This is originally from February of 2010…

When beginning my career, after starting to work in the real world (per say) – I would spend my time on ironing boards.

I would neatly press all my shirts and slacks, usually on the weekends. I would hear from people about how they took everything to the cleaners. Had everything pressed, starched and dry cleaned. I was never the one to do such a thing. I had the time so I did it myself. On Sundays, I would get everything ready for the week. Maybe have a little time for television. This way I would not have to do so much and rush. This is not so easy to do now.

Old habits are old habits for a reason. Those habits get tired too. Their bones begin to ache and those habits, they may be forgetful at times. So it is hard to get back into the routine.

Last night I found myself in my basement. Getting ready to get ready. Intending to iron one sweater. I ended up continuing with the other sweaters, shirts, pants, etc. Weird how relaxing it was. It was simple, minute and arbitrary.

We all have certain things that take absolutely no thought. These actions allow our minds to be completely blank. Allow us to go to a place void of worry. Cause us to forget what may have happened over the course of a day or even what we may face for the next. For me, it is washing the dishes, scrubbing them clean by hand when I know I could just as easily place them in the dishwasher

or…

mowing the lawn. Trying to get the track of lines in a yard perfectly aligned and parallel. So careful not to damage the baby tree that has so much to look forward to. Even when I’m washing the car… vacuuming it out… taking the towel to remove gook… from all the nooks and crannies. Detailing the details.

We need time to reflect. In order to be better at work, professionally and personally, I believe we need these small and at-first-glance meaningless events. Events that we have some power to contain. The power and ability to remove all thought from the regular, daunting and otherwise engaging moments outside of our personal lives. If at no other time, we can feel right.

The moment we as individuals realize that we are not in control of everything… all that happens to us, we may then see how we might gain control. Sometimes we try so hard to have that control that we press to hard and become sprained. We can control our reactions. We can control some of the things within our own space. Yet we cannot control everything.

I don’t wear starched shirts and well-designed ties as much as I use to. My shoes have no need to impress my colleagues as much as they needed to in the past. Every event and interaction in my life… I do not always get right…

but my space… those little things that matter, I am in need… to get those right. So I will…
iron the shirts,
clean the car,
wash the dishes and
mow the lawn

because those are the small moments… the little things that are needed to stay sane.

Preparing to be Back in the saddle

No one wants to find themselves in an odd situation. Again. You never want to be without a job. Again! I have written about lay-offs before and I have subtly referred to it as well as talked about my own experience. Approaching the end of 2009, I started this site as a result of company restructuring. I was notified on a Friday in 2009 so TGIF doesn’t mean quite the same thing to me anymore. Toward the 3^rd quarter of 2010 I found a position that worked. Over the last 2 years it has been great. I have learned a lot. I was able to teach just as much.

Now I am looking for a position again. So what’s up?

I have enjoyed working for Standard Register. I would love to continue working for them because it is a great fit. A great team. A great company. But with any company times are difficult. With the company’s recent announcement of cutting up to 15% of the workforce I am in preparation mode.  Over the last 2 years I have worked to contribute toward sustainability. Increasing not only the performance of the individuals I worked with, but also their understanding of the people across the business…

… here I am, ready for you!!!

In light of the news I am weighing my options and that means I am making myself available, so…

An experienced human resources and training professional, I hold an MBA and a solid background with large and small companies in the areas of Business to Business solutions, Manufacturing and Fortune 500. I have a real ability in speaking, formal communications and have a deep interest in venturing into External Relations and PR. I believe I would be pretty great at it. With my more recent Social Media, virtual WebEx and salesforce.com implementation experience, the technical side is not to difficult for me to master either.

So What I am Looking For?

• My core experience has been working within the business and with the people from the front line to the glass ceiling. I am most experienced in training, human resources and business strategy. I am very proud of being able to talk the language of business and the language of people!
• I love working in performance management and the training side of the business. However, I also have transferable skills that would seamlessly transition into Corporate Communications and External Relations.
• I am based in Cincinnati, OH. For me now, working locally or in the Dayton, OH area would be ideal but telecommuting with travel would be an option.
• I would like to work with a company that allows me the opportunity to build value for their customers and to reach out to their employees using social media. It would be an added bonus to continue writing in my blog as well.
• I am open to a full-time employment, consultant based or project based roles.
• The best thing is that my entire team and many of the people who I worked with offer their references… so you should feel confident I am a great hire!

If you have read something that builds your interest in adding me as a valuable member of your team, please feel free to contact me. You can find out more by reviewing my LinkedIn profile or downloading a PDF of my Resume. And if you want to get in touch with me, please do so.

This Blog: I have been writing this blog for about 2 years which has allowed me to stay in touch with my area of expertise, deal with challenging topics, and leverage the connections and conversations. I have built these into some strong and beneficial business collaborations and partnerships. Through it I have been able to do gain great feedback and conversation. It has been a great experience.

“Just because you don’t have work… doesn’t mean you don’t have work to do!”

and I’ve got work to do!

Some employers think they don’t have to worry about the exodus of employees leaving the four walls of their organization whether it be due to the economy, fear, or complacency. However, even with a 8.5% + unemployment rate, your best employees always have an opportunity to leave.

With everyone getting into the New Year spirit of Resolutions… I am sure that finding another job in a perceived better company is one of those resolutions. I guarantee you this one may not die as quickly as their new gym membership!

Here are a 7 signs they may be leaving you….

No matter who you are; rich, poor, race, culture, creed, educated or not… this economy is effecting you.

Currently the unemployment rate is 9.1%. I was affected just around a year ago. Like many others I did everything that people say you should do. Get an education, stay well-networked, present yourself in the best way possible. Unfortunately, I had found myself in the unemployment line in August of 2009.

Sadly, I sometimes forget. I take my current position and livelihood for granted and at times need to be reminded. We all need reminders that at any moment, something could happen to put us in a position that we would rather not be in.

The story of Maurice Johnson, a 55-year-old down-on-his-luck Bostonian, reminded me how close we all are to an edge we don’t want to look down. His story also challenges the popular perception of homeless people by being an unemployed aerospace engineer with two Master’s degrees. If you can help a scientist-down-on-his-luck out… then please do so!