When the rain started right before we stepped on the ferry boat tonight to take us from central Hong Kong to Kowloon, there was little idea how much and how hard the storm would hit us. While the thought of watching the nightly laser light show from the harbor seemed a good idea, spending time on a rocking boat during a subtropical squall changed any fantasies quickly into the reality of two adults and one seven year old child trying to figure out if any of us knew how to say “rescue” and “life preserver” in Mandarin or Cantonese.… Read the rest
[Through the Glass Door] Barclays Global Investors and Genentech: Stuck in the M & A Middle?
In Roman Catholic theology, limbo is that afterlife condition for those who die without being assigned to hell. For employees in companies waiting for the post-acquisition dust to settle such as Genentech, or for those waiting for part of the organization to be halved off, such as Barclays Global Investors (BGI) with its iShares division, limbo is a pretty good description of what it’s like to be inside the organization.… Read the rest
It’s Late at the Candidate Pub: Part 8 – “Last Call” – of the nine part series “Choose Me, Hire Me!”
Like looking for a spouse / partner when you hear some loud form of biological / life clock incessantly ticking, the scent of desperation is something that job candidates should avoid. That vibe evokes caution on the part of would-be-employers, and can torpedo promising job opportunities.
For people who are locked into job hell, “between jobs” or just plain out of work, the feeling of despair may feel inevitable.… Read the rest
[Life Back West] December 2008 – “Three Square”
My dad, who passed away at age 96, referred to life in his later years as “Mike raising father.” From the land of what goes around comes around, my son Traylor seems to be inspiring the same type of learnings for this pop.
After lunchroom / playground duty with fellow volunteer parents Erica and Billy at the new school , I got to see a couple of my son’s classmates apply simple pragmatism to recess.… Read the rest