Great Comic Strip

I love this comic strip: Pearls Before Swine . . by Stephan Pastis

Here’s a recent example that I thought was funny.

What really matters?

Unfortunately there has been a lot of change in society and the unfortunate part comes from the negative impacts of that change. If you look back to when our grandfathers were employed, promotions were achieved through hard work, determination and experience. Fast forward to our current time, most of the promotions I have seen are from who you know and how well you know them. Here is an illustration of my point.

Recently I heard a co-worker talk to another co-worker about a possible promotion in a corresponding department. What I found interesting about this conversation was the importance placed on certain information. One would assume that the perspective employee would want to know job duties and responsibilities, but alas that was not the case. The perspective employee was asking about the hiring managers interests. The employee who knew the hiring manager was coaching the perspective employee on how to correctly answer questions, and what to talk about to build on common interests.

Now all this information is good to have as a companion to the job information, but the conversation focused mainly on this and when the question was raised about experience and job function the employee giving advice brushed that request aside and encouraged the interviewee to focus on the interest questions and answers.

I was slightly shocked at the interaction and it made me think about where we (as a society) are placing the basis or foundation of our decisions. This was just one example of what I see at work and I really don’t think it’s isolated. It seems that we are choosing people for jobs or other important matters based on who we know and who make us feel good as a whole. What happened to making decisions based on merit? Based on performance and knowledge? Are we loosing that knowledge, and performance? I guess there is no separation of personal and business matters these days.

The biggest concern I have about this subject will happen this fall and basically every time we as Americans exercise our right to vote. Not that I am jumping on any band wagons at the moment and don’t want to turn into another political voice, but really when you vote this fall please remember that what makes you feel good may not be the best for you. Research the issues, look at the candidates. I think the reason our country is in this mess is because most of us voted to have something different, and bought in to what the candidates were saying and not what they stood for.

For me, this old adage goes a long way – “Actions speak louder then words.”

Unfortunately I fear this adage will go the way of the dodo soon. I fear it will be reversed if we continue down our path as a society.

So my encouragement to all reading this – research before voting, take that right seriously and in hiring for positions be open to the idea that there are others out there just as qualified if not more then your friends.

One question to ask in both is “Who will do the job the best?”

Tidbits of Truth

I found this on one of the Auto blogs I frequent and thought it was a great post, and held some truth. 

Enjoy - 

My parents told me about him early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by. Today I read his obituary. Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance, for Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations.

Obituary - Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a bandage to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home without the burglar being able to sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. He never really recovered after that.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few recognized his passing.

****

Mike in Kuwait

NOT ON MY HOT DOG!!

I am not sure about you but one thing I really loathe is Ketchup pee. You know when you grab the bottle out of the fridge and go to pour your ketchup and get a watery substance all over your hot dog. I know it’s not pee (its sweat) but why would it be there in the first place. Does ketchup have to workout to retain that thick consistency?......I don’t think so.

I know just shake the bottle before I open it up. Well ……silly that takes away the reason I buy the squeeze bottle, IM LAZY and don’t want to move much, and shaking constitutes movement.

Now this isn’t a big deal by any means but for some reason eating a hot dog that leaks like a sloppy Joe wasn’t fun last night.

Amazed

A little while ago while surfing the internet I came across a link that enables you to ask a question over the internet in real time to who knows. Being the skeptic I am at times I thought I would ask a difficult question to see what response I received. 

Now before I share the question and the answer I have to tell you that once you ask the question the program asks you if you would like to install it on your computer so you may ask questions to other random users in the world. So I don't know who or where the person who answered this question was but their answer made my day. 

My question was: 

Who is a true minority? 

The answer I received:

SMART PEOPLE

Can you hear me now?

How do we know when someone is truly listening to us? How do we know they understand or are just humoring us? Lately I have been trying to answer that question.

Upon that quest I have also noticed a way to tell how much if any respect a person has for those they are communicating with. Think about it, when you attend church, listen to the president, or hear a lecture, a majority of the time people are silent and seldom talk over the person speaking. Now look at your co-workers and those in your social circle. Why do we not talk over our pastors, Bishops and other speakers but yet there are some friends we talk over as if they are not even in the conversation.

Now some will say that it’s not “respect” but just a lack of manners when talking over others. But is it really? Doesn’t respect for others fall under the manners category? Isn’t it good manners to listen to what the person you are talking to has to say? To me, by talking over people you are immediately discounting what they have to say and asserting your opinion over theirs. In most cases by talking over someone you have caused further communication issues that would have never existed if you had listened in the first place. Another result of not listening is the absence of pertinent information that is retained. Maybe they appear to be listening to you but are actively planning out in their mind how to get that last glazed doughnut.

Try it out, talk to someone and see if you truly have felt a two way conversation there. If the person talks over you constantly then there’s a good possibility you are not high on their priority list or they just think that you have no idea of what you are talking about. Another test you can try out is, see if your friend has to have the information you shared repeated many times. The cause of that is probably a lack of focus on what you are saying, planning the next lunch break, or daydreaming about the upcoming weekend.