She was standing at the head of the line, irritating all of us. What the heck is taking so long? I thought it and felt ashamed. Here I am at Caffeine Anonymous: am coffee junkie. The guy in front of me was doing a strange, nervous dance. His toddler was impatient too, and he wasRead… Read more »
Does it seem like you just can’t get a break when it comes to your job hunt? The phone interview seems to go well, you’ve made it to the in-person interview on time, you’re dressed professionally, and you’re qualified. But for some reason, all you keep hearing is, “We’ve decided to go with another candidateRead… Read more »
1973 My mom went back to work while I was still a toddler. During the day I stayed in Mrs. Eiler’s Family Day Care; she went to the hospital. Raggedy Ann went everywhere with me. (Photo via Cuddly Collectibles) One time on the Sabbath our home almost burned down. Friday nights Jewish women light candles, andRead… Read more »
“That’s great! Have a good night!” That is me, tiptoeing backwards. Because the other person won’t stop speaking. Sure, there’s a technique for handling this. But unfortunately not one that I ever mastered. “Did you say goodbye? I have a great story about goodbyes.” Oh no. Oh no. “Hang on just a second, I’ll walkRead… Read more »
I’ve been doing branding for a very long time. And one thing sets my best clients apart from the losers: Their ability to take sound advice. One client flat-out refused to pay. Another threw a shit fit at my boss. A third became enraged at me directly. The things I say aren’t rocket science, really.Read… Read more »
The other night I gave a talk in my personal capacity (not as a representative of the National Archives, or the U.S. government) for the University of Maryland University College MBA program, which was kindly hosted by UMD’s Universities at Shady Grove. The video is now available here. It’s an hour-long webcast; you’ll see me answeringRead… Read more »
IT’S TIME TO RISE from your sleep in the rubber room. Today, you open the door and cross the threshold. It’s a big day. You will launch your product and its marketing campaign begins. You have a superb product—you—but some members of your audience have been turned off in the past. We’ll use the wordRead… Read more »
Last time, we discussed life in a Rubber Room. It can feel like the dead end at the corridor of a career, a padded cell, a cul-de-sac, or a waiting room where the waiting never ends. But escape from a rubber room is possible. Workers retire, take a job with another governmental or private sector organization,Read… Read more »
A few months ago I did a brave thing (for me) and finally registered to vote as a Libertarian. It was a tough thing to do. For one thing Libertarians have a sort of crappy brand. For another they’re a little weird. Thirdly they’re not mainstream, and so they influence rather than win elections. ButRead… Read more »
DO YOU THINK YOU CAN’T GET FIRED? Don’t tell me that it’s never crossed your mind. When you become a tenured government employee, after around five years of service in most agencies, it’s natural to heave a great sigh of relief that you won’t be cashing unemployment checks any time soon. Urban legend says it’s impossibleRead… Read more »