring. Didn't I? Well, it did, 2 times. I returned the calls to find out that 2 companies want to speak to me.

Okay, now it's time to get get my suit readied( and my head on straight).

Persevere. Because We Can.

It was the morning of April 9, 2009. I had only arrived a short time ago to work when a Director, from another department, requested in a low voice that I attend a meeting in the conference room in 10 minutes. That same Director too walked over to the youngest tenure of my staff inviting him to same meeting. Strange, I thought, that a meeting be called on the quarter hour, on a Thursday; certainly not a SOP for our work week.

I finished an email to a customer, sat back in my chair and pondered why this Director invited us to a meeting. A dark premonition crept into my imagination that many now a days have since seen and may continue to see for a while, LAYOFF. I took a deep breathe stood up and leaned over to one of my peers and said "I think there is a layoff today but it looks like there is only 2 of us involved from our department, think good thoughts."

With that, I turned and walked to the meeting where upon I was sitting in a room with about 20 other members from various departments I normally don't interface with in regards to daily business. In walked the VP Sales who welcomed and apologized for the news he was presenting.

There are those of you who have fallen prey to the economy and the "L" word that understand what followed next. I won't go into a diatribe of how poorly it was handled, how many had no indication it was coming and that Senior individuals responsible for this financial situation were not accountable but we all know the final outcome, reduction in workforce. Yes, those that actually produced were let go. A frightful and gut-wrenching episode still occurring with regularity through the U.S. After 36+ years with a "can-do" attitude for this company, I was identified as no longer needed and dismissed. We were provided supportive information regarding unemployment benefits, Cobra etc etc. and if anyone wanted to speak further they could take their personal case offline with the VP and General Consul.

At that I stood, turned, asked for my special packet, walked to my desk but was unable to retrieve any personal contact information collected over the years on my pc. Truly a life time of info accumulated over 3 decades. The PC had been locked out. We were given the rest of the day to clean out our desks.

I mention all of this because it was at that moment while looking at the PC I knew I had to leave with my head held high and a positive attitude. Many of my peers came to me with tears, regret and am sure thoughts of "there but by the grace of God go I". I thanked them all for their years of working together, friendship and that I would continue to keep in touch.

Scary, after 36 years things have changed in the outside world. I knew, but never with the realization, that I would have to actually look for a job, when I had no job. I had at times over the years thought what it might be like with other companies and had placed my resume in several websites in hopes that someone would see what I had contributed to and offer the "job of a life time". Now I am in the throes of painstakingly reaching out at every opportunity in hopes that I can be recognized.

I strive daily to keep a positive outlook while job-hunting. I have a wife that provides support daily giving me the silver-lining I need when things just aren't going right.
The world has changed, as I said, with creation of the "30 second sell yourself" resume. Phew~! All you need to be is a great journalist in order for someone to actually notice you. Some have the knack for this task and actually, from what I gather at looking at profiles posted all over the internet, jump from company to company in order to achieve that perfect profile. I'm not sure what happened to dedication, integrity and the love of the job. I suppose the world has changed.

I am, as of today, September 13, 2009, still applying for the opportunities presenting themselves daily and know, no feel, that at any second that phone will ring.

It will ring. I will persevere.