Tag: J. Mike Smith

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[Secrets from the HR Underworld] The Job Title Scam

Do job titles matter?

And if so, what should you do to make sure you get the one that’s right for the role you’re seeking?

In an ideal world, a job title or “role” – words that are sometimes but not always synonymous – would connote scope of the person’s job and level of responsibility. Externally it give you  a sense of who you’re dealing/working with, and internally signals relative position and responsibility in an organizational hierarchy for those who put importance on those sorts of things things. … Read the rest

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[Early Spring 2015] The Envelope, Please

It’s a time of year when even the most distant observer notes that winners are separated from something referred to as losers. Who you are can be confused with what you’ve won (lately).

College bowl games, Super Bowl, Golden Globe, Writers Guild of America, Grammys, Oscars – all proclaiming who is/was hot, and maybe by inference, who is not.

Barack Obama got into the act with his January State of Union address noting that his campaigning days were over – eliciting cheers from Republicans – followed by a telling tally – “I should know because I’ve won both of them.… Read the rest

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Raise Your Hand. Take Blame. Fast!

The difference?Blame

The difference was between an OK bonus that the senior manager would receive and the really nice bonus  they wouldn’t receive was one word: responsibility.

The recipient, my client explained, shirked from responsibility.

When something went wrong, it was usually someone else’s fault.

When it came time to put a stake in the ground, they were often last to do so.… Read the rest

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Pick Up the Phone. Call.

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It’s easy to do in our digital world; send the email or text, respond via text or email back and forth and before you know it the thread has 7 or 8 back and forths.

Do something different; pick up the phone and call.

Or do what I do – send a note to ask when the person’s available to take a call and call them then.… Read the rest

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[Life Back West] Winter 2014 – “Thank You”

November was a blur but I came away with one distilled thought: It never hurts to give thanks for thanks.Thank YOU red grunge vintage seal isolated on white

The good deeds – mitzvahs if you speak Yiddish – directed my way were small to large but net-net, they were all very kind and very terrific.

The unfortunate expectation that some people have is that if you do good for someone else there is a chit, a payback note, that suggests the next favor is due you.… Read the rest

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Did You Leave Fingerprints?

Glenn Murphy resigned his CEO role with Gap, Inc. effective February 1, 2015.

English: Fingerprint

While I don’t know Murphy, I do know one thing about his 8-year stint at the Gap: Murphy left “fingerprints.”

Murphy was brought at a time when Gap was generally described as “adrift” and “without focus.” While financial results were mixed during his tenure – retail is a tough place for anyone to perform well – the stock price doubled during his time holding the stick.… Read the rest