Reinke Faces Life

An email to a fellow who just got nuked form his government job.

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Dear So and So,

http://home.comcast.net/~v2y2r0n27rhj6y/TURKEY/index.htm

My “turkey farm” is my series of webpages that I use for counseling newly minted turkeys.

Turkeys are those good people who get nuked from their jobs. It’s a loving term from the first time it happened to me. The first time I was fired, I was sent to the “outplacement firm”. I ran into a group of guys, much wiser than I, who welcomed me to the “turkey farm”. We were all turkeys went the popular wisdom, having been axed by our employers as valueless to that organization. Or at least less valuable than the salary one was drawing. Everyone would rejoinder “Oh not I. I’m different! I did X, Y, and Z.” in a defensive manner. But, they’d be “gobbled” down, by a chorus of gobbling fools, because by being there it was defacto evidence that they were a “turkey”. Hence when it happened to me, I embraced my “turkey-ness” and learned as much as I could. I’ve been “nuked” FIVE times — fired twice, set myself up to leave twice, and a once by mutual agreement — in my career. Each time it was a “blessing”. Painful, but still a great blessing. I used the severance to open my first consulting business. And would have never done it without the “push”.

It’s not easy to admit that I am a “turkey”. I believe that it will happen at least once more. (Strangely, perversely, I’d welcome the severance payment.) So, I’m a “turkey in waiting who is getting a paycheck right now”, but I have no illusion about corporate loyalty. The winds of change can make my version of “left handed paper hanging” obsolete overnight. I KNOW I could be “outside” looking “in” in a heartbeat.

But, now I am a wise old turkey. And, I share the principles of “turkey-ness” with baby turkeys. One wag, now employed after accepting some of my foolishness, called me the “turkey master”. Like Yoda, making “turkey warriors”. He also called me a “turkey baster” (for pouring ideas, time, and attention over him until some of it stuck). He also accused me of “stuffing” him with “stuff” (data, info, knowledge, and wisdom?) about being a “turkey” until it was popping out all over. I’ve also been accused of giving “baby turkeys” whiplash when I deluge them with my “stuff”. The analogy is the “baby turkey” is standing by the road hitchhiking, and I zoom by, grab them by the thumb, and make them run to keep up.

When you were “in”, I was giving you some of my particular brand of thinking. Now that you are “out”, you’re still welcome to it.

I don’t envy the road you have to travel. It’s hard to pick yourself up metaphorically and emotionally, dust yourself off, and get moving again. Some people NEVER do it. They are consumed by the past, what could have been, and how they were wronged. In your case, I think that a certain amount of effort is worthwhile in consulting with people about your particular situation. With a State job, it may be possible to “go home again”, I don’t know. At the very least, it may be possible to extract a settlement, better severance, another State job, or some other kind of windfall. But, at some point, you will have to move beyond where you were Thursday and today. It nature. You can’t feast on yesterday’s kill forever.

I hope that getting back on “your road” is quick and easier than it was for me. Every time I “fall”, it seems to hurt more because I know enough that I should have seen that “bump” coming.

Best wishes, advise how I can help,
FJR
The big fat old turkey

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Of course, I extend the offer to all.

Use the “force”.

“Do, or do not. There is no TRY!”

Turkeys are just eagles who don’t know how to soar yet?

Yeah, I know, knock off the “turkeying” around and get back to real work.

By The Way, speaking of me as the BFOT {Big Fat Old Turkey!} have you heard of my new LinkedIn_New_Jersey effort?

No? http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/LINKEDIN_NEW_JERSEY is yet another of my “get ready for your next transition” projects. Why not get all the New Jersey people to come to a yahoo group and network. Beats me trying to find them all by myself. Build it and they will come. ;-)

L8r.

>”When do top networkers work?”

I don’t regard my self as a “very good networker”; some will argue with me that I’m better at it than they are. BUT I don’t regard that as an appraisal; just an urging to try harder. Some of my concepts are: differentiating “networks” by objective, measuring “days outstanding” by group, and “build it; they will come”. Those make me look more like a “very good networker” than the shy fellow I really am.

So, I can say that this mediocre networker works every chance he gets. I try to multitask, innovate, and use “power” whenever I can.

Part of the realization that I came to after I was fired for the first time, (Quite a shock to a kid who grew up with the concept of lifetime employment in a big company. Where only drunks, thieves, and philanderers were fired! So what was I? Just unlucky.), was that my most important “job” was finding my “next job”. If you adopt the “me, myself, and I incorporated” mentality, then networking is “working”. Finding the next job is the highest priority. Sorry to say that, even if you sacrifice the oft-cited kid’s softball game, dance recital, skool play, even if you give it “all” to mother company for that paycheck, even if you bleed company ink, it ain’t gonna matter when the layoff notices come.

You have to realize the cold hard facts.

=> You have to generate value to keep retaining value (You deserve a “pay check” today. Do You?). [[I think that was the ‘work” you were asking about!]]

=> You have to keep your head screwed on straight as to what is your long term value generation strategy (Where do I retain value tomorrow?).

=> You have to think about how you retain some of that value for yourself (No margin; no mission).

=> You have to think about WHERE you’ll find that situation that allows you to retain it (How will I sell myself?) going forward.

=> You have to ANTICIPATE what will change (Silent traumatic violent changes will upset your nice plans?) in the future.

IMHO “working” on one thing must be integrated, mutiltasked, folded into the overall activities of the day.

When someone is “networking”, then IMHO they are “working” on facets #2, #3, #4, and #5!

All I can say is that goodness for long boring mandatory attendance conference calls that give considerable time for introspection.

From my point of view, as a big fat old turkey,
Fjohn

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/LINKEDIN_NEW_JERSEY/

LINKEDIN_NEW_JERSEY

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LINKEDIN_NEW_JERSEY is a jumping off point for finding LinkedIn groups forming or formed in New Jersey.

In order to join this group, you have to connect with the owner or moderators. (We don’t have any moderators yet. No one has volunteered.) Send your LinkedIn Connection Invitation to reinke fj — at — spam yahoo dot com. After of course taking out that part of the address that is to defeat the harvesting bots. ;-) As soon as your connect and application emails show up, I’ll admit you to this exclusive — as exclusive as all those who get wet in the rain may apply — group.

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I invited all my LinkedIn contacts to it; Either to participate because they are in New Jersey or to steal the idea for their own Yahoo LinkedIn SomeAtrribute Group. Let’s see if it gets traction.

It’s essential, but slow.

This is a great source and overview

http://www.otiscollier.com/linkedin/linkedin-resources.html

Also, run the 40 minute virtual rolodex / LinkedIn presentation

http://www.otiscollier.com/linkedin/linkedin.html

It is very recruiter centric but the seeker needs to know what the hunter is doing so that you can be “sought”.

It is interesting the “participation web”. First found on Amazon, they harnessed their users into an unpaid workforce. So, of all the things I do for free, should I monetize some or all of them. Turn it from a “labor of love” into some “retirement money” for my old age? Recruiters are doing this on the social networking sites. Why can’t we all?

Monday – Writing

Tuesday – Teaching

Wednesday – Coding

Thursday – Inventing

Friday – Coaching

http://execunet.blogspot.com/2007/01/price-of-leadership.html

Saturday, January 27, 2007
The Price of Leadership

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So why did reading Mr. Clark’s letter give me such pause? Because it sounded to me like the words from a very decent man who had reached the point where he felt he had to give up. That the law written to manage the few had made Board participation so painful, unrewarding, and frustrating that it just wasn’t worth it any more. Life is too short.

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Libertarian at 08824 said…

I’m not so sure that we need “laws”. (Or what the gang in washington produces, that some people call “laws” and “regulations”! Not to go off on a tangent but imho a law is something like gravity. Try a break it. Everything else is a watered down wanna be.)

Let’s examine the problem that they are claiming to solve. Enron, and its ilk.

You and I both know that it is hard to get a job with enron on your resume. Do you think that the mucky mucks are going to work again in a position of trust? Nah.

I see the financial market as having solved that problem real quick.

We will always have con men with us. The market metes our a fast harsh discipline. And, the “laws” are powerless to do anything to prevent it.

And, if the government’s role is to protect us from aggression from without and within, (a job it does poorly), then throw thieves in the clink and let the rest of us fend for ourselves. We are anyway.

Did any one get restitution from enron? Nah. But the politicians made lots of speeches and did lot’s of posturing.

Every time the government “helps” us, we have unintended consequences.

Look at NOLA, WalMart’s trucks were turned away and FEMA handed out phone numbers. Argh! Why are we so stupid to believe in the tooth fairy, honest politicians, or government “help”?

We’d be better off left to the marketplace. At least your cited subject could still be in “his” business.

January 28, 2007 9:03 AM

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/LINKEDIN_NEW_JERSEY/

I think this will be the umbrella group for all the subordinate zip groups that eventually get created.

JIBBERJOBBER may not have the right metaphor for all situations (Another Iteration)

The recent JibberJobber carnival demonstrated (by rubbing my nose in it) that I don’t have a written strategy for the next twenty earning years.

So I went to my Job Seeker’s PIM and said hmmm, let me plug in my new strategy (scribbled on a post it), and looked for a tab.

I wanted to put in timeframe – objective – UVP – USP – Requirements – timetable.

But I really couldn’t do it.

So I said to self, “Self, perhaps the metaphor is wrong?” I was aghast. Disloyalty again. Oh wait, I’m just an unpaid volunteer, trying to help. I can’t be disloyal or wrong. I’m the USER!

Perhaps, the seeker’s model is that there is a think called “UVPs”.

How am I going to get there from here and when?

My favorite Jobseeker’s PIM doesn’t accommodate that.

A lot of room for improvement here.

Based on encouragement from the Chief Cheerleader, I created some more Yahoo “LinkedIn” groups — yes I can hear it now “not yet another
bunch of groups” — to address my pet peeve “near by ed ness”.

Locality.

The way I see it, if you’re in NYC you can get to any place in Manhattan to klache, clique, or any other coffee-related activity to bond with your LinkedIn colleagues. Maybe some networking might even ensue. Other geographies can reasonable be thought to be local.

Not so in New Jersey, (properly pronounced Nu Jer Zeeeee)! It has some unique challenges. Which are of course unanswered by anything we currently have. It’s a long way from tip to toe in New Jersey. And, in the guts of North and Central Jersey, width is measured in traffic jams per mile. And, the bottom of the peanut, it’s a long way from Camden to AC.

So, in order to bond with my fellow LinkedIn-ites in the Garden State, I created some groups.

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/LINKEDIN_NEW_JERSEY/

To collect anyone interested in LinkedIn activities in New Jersey. I’d envision this to be the focus point for spinning off ZIPCODE groups.

I kicked off the idea with a ZIPCODE group near my place of work 08054

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/LINKEDIN08054/

and one near home 08824.

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/LINKEDIN08824/

All three have unique logos! Yes, I tried to compensate for predictable names.

I invite all interested in klatching, cliquing, or otherwise meeting up / networking with me or others around your geography to join.

As is the new trend, you must “apply” and give your “linkedin url” to be admitted. Other than that it’s as exclusive as rainfall. Good manners are appreciated.

I welcome others to “steal” the idea. And, will be glad to walk you thru the concept and steps.

If you don’t like the idea, then it’s all Vincent’s fault. he made me do it. ;-)

F. John Reinke
Kendall Park, NJ 08824
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054