"Sometimes You Just Know It Isn’t Going to Happen"
This has been an interesting month for me. I was flat on my back in bed for 10 days with back pain so dreadful that I wanted to leave this planet. It took awhile but eventually (through sheer determination) I overcame the pain and I was able to return to my first love, speaking. I grabbed my favorite sections of the Sunday Tribune and took them with me to the airport.
On the plane an article in the business section caught my eye. "Buffett twice was offered opportunities to help AIG" by Betty Liu and Erik Holm of Bloomberg News. In the article Buffett said "it wasn't very tough" to resist investment in American International Group (AIG) in September. He had been presented with two chances to help AIG in the final days before the US Government intervened to prevent the Insurer's collapse in September. "The AIG stock has fallen 99 percent in less than a year. It has exceeded my expectations in the wrong direction" Buffet said.
This was four months before Obama took office.
 It's Tuesday night and I am on my return flight home from New England. Today's USA
Today had this picture on the front page because once again the unscrupulous and immoral people at AIG had the nerve to hand out $165 million to their cronies under the guise that “they have contracts” and AIG has no choice but to pay. Right…
Then the most interesting thing happened, the media began to blame President Obama for what was happening. This man who has only been in office for less than 12 weeks was deemed responsible for the AIG mess and should be held accountable. Interesting, these are the same people who should have noted that the checks and balances were missing and whose outrage should be turned not to a 12 week occupant of the presidential office but to the blatant 'greed is good' mindset of the so called 'executives' at AIG.
It reminds me of the old story of a manufacturing plant manager who on receiving a new piece of machinery pushed it to its limits. He was able to increase product output to unprecedented limits and earned praise from the home office.
Soon he was promoted to the senior ranks and held up as an example of how to help the company to grow and generate revenues.
A new manager took possession of the plant and the machinery to great fanfare. Soon, however, the machinery broke down and it became evident that maintenance had never been done on the machine.
They chastised the new manager for slowing down production and breaking the machine. They asked him what was the problem and why couldn't he bring production back up to the original levels without the machine breaking down. They held him responsible for 'the mess we're in" and crowed that his popularity was on the wane.
President Obama should take note and remember what Winston Churchill said "The price of greatness is responsibility."
The American people should take note. Make sure the blame is placed squarely on the AIG, the media who cry 'the sky is falling' when it's already on our heads, and the missing checks and balances that should have, like the maintenance on the machinery, been done so that this could not have happened.
AIG must be ordered to return the $165 million. That is a huge reward for doing a BAD job! They don't deserve it and they know it. They are simply immoral men with zero conscience who have no regard whatsoever for the country they pillage.
Send your feedback to me at Yvonne@yvonnefbrown.com
Confident Communication: How to have a Dynamic Voice
In today's society the ability to communicate well is a highly valued commodity. This skill separates the winners from the losers at work, in social situations and in ones personal life. Confident communication is multifaceted and concerns both verbal and non-verbal skills. Your voice is heard even before you open your mouth through your total communication image. It's not just what you say, but how you say it that counts. This 3-day session incorporates lecture and interactive participation to improve the four aspects of your Dynamic Voice and provide you with the tools and techniques to succeed on all fronts. If you have ever found yourself at a loss for words in a tough situation, this course will help ensure that never happens again.
Location: The Executive Career Center - Walter E. Heller College of Business Administration
To learn more click here
I've been at my job for over five years now, and I also turned 50 last year. I'm about to complete a master's degree in psychology, but since this has absolutely nothing to do with my present job, I'm feeling a bit apprehensive about what next? My 25 years of employment history mainly consists of office management and supervision. Do you have any suggestions on how I can transition from clerical to professional?
Answer:
First, congratulations on this important achievement. There are several options available to you but only you can decide which is your best option. You can seek opportunities in the field knowing that you will have to work your way up in this area. With the current state of the economy, you might want to continue in your current position while building credibility in the area of psychology. Some of your options include working as a volunteer in positions that require a Masters degree in psychology to try out the occupation to determine if it meets your expectations. Another option is to contact current experts in the area you aspire to and shadow them for a day to learn what the work truly entails. A third option is to identify and interview people in the field of psychology to better learn what a 'day in the life' of a psychologist is really like. Upon completion of these tests you will be better prepared to make an informed decision.
Please keep me informed as to your decision and results.
Send your questions for "Ask Yvonne" to yvonne@yvonnefbrown.com and I will answer in our next newsletter
Twitter Gets You Fired in 140 Words or Less
It’s always fun to use the newest and hottest social networking technology but Twitter allows you to humiliate yourself quickly in 140 words or less. A Cisco employee made a recent tweet that placed a permanent black mark on their resume and spawned a ripple of tweets across the internet. The now web infamous “theConner” wrote this:
"Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.”
Soon Tim Levad a “channel partner advocate” for Cisco shared this open response:
"Who is the hiring manager. I’m sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web."
The social networking comedy of errors spread across the internet like wildfire and soon “theConnor” earned the nick “CiscoFatty” – by the end of the day it was on YouTube and soon there was a CiscoFatty.com website.
To read the entitre artlicle click here
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