May 2009

Monthly Archive

On Doing The Impossible

In his 2008 Valedictory Address to the graduating class at Notre Dame, Joshua Hammack made these challenging remarks:  “Speaking of the impossible, I believe that word takes unfair blame for people’s unwillingness to try.  It seems like whenever you have an audacious goal, someone wants to focus on its impracticality.”

Never is that more true than when the audacious goal is our own - and we are usually the “someone” who is pointing out its impracticality. (more…)

Getting A Job In Any Economy

A lot of times, clients will ask me something like, “Are there any jobs out there?” or tell me with conviction that this is a difficult time to get jobs.

 It’s clear that they think something scary is going on and they’re in a bad position.  Listening to statewide and nationwide unemployment statistics will tend to support this view.  What they won’t do is help my clients discover whether that news has anything to do with them, personally. (more…)

Hunkering Down - Not a Recipe For Success

     Our local university offers a non-credit course on career change three times a year and asks me to teach it.  Typically, 12-20 students sign up - but not since the downturn in the economy.  In the last several months, it has been offered twice.  Two students signed up in January and six for the class that started in March. 

At our first session in March, several of those six were dumbfounded.  Why so few people, they wondered?  At a time when more people’s jobs are less secure than they’ve been in years, why would people not have signed up in record numbers?

     Why indeed. Why are many people economizing personally when their wages have remianed the same?  Why are we not buying stocks when they’re on sale?  Why are so many companies so illogiacally cutting back on sales and marketing?  Why are they not taking advantage of deeply discounted advertising rates? (more…)