Today, all of those well intentioned hopes and feelings of excitement came crashing down to a very sad end. In the first week of this year’s tour, Lance has been hit by never before seen misfortunes. He has had equipment failures and falls resulting in bruises and cuts on his battle worn body. In spite of early mishaps, we had every reason to believe he would make up the one minute time laps behind his major competitors.

At a most unfortunate moment in today’s stage, reality dashed all hope for the return of the king of cycling. Lance crashed head over heels a short distance prior to a steep long climb in the Alps. By the time the crew had replaced his shattered bike, Lance had lost almost two minutes to the race leaders charging up the hill. A short while later, a young rider fell down directly in front of Lance. Lance stopped on top of the other rider’s wheel. After untangling a pile of wheels and riders, Lance had lost another few minutes. The total of lapsed time behind the main field now amounted to about six minutes. In the world of pro cycling, this may as well be a day or a week. Lance’s hope of recovering this year’s Tour is all but ended.

Tomorrow is a day of rest for the Peleton. Lance has a long lonely day to think about this fresh set of events in his long and glorious career. He made it clear that this Tour will be his last. How will it end if not on top of the victor’s podium in Paris? These are his options: he could withdraw from the race and go home, ride with his head lowered in defeat and shame, dragging himself to the finish, or arrive at the start line on Tuesday prepared to fight for his dignity and legacy while supporting the rest of his team. He still has the chance to end his Tour career with a stage win or two and help Levi Leipheimer compete for the General Category title.

How does this relate to an article about dealing with today’s job market? The options presented to Lance at the Tour are no different than those faced by each one of us on a regular basis. We charge into our day with hope and excitement for the fulfillment of our every dream. We are all shooting for a top podium finish at the end of a long and prosperous life. We face the daily grind and wonder if anyone ever notices or appreciates our contributions to the community effort. Maybe we do not have a bruised and bloody body at the end of our day’s ride, but we may certainly have a bruised and battered spirit.
I know you experience the pain of unintended mistakes. Or you stumble over an unnoticed political obstacle in your path and have a bruised and battered image with the boss. Will you quit? Will you mope through your days until it is unbearable? Will you rise to the occasion live to fight another day with dignity and character? I define character as the will to do the right thing in the face of adversity even if it may come with an undesired cost. I believe with all my heart that true character shows in the pain of disappointment.

BTW, here’s a quote from Lance at the end of today’s stage. “The Tour’s finished for me,” Armstrong said, according to a taped interview sent to media by his RadioShack team. “But I can stay in the race, try and win stages, help the team.” reported Alex Duff @bloomberg.com.

Best regards,

Fred

Editor’s Note: Brit, writer for Psychotic Resumes, is riding the MS 150 – we here at Psychotic Resumes would like to support her efforts! Go get ‘em, Brit!

Just because I don’t have 7 Tour de France victories to vouch for my reputation claim doesn’t mean you would stop reading….

When the day comes that Title IX bleeds over into the international arena (we all know how well women’s basketball has turned out) and women are allowed to compete in the Tour de France, I will be there. Look out Lance, I’m comin’ for that yellow jersey. For now am riding my 1998 Klein Panache in the Colorado Chapter MS 150. Panche is French for “reckless abandonment”. Fitting.

I will be riding my bicycle 150 miles on June 26-27 from Broomfield to Fort Collins, CO and back! Just me and the open road. Wind in my hair. Bugs in my teeth.

The ride is amazing. My brother and his former roommate will be working the SAG crew along the way, filling numerous tires, repairing bikes, and helping the riders as they make their journey in honor of Multiple Sclerosis.

What’s that? You want to know how you can help? I knew it!

Remember all that extra money you had left over at the end of 2009 and you said to yourself, “I think I should save this money to donate to Brittany Rehling’s MS 150 fundraiser in 2010”?

Remember?

I’m here to tell you your wait is over! I have set up my fundraising page for the 2010 MS 150! I know it has been a burden holding on to all that heavy cash for so long, but your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Think you already spent the money on beer, babies, parking tickets, etc.? Don’t worry. I’m not too mad. Yet. There are plenty of other ways you can aquire donation money to give to me before the end of June. Donating plasma is a great way to not only have a quiet three hours of independent time to get caught up on your reading, but it also lands $15 in your pocket. That $15 is just a click away from being donated into Brittany Rehling’s MS 150 fundraising account! It’s that simple!

Do you own a couch? No? Do you know people that own a couch? No? Do you know people that own furniture that is conveniently placed to absorb slighly loose change and dollars from unsuspecting furniture-sitting entities? Great! This is also a great place to find money that is also just one click away from being donated to Brittany Rehling’s MS 150 fundraising efforts!

Selling things on E-bay? Donation!

Turning in foreign currency lying around your home? Donation!

Winning Lottery ticket? Donation!

Selling body parts on the black market? Donation!

It’s that easy! Just click HERE to donate!

With your help, the Colorado Chapter of the National MS Society assists over 76,000 Coloradans whose lives are affected by multiple sclerosis. Here are examples of the many ways your support directly benefits those living with MS:

• $25 – One recreational class such as Tai Chi or Yoga
• $75 – Basic access ramp for one home
• $100 – Bathroom safety grab bars
• $250 – 10 Wellness classes
• $500 – Air conditioning window unit
• $1,000 – Pays for consumable lab supplies for one research project
• $1,500 – Access modifications for one vehicle
• $5,000 – One month of post doctoral fellowship to train a future MS researcher or physician

This is my third year doing the ride. With all fun aside it really is an incredible experience. Last year was the first year that we had riders wearing jerseys stating, “I Ride With M.S.”. Prior to last year there weren’t enough advances in research and medicine for people with Multiple Sclerosis to ride like that. With the money that has been raised, research and advances have been made so that people now can “Ride With M.S.”. Also during the ride, many people who have M.S. but cannot ride come out to show their gratitude and support in the efforts we went through to raise money so one day we can free the world of M.S.

Please let me know if you have any questions or if you would like any additional information. Also please let me know if you want to join me on Frontier Airlines team to ride the 150 miles! For a large donation I would consider the idea of toting an individual in a kid carrier behind me. Keep in mind there are weight limits on those things, and I’m not going to want to stop that often for bathroom breaks.

Thanks for your support!

First, go here: http://www.reclaimprivacy.org/ – follow the steps to see what information you’re leaking on Facebook. Nothing says, “Please burn my application” like photos of kegger headstands.

Second, pick up a copy of Re-Work – inside you’ll find everything that’s wrong with business today and how to fix it.

Finally – start up a LaidOffCamp in your area. If you don’t have any job prospects lined up, this is the kind of project to help you find some.

In a digital age have we forgotten the basic elements of human connection in business?

At a time in history when we have a plethora of communication options at our fingertips, why are the polite and respectful elements of business drying up like a crusty glob of mayonnaise left on the counter?

Constantly rescheduled meetings, completely missed meetings with no explanation, texting while in a meeting, the need to constantly check a phone or mobile device in the middle of a conversation or meeting, consistently showing up late… the list goes on.

Have we forgotten social graces, or are they slowly evolving out of traditional business interaction in the digital age?

Its Pretty Simple, Stupid

When you make plans. Keep them. If you cannot, let someone know, much more than five minutes before you are supposed to show up. Considering we have several ways to communicate that have evolved way beyond  the carrier pigeon, there are really no acceptable excuses. In fact, you look like more of an ass given just how many options you can use, including Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, text message and even phone…remember that one?

A doctor charges you for missing an appointment without giving 24 hours notice, so why should inter-business meetings be any different? You are wasting people’s time, and that translates into money lost in any business. You also piss people off who tell other people about their experience.

Make a Decision and Stick to It

People who constantly change meetings look flaky and undependable. Same goes for the people who consistently request you send them multiple dates that you are free, only to tell you none of them will work. Then why the hell are you asking? In this case its not me, its you, so come up with some alternatives so I am not constantly throwing darts in the dark.

This does not instill a sense of trust, and makes me concerned about working with you in the long-term. Can I count on being able to meet with you in a timely fashion to get anything done? Or are you going to play the hard to get card? Please note; we are not dating, and I am not interested in chasing your tail.

Shut off the Mobile Device for Five Minutes

Yes, we know you are important. We also know you are a critical cog in the wheel of U.S. commerce. You are also a human being who can pay attention for more than five minutes at a time if you try.  I believe in you! How can you really connect with the person in front of you if you are constantly thinking about who else is trying to get in touch with you? Remember, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.  Believe it or not, successful business transactions took place before technology convenience.

Get Organized; It Pays Off

The underlying problem with these scenarios is basic time management and organization. Don’t think it needs to be complicated or that you need to invent a complex system. Sit back and think about what would work for the way you work. I like having a paper calendar (yes, old school) so that when I am using my digital media I can easily access my calendar and change things.

Google also offers a free online calendar that will also send you alerts for upcoming meetings, and you can schedule the alerts for any amount of time. They also have ton of other tools that help with all aspects of your business and life.

Not getting anywhere? Get help. Talk with others in your industry and find out about the tools they use to manage their time. There are professionals who can work with you one-on-one to determine the approach that works for your lifestyle. Timebridge and Toggle are also very helpful time management/meeting tools.

The bottom line is that with more media to manage,  time is spread thinner. Its critical to maintain your in-person connections as priority one and be sure you are using digital media to enhance these personal relationships, not erode them.

There was an inherent flaw in the conclusion drawn by my parents. They did not understand the law of supply and demand in relationship to education. Their high school diplomas brought great gain for them over the station of their parents. A college degree was light years above the station that my parents enjoyed. The flaw in the conclusion was lack of attention paid to the percentage of the population with any kind of a degree. I do not know the exact numbers at this moment, but my assumption is one of minimum saturation. The industrial age had created a strong demand for an educated work force. My parents were living at the beginning of this curve in our society. I am sure you have heard the business principle of “first in the market”. For my parents, the void driving demand was huge. They both obtained some college training along the way and enjoyed more than adequate opportunity for climbing the ladder.

I was raised on the obsession that a degree was the only way to avoid abject failure or be doomed to being a ditch digger for the duration of my days. We dug ditches with a shovel in those days. I was terrified of my future without a degree. I graduated in exactly the prescribed four years at barely twenty one years of age. I played college sports, sang in the men’s glee club and held a minor office on the student council while working for my favorite political campaigns. Oh, and yes I dated the sweet co-eds of my class. College was quite a merry ride and I felt very accomplished at the end of it all.

I was taught to believe that our society’s highest calling was that of being a teacher and there was a terrible shortage of the same. My generation had overcrowded class rooms with consolidated team teaching situations to meet the demands of a growing American population. To my chagrin, a large percentage of my classmates had been sold the same pitch. We applied for positions only to realize that there were multiple applicants for every opening. The competition was fierce. I landed a low paying position in a private school only to find out, after four years, that I hated staff meetings and did not care much more for the classroom and grading papers. In the subsequent forty plus years, I have had to rely on the discovery of my natural talents, entrepreneurial initiative and the energy required by hard work. The college degree was not the magic pill for a better life.

Be assured that I love education and went on to grad school. Education has been a grand enhancer of my existence on the planet. The point of this massaging of the ol’ brain is that college degrees usually have little to do with career success. In many arenas, degrees have simply become a mechanism for weeding out the excess population in the shrinking job market. I hope that you are beginning to resonate with my experience. I believe the job market started reaching a saturation point regarding college graduates sometime in the 1060’s. We were taught to believe that the college degree was the key to accomplishing the American Dream of a two story house, 2.5 children, a BMW in the garage and a white picket fence. I think the only adjustment to this picture for the current generation is the societal life style you find desirable. The definition of American Dream has changed but the principle is the same.

This generation has one additional dilemma. Gen Y has been told that the big bad corporations and Wall Street have stolen all of the opportunity and the American Dream is dead. My generation was told that God was dead. I have found that neither statement is true even though many of my generation think that God is taking an extended vacation on a beach in Argentina. I am here to tell you that every individual’s version of the American Dream is alive and well and can be achieved. The dirty little secret is that none of these things has ever come from anyone or anything outside of us. I see no difference between expecting a corporation to supply cradle to grave security and expecting the federal government to supply security. Any institution promising such a notion is a con artist. I define a con as someone who promises to supply something they cannot or will not fulfill. From the beginning of our great nation, the individual dream and drive of each person has been the key to success. This whole corporate giant phenomenon has been birthed out of the industrial revolution and has always been a form of financial slavery. The developing socialistic government is no different. Power brokers have always sought to enslave the people for profit since the beginning of recorded history. This development is not new. It was new in western civilization in the mid 1800’s. I recommend reading E. M. Forster novels from the early 1900’s for a perspective on this question.

So, where does a college degree fit for you? In the final analysis, you will need to decide. But, I will say that a degree has a lot to offer as a vehicle for personal growth and life experience. College should expand your world view and understanding of life. Do not count on it for a career guarantee. Actually, the only career paths that need a degree are those which require some form of a state license such as medicine, law, teaching, counseling, pharmaceuticals, etc. All other endeavors are reliant on an understanding of your inherent talents, personal initiative and willingness to work. I believe that talent is the most critical ingredient for all of us. Once you discover what you do most naturally without thinking about it, look at the forms of that talent for which the society is willing to pay. Your biggest challenges lie in developing trained skills using your talent and promoting yourself to end users. Consulting with a fellow like Nick Armstrong can help you with this part. Self promotion is often the tallest hurdle for many individuals. I have total faith that you have it in you. Go to work and find the fire in your belly. Sitting in front of the video games escaping reality will only guarantee fulfillment of your greatest fears. Fight the good fight along side your good friends. Gen Y has a wonderful and promising future. It merely will look differently than the dream of my generation.

Best regards,

Fred

Too many ideas distracting from running your business? Tips for regaining focus when distractions get the better of you.

We all have them, multiple times daily. They could be about what to eat for dinner, or how to quietly side-step that weird co-worker who stands just a little too close in the break room.

The challenge is even though we have ideas flying through our mind like pollen on a windy spring day, we need to know when to shut them down and focus on what is important.

Some people are “idea” people; they are much more at home thinking of ideas then bringing them to fruition. Its a wonderful skill and very useful. However, many entrepreneurs jump in as idea people without realizing it. Soon, they are frustrated because they make little to no money, are stalled at the starting gate and have zero fun — all because they lack the skills to actually EXECUTE ideas.

Here are some suggestions:

Create a path that works for you and how you work. Find key times of the day you are most productive. For me, its definitely not at the crack of dawn, or really even before 10 am. Do I take client calls and meet with folks? Sure, when I need to. I just don’t attempt to work on large creative tasks or writing in this time frame, because I usually just end up with a lot of revisions.

I also plan time in my day to just space out and think. I know what times of day are best, and yes, some of them do involve chai, staring out the window and perhaps even twirling my hair around my finger. Most importantly, I factor it into every day because its just as important as any of the other “work” I may be doing for clients, and its the fuel that keeps my business evolving to new levels. However, its planned for so its not distracting from key tasks.

This doesn’t mean that I don’t have creative ideas out of the blue, but they often show up when I am already doing other things. To honor the thought, I capture it in an idea notebook or on a whiteboard, and keep going until I have the proper time to dedicate to developing it.

Get a handle on what sends you off into dream land or causes you to lose focus. We all have a sense of what that is for us. It might be getting onto Digg or Stumble Upon and losing track of time. Perhaps its those daily phone calls from family members that are completely unnecessary, but they call because you don’t have a “real job”. Whatever it is, find ways to contain it, don’t cut it off cold turkey. Just choose a consistent time and hold to it.

Review your strengths and weaknesses and how to honor them. When we take time to understand and acknowledge what makes us tick on many levels, we can stop wasting time with tasks or projects that are full-out time suckers and leave room for cool ideas to take shape. So take 10 seconds, forgive yourself for being human, and then move on doing things you know you are good at, while at the same time finding creative ways to get your weaknesses covered. One option is to trade services with someone in the short term if money is tight.

Build a dependable team. These people will carry on the tasks after the idea is solid, and keep your mind free to explore other options and possibilities. Case in point, time for new ideas and the ability to make money without doing it all yourself.

Use social media wisely: By that I mean, don’t burn hours at a time reading things that are just entertaining enough to keep you distracted, but offer no real value in terms of productivity. Set aside a time specifically for this fun so that you are not cutting into overall productivity, unless its something that relates to your work or key trends that impact your business.

In the end, taking the time to know how you work most effectively is definitely worth the effort, and will open up the doors to creativity wider than treading water through the muck of overwhelming ideas and distractions.

Nick’s note: Brittany is back with more amazing tales from the Journal of a Job Hunter.

So my ultimate career goal is to get in with sports marketing. It’s a tough industry to get in to. Who wouldn’t want to sit around and think up creative ways to sell a product that people are interested in no matter what? Plus the perks? Not to mention a chance to satisfy the inner child in all of us that day dreams about Olympians, Super-Bowls, home runs, hole in one’s , hat tricks, buzzer winning three pointers, etc.

I did an internship with Kroenke Sports Enterprises following my freshman year of college. I was the corporate travel intern for the department that handled all the travel logistics for the five pro sports teams out of Denver, and all affiliated KSE employees. It was a pretty sweet gig. I worked hard, and I was appreciated for my work, and also for the fact that at the time I appreciated sports, but wasn’t a super fan. We worked with some pretty big names, so it could have been easy for me to get star struck. But I was cool.

One person we did travel for was Jeff Bzdelik. Throughout the summer I worked with him on arranging his travel details. He likes consistency with the procedure, so I handled all of his calls. One day I was in my boss’s office and I was told that “Jeff is on the phone for you.” I mentioned that “Jeff’s great. He’s always so polite. What does Jeff do?” This was followed by a blank “are you serious” stare, and a slow response of “uh… he’s the head coach of the Denver Nuggets.” Oh. Good for Jeff.

Another situation had me checking the voice mail where I heard a message saying “Hi, this is Kathy, we’re going to go ahead and change John’s flight to the afternoon. If you can get the details changed that would be great, feel free to call me back at….” I wrote down the message and proceeded to my boss’s office where I asked her who John was. She said I would have to call the number and ask for her client’s last name. I went back to my office and placed the call, “Hi Kathy. I received your message about changing John’s flight, it should be no problem, we just wanted to verify the last name of your client.” This was also followed by one of those “are you kidding me” pauses. She said, “um, it’s Elway.” Right. Like I didn’t know who that was. Only the one Denver hero that I would willingly step in front of a bus to save, or donate any of my functioning organs if it was announced that he needed one replaced. I just mumbled something, hung up, did a mental head slap, then did a physical head slap, and returned to my boss’s office with the appropriate itinerary adjustments.

Since my internship was such a blatant success I decided to check the KSE website for job openings.

Success! They were hiring for the Colorado Avalanche Promotional Team. Sounded important/glamorous….

I was called in for an interview. The interview went really well. One of the interviewer’s asked what the job meant to me, I explained that it meant promoting the Avalanche and sponsors aaaaand I was pretty sure the job included firing a t-shirt cannon! He said not many girls actually wanted to fire the cannon. I told him he had been talking to the wrong girls.

The interview continued. I was asked if I could be any cereal, what would I be and why? I said I would be Rice Krispies…. Um… because I would bring the Snap! Crackle! And Pop! To the games…. I was selling myself like the ultimate personal saleswoman.

Then I was asked to tell a joke. I asked, “What do you call cheese that doesn’t belong to you?”

My interviewer said, “Nacho-cheese!”

“Oh. Yeah. …. Yes. That is what it is called…”

He said I needed to think of another one.

Uh oh.

I was thinking about my brother, but none of his jokes about women, or dead babies, or sexual orientation deemed appropriate for this situation, in fact all of his jokes would make me either look like a racist, prejudiced against woman, or extremely homophobic. While funny, not really the image I was trying to present.

Refocus. Good thing I work with kids.

“How much did the pirate pay to get his ears pierced?”

Silence.

Success!

“A buck-an-ear!”

Laughter all around! The job was destiny.

How often do you stretch yourself, I mean, REALLY stretch yourself in your job, career or business? Do something completely out of your comfort zone where your stomach bottoms out, palms sweat in an instant and you feel the urge to melt into the floor out of sight? If the response is NEVER, you have some exploring to do.

Depending on your personality, a big stretch might be trying a veggie burger when you usually get a cheese burger with bacon. Well, good for you — but that is not a gut-wrenching challenge that takes any real cojones. I am talking about trying something your heart has always dreamed of, and ignoring the loud obnoxious voice that bellows “this is comfy”, to listen to the lighter, fainter voice that says “I would be happy if I…”.

Being Scared is Normal

I get it, fear can stop you in your tracks. Doing something new is scary, and can feel completely overwhelming. However, as human beings we are also often terrified by actually getting what we want. By trying something new, that might actually come to pass. So, get off your butt and pick that one thing that truly scares you, and DO IT! How else will you ever know if you are really afraid our just making excuses? This is especially important for entrepreneurs because without innovation, your business can quickly become complacent or obsolete.

Even businesses with simple formats such as Five Guys Burgers and Fries are innovative. They stick to their base plan and formula but continue to innovate in small ways to stay on the top of their game, despite the owner’s initial fears about stretching outside his own comfy box and business plan.

Entrepreneurship and Night Terrors

Being an entrepreneur is a risk in and of itself. It takes guts, vision and often self-soothing pep talks at midnight when you are so freaked out you swear getting each fingernail plucked out one-by-one would be a better deal. Yes, it might feel that way, but what is the alternative? A long, slow march forward doing things that feel comfortable and safe but never even get close to igniting your passion?

When you really get quiet, shut out all the distractions and To-Do’s, there is a voice, a general direction guided by your internal passion for your purpose on this planet. If you are going to be here taking up space anyway, you might as well do something that gets you fired up and happy. Not sure what that might be? Then get relaxing! Yes, not doing, relaxing!

Why keep doing when you are not even sure what it is you want or makes you happy? Take the time to find peace and quiet in your life and your mind. Yoga, sauna, exercise, trips, nature, do whatever it takes to get you centered, and then begin to build a practice around creating that time REGULARLY in your life. Life changing events happen in a second and transform your entire outlook on life. Keeping your mind open to new ideas is a life long process.

The Busy Mask

Yes, I get it, we are all busy. Heard it all before. I minimize it as much as possible in my own life. Look, only you can decide if you are too busy to help your own ass. So let’s leave the excuses at the door and find time to take a risk that has no SURE outcome, but leaves you with a sense of being forever changed for at least having tried. I guarantee it will change your outlook on life, and in turn, change your perspective and approach to business.

I once worked for a company that had an official policy against a coffee maker of any sort. It went so far as to outlaw water coolers (a policy that was rightly “ignored” by the on-site manager, but the ban on the coffee machine was strictly enforced).

The logic behind this was that employees would be less productive if they had any opportunity to mingle and waste time.

About 75% of the employees there smoked; about that same percentage worked 50+ hours per week.

After about 3 months observing this trend, I pitched a twice-a-day 15-minute exercise program to boost morale, increase productivity, and decrease stress. The idea was laughed at. I was laughed at.

That was the last time I suggested something without actually making it happen it first.

My first act of rebellion was first to bring a large carafe of coffee to work. Then my own coffee pot. Personal coffee makers were not against the rule, and since my desk was in a central location, lots of people stopped by for a quick cup of coffee. I’d say Hi and send ‘em on their way. If there was any decrease in productivity, we never saw it.

My second act of rebellion was to reject my chair in favor of an exercise ball (which was promptly “borrowed” by my coworkers). The trend began to spread.

My third act of rebellion was two-fold. First, I joined my co-workers on their smoke breaks to see just how much time it took them to get their fix and return to their desks. Each smoke break, they were taking roughly 5-10 minutes to every hour to smoke, recover, and get back to work.

I started taking short walks around the building whenever my boss or co-workers took a cigarette break. Whenever someone would go for a smoke break, I’d pull another coworker into a walking meeting around the building to figure out a project or whatever tasks needed to be done that day.

Rebellion has a place in corporate life. But, it also has a heavy price if you’re found out as the rebel. I was never discovered (or at least not chastised) and after I’d had my fun, I left that company of my own accord.

Rebels who get caught become martyrs. Even so, sometimes rebels become heroes.

She left a kick-ass job to pursue her dreams and a Masters degree in Social Science at the University of Colorado Denver.

You can find her salsa-dancing her way through some pretty amazing events like Ignite Fort Collins, Ignite Boulder, or PodCamp Fort Collins. Cali is also a social entrepreneur – and a damn good one at that.

Awesome is surrounded by awesome, as they say. If you want to find out where general awesomeness is, Cali is like a dowsing rod for amazing people (millennials & old folk) and events.

Connect with her:

Twitter: @Caligater
Web: http://www.caligater.com/

So now that we have all the fancy buzzwords out of the way, let’s pose an important question every entrepreneur should consider… is it critical to have a long, detailed business plan to support a new venture effectively?

Turn-Key Strategy vs. Strangling Innovation

Well, yes and no. Do you need a strategy about what you are offering, who will want it and the different ways to get that information to your target audience? Yes.  Should it be in writing somewhere that is easy to access, created on materials that do not resemble cocktail napkins? Yes. Do you need a large, cumbersome very detailed plan that tells you when you will finally be free to take a bathroom break? No. Being flexible is one of an entrepreneur’s most important assets.

Today’s consumer is constantly changing their interests, focus and means of gathering information. With a basic plan and strategy in place that clarifies the cornerstones of your business and general approach, you can remain more fluid and expansive as a business and weather the consumer-driven marketplace. This leaves you more open to meet growing and changing demands on the fly, and react to opportunities as they emerge.

Google is one great example of a company that follows this approach to business. Are they off their original course? Yes, but in staying open to consumer demand, they are able to stay on the cutting-edge of what consumers want — and deliver it. If they had stayed locked into a very specific plan of attack, they would be missing key target markets of growth.

That is not to say a very detailed plan is not great for a very fixed goal  such as a diet, budget or other important internal business goal. In the marketplace however, its best to create a basic, fluid plan that includes cornerstone ideas that serve as the foundation, but are also flexible and open for change as needed.

Support Long-term Growth By Staying In Touch with Your Business

Its important for a business to pick a check-in point to regularly examine business strategies and how they are working. This way you are constantly reviewing the successes and failures of your business and responding in kind, instead of doing an annual check in on a wordy document. A monthly review is a good place to start, especially if you are a new business and have a few paths you want to try before creating a more solid basic plan.  Its also best to have it on hand for easy reference, not shoved in a drawer for a rainy day. Once the business has been moving along, you can move the check in to every quarter or as needed.

Having a short five page or less document that outlines the mission and vision of the company, as well as your target market and core strategies to meet those market needs is a good place to start.  Include additional resources you may need to promote your business effectively, such as a social media strategy, marketing, content writing, basic financial information too.

The real trick is to stay in touch with your business as a living, breathing thing, and you will see that the business plan is more like a fun map to make sure you are on track instead of a long, cumbersome waste of time and energy.

Then, on another document, outline your motivations for wanting to sleep with me and your reasoning for why you would make a better sexual partner than, say, that applicant over there?

Do you do this before jumping in the sack with someone? I’m guessing the answer is hell no.

Could you find your soulmate if you had a pile of sexual resumes with details like guestimated multiple years of experience in “Oral” or “Intimate knowledge of the Kama Sutra forms”? Is there much difference between 3 and 5 years experience in missionary? Do Summa Cum Laude graduates have the edge? Post-coitus cuddlers need not apply.

There’s a HUGE difference between a job and a career; as large as the difference between f*cking and making love. Personally, I don’t want to be f*cked all day at work. I want to feel valued – like I can contribute something beyond a warm body.

Resumes and cover letters paint arbitrary pictures of who you are. Your strengths, your abilities. They speak nothing of your weaknesses, because – after all – who wants an applicant to be perfectly honest about their… shortcomings… up front? Shouldn’t that wait until the drawers are down, the lights turned down low, and there’s no turning back without losing face? Oh yeah, that makes perfect sense.

Resumes and cover letters present you as a nice little package… a Happy Meal. The only difference is the artwork on the outside (Armani or Target-brand suit?) and the toy on the inside (the spark of life – or lack thereof you show at the interview). Nevermind the stuff that doesn’t fit on those documents. It’s not important. All a company needs to know about you, your creative spark, your life’s work, your passion and drive to change the world… that can all be gleamed from two heavily-edited pieces of paper, right?

If we stopped lining up for this bullsh!t, they’d have to stop dry-humping us through a broken employment system or pausing every two weeks to add a diminishing amount of lubrication (payday, bitches!)

This Happy Meal approach might have worked in Grandma and Grandpa’s day… but it sure as hell makes no sense now. This isn’t a Gen-Y thing, hell, it isn’t even a young-people thing. We’re all getting f*cked here. With 80% of jobs going unlisted before being filled, you’ve really gotta wonder what those people have on their resumes. It must be something sexy.

Instead of focusing on bullsh!tting our way to an interview (and beyond) or networking through our friends and family to find our next “dance partner” – the equivalent of picking up strangers at the bar, can we please start focusing on finding meaningful work that we love? Can we strive to do work that we can feel proud of every day, because we’re passionate about what we’re doing, instead of feeling like we just spent 8 hours getting reamed?

Aren’t you sore yet? I know I am. At some point, we have to give clueless employers the tap and send ‘em packing.

Gorillas are driven by an all too familiar short-list of self-interested values. They focus on production goals, marketing reports with a high close rate, controlling costs at the expense of customer service, a high degree of personal control over all decisions and the all-mighty bottom line. They are the ultimate definition of micromanaging.

A business with a gorilla in the midst displays a glaring characteristic. When the gorilla is lurking, the staff is dysfunctional. The staff usually scatters into the brush. They might even disappear into the woodwork. The air is filled with a sense of us against them. Everyone hides until the beast leaves the premises. You might even notice a few of the timid employees noticeably shaking in their boots. The whole operation is run with the pervasiveness of intimidation.

The gorilla often is the owner of a business. The gorilla may be a capital venture type who wishes to buy out the business at 30 cents on the dollar. He/she may also be a member of the management team. No level of management is immune to the invasion of gorillas. This type of manager only sees people as tools to accomplish the task. Some might say that they have lost touch with their humanity, if they ever had it. This syndrome is found in all sorts of businesses of every size and kind. You might suspect that gorillas are the exclusive problem of the corporate world, but not so. The gorilla can be an entrepreneur who starts a business with a primary vision for all of the money they will make. Dollar signs in the eyes are not good. A mentor of mine warned, “If your customers start looking at you like you’re a steak, you have a serious problem”. Gorillas dehumanize and objectify the people who work for them and the people who buy their products and services.

A trend in the corporate world is to drive people as hard and fast as possible for as long as the people can stand it. Then, when the cracks are surfacing, the gorillas bring in the consultant with the soft voice and uplifting message. This eases the staff back into a positive frame of mind for another round of the drive to success. The gorilla is comfortable with this process as long as the ratio of critical illness and heart attacks are not too high for the population of the company. This cycle takes about 18 months or until an individual becomes exhausted and resigns.

A final note on the patterns of behavior exhibited by gorillas in our midst has to do with accountability. You can be guaranteed that the gorilla will never take accountability for anything that goes wrong. The gorilla will always find a way to cast blame up or down the food chain. Usually, the manager immediately below the gorilla will take the fall for mistakes, especially the ones made by the gorilla. The gorilla may over time be exposed and removed but this process usually takes far too long for the survival of subordinate staff.

The consequence of gorillas in the midst is blood in the street. Word to the wise, avoid gorillas at any cost even if they promise the moon and a block of green cheese. The trip is not worth the ride.

Time is an Entrepreneur's Ally

As human beings we are faced with multiple choices each day. Some are easy, some are necessary and others completely change the shape of  our life — taking it in new and exciting directions. Entrepreneurs can face all of these types of decisions at once, without any hard and fast rules to manage them.

When are decisions are imminent, one  key factor often gets us into trouble and we don’t even notice it distinctly. It is the is the fallacy of time. Yes, some decisions are time sensitive including, “what the hell do I eat for lunch now that I am starving and may pass out?” Most often, the pressure to make a decision quickly is mostly self-applied.

Save the Drama for Ya Mama

As humans we have an uncanny ability to add our own drama to a variety of situations. That drama is generally the idea that choices need to be made quickly. This happens because we just don’t want to have to think about the situation anymore, or the reality of making a decision puts epic-level fear into our hearts — and we want that feeling to end immediately.

The truth is, time can be an ally. Don’t feel you MUST act quickly or say something without thinking it over. If your decision impacts others, just ask for more time to feel sure about it. There is no harm in that and in fact, people will respect you more for being comtemplative and confident before making a decision that changes their lives as well.

Life Isn’t Rush Hour

So next time you feel rushed to make a decision ask yourself…Is it true that I need to make this business decision immediately? Does the fate of my business hang in the balance? Or does it feel more comfortable to take a walk, chat with a friend or confer with a bag of chocolates? My research has proven that chocolates can be quite insightful as well as delicious, and Dove chocolates even have messages as part of their packaging! Chocolate and guidance; what more could you want?

Make time your friend and snuggle with it, don’t try to race past it out the door. The perspective contemplation brings can open great doors you never would have noticed, and melt away any anxious thoughts about “doing it wrong”. Just remember its all about choices, and the best choice for you can be much clearer to see with a little extra time.

In addition to learning to play a role, people have been traumatized by life experiences. We know that parents are not always supportive of kids as they grow. Simple things like disapproving looks and cutting remarks do a good deal of damage to little psyches. We all develop defense mechanisms in response to life’s traumas. Clearly, some people’s defenses are worse than others, but we all have them. Don’t misunderstand me; defenses are necessary in an imperfect world, but they also cause fracturing of relationship depending on the level of severity. Our purpose in this discussion is learning to discern the defenses of bosses who are abusive and destructive.

There is one other major cause behind the creation of bosses you’d hate. This is the organic factor. The organic factor is fairly serious and impossible to correct except by the boss himself/herself. We seem to have an epidemic level of individuals in America suffering from some level of bipolar disorder. In many quarters, it is still known as manic-depressive disorder. This is an inherited condition of the brain that is not the fault of the victim. It is a manageable disorder with excellent treatments available through doctors and therapists. However, the person with the disorder must acknowledge its existence and pursue the treatment. People with this condition are often high functioning individuals who are in denial about the destructive characteristics of their personal style. Their egos are extreme and they have underlying patterns that are chaotic, sometimes irrational and abusive. They are typically highly intelligent and creative with endless energy. They seem to work themselves into positions of authority to satisfy an unquenchable need to shore up a weak self esteem. Bottom line, they can make any sensible person miserable every day you spend trying to satisfy their perfectionist demands.

Shakespeare also said, “All that glitters is not gold”. In another famous American thought, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t”. All of the conditions described in the preceding paragraphs have this in common. They look really good at first but do not pass the scratch test. If you scratch the surface of that being presented, the skin is thin and the middle is filled with yellow puss. Look for the grandiose nature of bosses you’d hate. They will seem bigger than life and have all of the answers to their own questions. They may act as though you are a kindred spirit and they have known you forever. They will appear to listen to your answers to their questions but not actually be paying attention. They will be more driven than the average person. Their drive will be goal focused and not people focused and the goals will point back to them and their accomplishments. People are tools no differently than a computer or printer. You will feel discomfort that you cannot explain logically because the person seems reasonable and nice at the moment. You may have a sensation of wanting to stand up and run out of the room. This is tied to a subconscious discerning of their level of anger. In other words, bosses you’d hate will not cause you to feel embraced or welcome. They are lacking genuine warmth. You may think it will take awhile to feel comfortable with this person. Generally, their level of maturity will be lacking no matter how powerful they seem in their posturing.

I am sure there is more to say on this subject. This is an attempt at a general guide. If you experience any of the things described here; be polite, finish the conversation and excuse yourself sooner rather than later. Move on to the next opportunity. You do not need the grief caused by a boss you’d hate. This decision may be hard in today’s economy and the lack of solid job opportunity. In spite of the times, you do not need to invite self imposed pain. We have enough pain dealing with incidental grief on a daily basis. Remember, life is short and there are genuinely nice people in positions of authority. I wish you well in your search for such a boss.