What Does It Take to Do a Great Job?

I was at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas yesterday with my husband. It was 80s and sunny in Vegas, and 30s and snow here at home... Why did we fly back here again? Oh well, I suppose that's another topic. Anyway, after making our way through security (which surprisingly was only a 5 minute ordeal), we stopped at one of the restaurants for breakfast. It's fun to watch people while you sit, waiting.

One of the people I noticed was a cleaning staff member. His job, at least while I was watching, was to sweep up any litter he saw. You know what I'm talking about; you see these sweepers at all theme parks, malls, etc. This guy tried to sweep a piece of paper into his dustbin and it (the litter) didn't budge from the floor. It must have been a sticker. He pushed at it with his shoe, and it still didn't budge. At that point, he walked away.

I remember the staff at Disneyworld encountering something similar. They carried scrapers so they could make sure they got all of the litter - including gum.

It seems to me that is an example of a good portion of a great customer experience: you get the job done right, even if it means carrying additional tools and using a bit of elbow grease.

 photo credit: istockphoto.com

Signs From the Universe

It seems to me that people often say they've been given a "sign" when something happens to them. It doesn't seem to matter if it's positive or negative. A sign that you're going in the right direction, the wrong direction, someone likes you, someone hates you, something was meant to be, or something wasn't meant to be.

I know I've said it. Heck, I said it today. I think this is just something we tell ourselves to justify the feelings we happen to be having at that moment.

Life is random. It's not a highway taking a somewhat straight course from coast to coast. It's a series of back roads, with hairpin turns that sometimes backtrack. Perhaps the signs we think we are seeing are actually mile markers,  the proof of progression through life itself.

Charitable Giving

The featured blog post on FatWallet today is about charitable giving on a budget. At different times in my life, I found myself on the tight end.... and charitable giving was the last thing on my mind. I realize now what a loss that was. Focusing my attention on others less fortunate than I would have been a tremendous kick in the butt. A needed kick.

So, please read and let me know some of your creative ideas!

FatWallet: Charitable Giving on a Budget

 photo: istockphoto.com

Thanks, Illinois, For Your Shortsightedness.

 credit: iStock photo

Disappointment is difficult.

Feeling betrayed hurts.

I was born and raised in Illinois. My husband and I made the conscious choice to move back here after his time in the Navy. Family, friends, and familiar places and faces all tugged at my heartstrings, and I convinced him this was the place to be. He didn't want to live here.

Time marched on, and we had additions to our family in the form of brothers-in-law, nieces, and a nephew. We found fulfilling, satisfying, challenging work. We contribute to our community through volunteering and monetary support of select charities. The company we work for invested in our community, taking an eyesore in Rockton and constructing a state-of-the-art facility that is comfortable and perfect for our workforce. We bought a house just a few miles away, conscious of the convenience and environmental impact of a short commute.

Today Governor Quinn signs into law HB 3659, which directly impacts our employer. FatWallet's advertising relationships with some large companies, such as Amazon and Overstock, will evaporate if FatWallet remains in Illinois. FatWallet has no choice but to move.

I've watched the debate play out in the press. I walk away from this fiasco more jaded than ever. There was no consideration about what really made sense; there was simply backroom politics, rhetoric, posturing, and in the end, politicians and lobbyists who got richer.

FatWallet will go on. The company will move to another state, and won't look back. Illinois will not realize the supposed gains this law tries to obtain. Politicians will get even more crooked. Big businesses will drive small businesses out of business. Way to go. It's not like Illinois needs the higher-paying jobs companies like FatWallet provide. Not at all. The void left by the 9,000+ affiliate marketers that will be affected can be filled by the wages WalMart pays, right Governor Quinn?

There are so many opinions being thrown left and right, and only a handful of people who truly understand the issue. Even people pushing hard for it didn't understand the consequences to so many legitimate, growing, tax-paying Illinois businesses. Of those who do understand, there are two camps: the people who see the irreparable damage done to the fast-growing, profitable affiliate marketing businesses in Illinois, the opportunities forever lost; and those who see that damage may be done, but feel that taking a stand may encourage other states to adopt similar bills - and ultimately think that the affiliate marketers are bluffing when they say they will leave Illinois.

If you knew that you were going to take a minimum 30% pay cut if you stayed, or you could continue to make the same or more by moving, what would you do?

Personally, I'm saddened by the state of affairs in my home state. I don't believe Illinois would be in the financial mess it is if we hadn't had so many crooks in elected offices over the course of my lifetime. Our government is no longer a government by the people, for the people. It's full of career politicians. It's enough to make me truly understand and feel the Revolutionary War was more than just a story in our past.

Tax Foundation
Blue Yonder - Affiliate Influenza
Performance Marketing Association

Women of HR

Since last summer, I've been fortunate to be a part of the Women of HR community. It's a great group of people with varied experiences, making an interesting mix. I'm looking forward to meeting many of them in person at HRevolution in Atlanta.

Today, they're featuring one of my posts. It's titled "Who Signs Your Paycheck?" Please take a look and let me know your thoughts.

Coping With Sadness

What do you do when you're sad?

Winter - the bitter cold, angry winds, gray skies, short days - sends me into a funk. I tend to fold into myself, becoming more introverted than my norm. Social interactions revert to a minimum. I don't want to leave the house.

One way i try to escape is through books. Curled up under a blanket, drinking tea, I can ignore the harshness of the season.

Music works sometimes, too, but it can be a double-edged sword. So many emotions are triggered by songs that listening to my library on random can be a roller coaster of highs and lows.

I wish I handled sadness in more constructive ways. Clubs or sports? I'll never be a social butterfly, nor will I be any kind of athlete. I'm awkward and clumsy, tripping over my own feet half the time. Would forcing engagement with others help? It is so tiring, exhausting, simply draining when I try.

A brief getaway to Florida last week was welcome and needed, so much more than I realized. I joked while there about absorbing enough sun to hold me until warmer weather hits our area. I didn't get nearly the amount necessary.

I'm hoping for a change in weather very soon. Are you?

My Soc Me Picks

So you're wondering what the heck I mean by Soc Me picks. In honor of the Oscars, I'm sharing my thoughts on who I consider the stars of the HR social media space. These people know how to deliver jabs and uppercuts, and can tell it the way it is.

First on my list is Laurie Ruettimann, the Cynical Girl. Why? With a routine Google search for employee handbook, Punk Rock HR popped up on my screen. Her take on the subject, Punk Rock Employee Handbook, is pure and simple genius. I was hooked.

Jason Seiden is next. Want leadership or personal development advice? You'll find it, no holds barred, at Fail Spectacularly! Plus, he occasionally throws in free mp3 downloads of his very talented sister, Jackie.

Frank Roche has a no-bullshit approach on his blog, KnowHR. I still have his list of what he believes - and doesn't - about HR hanging on my office door.

Charlie Judy and his Trench HR outlook is practical, realistic, inspiring, and brave. Why brave? Actually, all these people have the courage and determination to change the profession for the better.

Lisa Rosendahl, Trish McFarlane, Shauna Moerke and all the Women of HR push the boundaries of accepted beliefs and practices in the HR field every day.

To hear the stories and beliefs of many more progressive HR folks who really get it, all you have to do is tune into DriveThruHR with Bryan Wempen and William Tincup every weekday, or listen to HR Happy Hour on Thursday evenings.

Of course there are many, many more people I could mention. These are the ones who originally inspired me; made me laugh, think and change my opinions.