Read it again for the first time: Boom Bust & Echo.
Remember the last 'World is Flat'? ok, I'll rephrase:
Last time I was remotely interested in business books was about 10 years ago. That was around the time I met my husband; and really I haven't looked up since. But now the boys are a bit older and I'm finally getting around to reading Boom, Bust & Echo by David K. Foot and Daniel Stoffman.
The coolest thing is it's 10 years, post 9-11, Iraq/Afghanisan and (for god's sake what the HELL is going on) Beirut, AGAIN! ...That's not the coolest thing. The coolest thing is that they are right. They totally called it. At least the parts I've read so far.

I also just finished Money, A Memoire, by Liz Perle. And I have to say, thank you Flare magazine for encouraging me to pull it out of the 'free books for the editor' pile. It was a bit rambling, and it took me a while to get the drift of the organization of the book, but I appreciate her message; women and money have a funny thing going on. Read it, give it to a friend.

I was happy to find out, though, that for the most part, I'm not one of them. I am the comptroller of the household, and thus have a good handle on most things. Mind you, that's not new; my parents had the same arrangement. It worked well for them, and it serves them well now in their retirement: they have enough to be comfortable, thank you mom! My inlaws have a similar arrangement only more consultative. It's perhaps a more European approach. Works for them, they spoil us! Works for us too.

Back from the wild of Georgian Bay and eagerly anticipating more beach basking at Sandbanks in August. We are so spoiled! The air up there is pretty nice, especially during the Inco shutdown! Dragon Boat races in Sudbury were fun, and so was a quick visit to Kill the Flow. Who knew I could actually find a vintage clothing store in Sudbury right beside my hotel?

Anyhow; summer is here. Get outside. Books are the ultimate in wireless entertainment!

Which is better? Buy a suit, a vintage Chanel, black wool suit, at a consignment store; or to buy one that looks Identical at Winners for about the same amount of money?

I think that's a definite line that can be drawn through a popluation. Really, it's not about the suit, but the concept. What is more valuable? The older, more solid, dependable; or the new, classicly styled, imported and cheap to buy.

It's on everyone's mind: Buy a new house, or a century home. Buy the newest car and acquire another loan, or buy the same car, 3 years old for half price?

Draw the link to people: the worker is older, solid, but maybe not using the tools most efficiently and so the job is in fact very tough to do now. The new kid is tech savvy and breezing through the work load, or looking like it, anyway. Perhaps not as thorough as they should be. Errors up; costs up.

Rule: the penalty for stupidity is more money.

The kids have been getting away with it, maybe, because the older one's been pulling up the slack. No? That one's going to be out the door in another year. What are you going to do about it? Do you have to face a downturn in productivity?

Succession planning again. What if you took people off their last 2 years of service, and assigned them into mentoring roles for any number of new kids on the block? Would that help with onboarding and retention and engagement....hm?

Knowledge transfer: until we can just plug them into the wall, there is something that's lost with that classic, when it finally goes into the rag bag.

I'm off to Brentwood Ave. S to a little consignment place I just found: I'm questing for a DVF wrap dress...something in a vintage print. I can hardly wait to find one--that fits.

Today was the last day of school, 2006; it's going to be a busy summer.

The cobbler's children are barefoot.

Yes, once again, my HR group has been thrown into turmoil as the boss (and this really is from an offsite perspective, so it may not have gone down quite like this, but) swept into the boardroom after calling an urgent meeting an hour before: announced a merger with some high end research firm, fired two high profile members of the team, announced some cryptic job changes and ...then went to SHRM in NYC for a week.

No one knows what the hell...my direct report now has to create a second website, we are again short of researchers...

This is all almost a year to the day after our site launch. It seems she's just not happy with the status quo. Which as a business person, why should she? The trick is that she knows what's going on, but no one else does.

Time to get the resume ready...In our case, the devil wears Lilly Pulitzer.

Zarkawi (sorry 'bout the spelling) is dead. I heard a commentator point out the window of opportunity afforded by the fact that, being a maniacle psychopath, he didn't have a succesion plan.

I'd just like to point out that if it was only the maniacs that didn't have succession plans in place, I wouldn't have a section for it on my website.

Way to get it right, guys; a window of opportunity, indeed. Let's (and everyone reporting on this is pretty much saying the same thing) just point out that the terrorist network of AQ runs paperless, with virtual teams running their own business plans meeting the overarching goals of the organization. They have employee engagement that any Fortune company would envy, and they don't have a lot of overhead associated with Capital (buildings, health plan). They are also pretty good at human captial and knowledge management.

Freaky.

Do you think that the terrorist cell business model is going to take off? Possible, I guess. Talk about flexible! That business model can turn on a dime, I'll bet. And you really can work anywhere. The internet is a crazy place.

Did I mention that I work at home? I do! I literally occupy a corner of my house. It's all inside the box. When I worked for a large telecom company, I was told I had to have a paperless office, and I was able to reduce my binders to only about 20. Mostly because we weren't shown how to find information online.

For future reference: if you want someone to get rid of a practice (how to do something the Bell Canada way), then show them how to access that very information on line. Don't tell them to ditch the book(s), then postpone the delivery of the systems that have the info. If you ever try it again, you'll just get the 'oh, yeah, whatever; I'm keeping my friggin' books, eh?'

It's all about the trust.

So: cellular organizational model. I wonder if that exists. I'll have to ask David. He's currenty in France, interviewing people and drinking Belgian beer and wonderful wine. Lucky bastard. Knowledge work has such rich potential for enriching one's lifestyle. But rest assured, it's not about the money so much.

That's ok: I really wouldn't want too much money. Just a cushey life.

I’m working on a bit of an idea here:

HR communications is like communicating to your partner about sex: it’s awkward and difficult, and can be intensely personal. On the other hand, if you can manage to get it out, out there where the other person can actually HEAR it, the results can be so GOOD.

This came to me as I wrote an email today – the email where I apologize profusely to my colleague for being AWOL this evening.

My son, a cunning liar, told the teacher I hid his project and he couldn’t do the presentation. Silly boy should have figured out that my mommy sense can get me the full scoop no problem. I have ‘duty’ at the school for the afternoon kid pickup. Busted: I know enough to be able to pull a Canada project out of thin (internet) air. Complete with photos: Port Dalhousie Merry Go ‘Round. You should go.

This is what the email says:
A couple of Grammar ones that I have: Look for the red (Is this a good way to do this? What works best for you here...)

I'm just wondering if you like a certain format that I can duplicate.

So: no kidding. This is my job.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a seminar on blowjobs. (Please Google this now if you don’t know what that is…heh heh heh). I digress.

I went with my friend, after ‘registering’ or rsvp-ing (I was in the 2nd tier invite – friend of a friend), to a beautiful home in what once was a modest middle-class home from 50’s, now a stunning Martha Stewart worthy dwelling (how do they Do that with 2 kids?). I paid a modest sum and for that fee, enjoyed wine and munchies in a beautiful home and learned how to “Give Great Head” (that was the seminar’s title). And I had the Chatelaine Sex Columnist (no less) give me the low down. Low. Down.

Aside; and I got to find out that he is, like, the luckiest bastard. Hey: No Complaints.

Which is where I come (ok, no puns, please) to see the parallels grow (I was going to say ‘mount’, nasty).

Think about it: You have a managerial level staff, there are issues: she’s very competent; gifted, even. But she’s just got a way of letting the thin veil slip a bit too obviously. It’s ok to hold your Board in thinly veiled contempt. We, as a board, perhaps deserve (d) it. The funniest part was that due to the fact I was doing virtually nothing (I was ‘disengaged’; I stayed for as long as I did maybe to truly understand the crisis of worth…. that’s another story, I think) I was able to avoid the real stingers. Irony. No: bad communication – awkward interactions causing pain and bad feeling.

Sound familiar?

I tell you, this is the thing. Think of it:

At the seminar I learned:

The penis can take it: it’s a muscle and will not break if you apply a bit of pressure. Especially along here, and right there.

In HR:

Your employees won’t all quit if they find out you’ve been doing something bad (ok: they would, maybe, if it was REALLY evil) or treating them badly. They will not break under pressure. Work with them to get to the right answer, then to make that happen. If you can get them to tell you what they think (ok: there is another Whole can of worms) and then ask that question:

…and this is when it gets so real, so close…..so very close:

“ …Like That?”

Put a plan out there: “we propose this: what do you think?”; “Does this work for you?”

Oh, yes! Yes, that’s what I’m talking about; an incentive system that actually rewards me for getting something right, not getting it done; for working, instead of getting a pedicure on your ‘work from home’ gig.

Somebody told me sex gets better…they also must have had good communication, ‘cuz it really does.

In a very good CityTV documentary panel-style show about sex, George Strombolopulous (sorry if it’s spelled wrong, G) says something like: Guys can take direction from a coach about a play, but not from a partner about a ‘move’. I concur: but it works both ways, in both cases. Men are no more able to express ‘what they really Need’ from their job, any more than a woman. Plus, if they say the wrong thing here they’ll lose more than a good lay (or basic lay, whatever).

Screw up the HR conversation, and you have lawsuits, high turnover, low morale…oh, and don’t even THINK about really using the sex analogy, ‘cuz that’ll land you in jail.

Lisa has sent me a CBC report that the troops in Iraq will be recieving 'morality training':

"The training package emphasizes professional military values and the importance of disciplined, professional conduct in combat, Iraqi cultural expectations and the second- and third-order effects of actions that are contrary to professional military values."

Professional military values....who in the hell came up with that one? Honestly - Haditha has to be only one of a tiny fraction of atrocities committed in the name of 'that guy looked suspicious with his turban and his beard 'n all...' At the very least, it's hit the radar in the US. Perhaps this training will help?

How do you measure the ROI of that: everyone hates and fears the US a bit less. That's quite a good ROI, if it can be achieved. After listening to the general 'wah!wah!' of it all, I don't hold any hope, really.

By the way: The Kite Runner, by Khalid Hosseini will give everyone a bit more insight to the area. It's sad; everything is about that region now...the Mimico Book Club ladies have endorsed it as a 'great book'.

I'd also like to commend John Murtha: thanks for being a real man and standing up to the tin pot Generals, especially the CIC. He's apparently one of the very, very few; the proud.

Back to our cushy life in NA:
My tenure on the Board of Directors with the Drop in Centres is over. Whew! Now I can get to the next level: fighting for soap in the school toilets, supervision on the playground, and some helpful programming for the kids in the 'hood.

Lisa and I are helping (HELPING) our young friend Ivan --better known as Instructor Ivan-- get his TaeKwonDo program off the ground. It's tough to watch this guy...he's young, but that not an excuse.

Picture this:
TKD instructor, fired by Master from teaching at his home club for...I don't know: being an idiot? not being an idiot? Hard to say. He's a 3rd Dan black belt, which means he can't test for black belt himself - he's not a 'Master' level (4th Dan). His Master, despite his trying for years, has felt it necessary to 'teach him a lesson' and hasn't let him pass.
The Master, a man in his mid-40's, running a small club, with apparently few real people skills, and unable to see the bigger picture, fires his intructors: the three that are taking his club's class format into the schools and spreading the good word. He won't support these guys with a spin off business plan: I cover your insurance, you give me a portion of your wage to cover that and my time for testing.
Complicating this: the instructor (23) has grown up with this guy as a 2nd father. His own is (according to him) alcoholic, his step-mom is nice, his real mom is in what's left of Serbia (keep in mind his age - he left because of the war, and his father could keep him safe here) and he has no real relationship with her. The Master, having a weirdly parallel life, was born in Canada, went 'home' to live with his father's family in Ghana, his father being in Ireland studying. His mother, instead of giving him up for adoption, sends him diplomatic post, to the grandmother. After his dad returns, marries, he's rejected by the step, comes to Canada (he's a citizen) and starts his life anew as a TKD guy in the schools...meets the boy....

Skip ahead to now: the Master thinks the boy is a loser (not his fault, since ...I don't know...weird mind games don't count?) and fires his ass. Then slanders his work ethic in front of a class full of kids, and forbids the instructor any contact with those kids.

By the way: we ran a little summer program last year out of our church. It was great: 65 kids, 3 classes, money for the church, a job for two people...Master didn't get any of the money (we did say: we are paying him $x, you need to get him to give you a proper share of that for the insurance...he didn't do this) and was bitter. Master got all the kids to his 'free' (except, not for free since they had all been in the summer program and were therefore not 'beginner' anymore) program at $65/each. Master felt hard done by. And bitter, clearly. Over $3000 revenue from those particular kids to run the program....sounds fair to me.

So this summer approaches: our parents are asking about the program; our instructor wants to teach the program; we, oddly enough, don't want to run a small business but... This is his big chance to show his master, his parents, etc. that the dope is not making him stupid, that his music is not going to ruin his life, that he can actually take an existing clientele that loves him and translate that into a summer job and a part time job during the months he's a college completing his business program.

Can you imagine such a wonderful opportunity? Can he sustain? Can we back off and let him do all the things he needs to? What is UP with kids today? "Can you phone for insurance?" No, Ivan, you have to do that. "What should we charge?" Ivan, you have to figure that out. "What are all the days available?" Start with one class, and go from there.

The most frustrating thing will be if the Master decides to 'help'. He has been a completely insulting, short sighted, condecending ass in the past. He's made it clear that he's not involved in any way, shape or form. Good. Let's just keep it that way, shall we?

The most challenging thing for me in this whole episode has been keeping the professional visage: there were some difficulties, and miscommunications. We aren't working with Him, no. He doesn't want to be involved. It's not part of his business plan, I guess.....Making nicey nice.

He hasn't shown our efforts the same consideration. Bastard. (I can say that here, since no one's reading, anyway.)

So, we are Mentoring, Guiding, Facilitating....I'm going to write an article on this, I think. I think I have to, now.

So, the big news today (apart from a transit strike...how punishing is that?) is that (oh, and the Brangelina was born: Shiloh. oi Where do they come up with these? There's an old woman out there somewhere who names stupid-huge tupperware water craft, and celebrity children).
So, the big news was that Air Canada finally settled with Westjet: Westjet hired a guy with site access, they exploited it to gain adavantage and - shockingly- were busted. They actually had the wit to shred the documents before trashing them, but these were 'digitally reconstructed in the US' (can't we do that here? Mark dryly remarked, head in fridge fishing out a beer: Maybe there was a reason they didn't have the work done here....Interesting) and they had to pay a big fine and, and this was the neat thing, they had to make a $10M CD$ Donation to a children's charity in the names of the two airlines.
Now that's some serious spin! After Geoffrey and Ken's little pig-out, it seems almost like a happy ending.
But seriously folks: didn't this guy have a non compete? Was that the point? Was he a plant? Who does that nowadays...amazing.
Work is going well: everybody was on holiday, it seemed. Less than 300 emails waiting for my love and care. I only dealt with ...maybe 80 today.