Archive for the "Gen Y" Category
Feb5

10 Reasons to Bet on the Saints to Win Super Bowl XLIV

Posted at 5:41 AM • Comments

The New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts will play for NFL supremacy in Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday, February 7th, 2010.  All the “experts” are picking the Colts purely based on Peyton Manning’s mastery of the game.  Mastery may be an understatement as he is so good that his name may one day become a verb in football vernacular.  No one searches the Internet anymore because they “Google” it.  The golf world had to “Tiger Proof” courses to level the field.  Future NFL quarterbacks will one day learn how to “Peytonize” their play.

But, Manning hasn’t been canonized yet; and I have yet to see any real hard stats on why the Colts are going to beat the Saints.  I continually hear that they tore apart the #1 ranked defense in the NY Jets.  Well, hell, just give the Colts the trophy now.  Read the top 10 below to see how irrelevant that stat is.

Since I have seen very few numbers provided as to why the Saints will lose, I’m going to provide you with 10 hard statistics that prove why the Saints have a fighting chance to win Super Bowl XLIV.

First…Numbers That Cancel Out

#9 & #18: As expected, most of the talk about Super Bowl XLIV has been built-up around the quarterbacks playing on Sunday.  Trying to compare these two is like splitting hairs.  Drew Brees and Peyton Manning lead the NFL in touchdowns with 122 each since 2006.  For the 2009 season, both had stellar passing percentages with Brees slightly ahead at 70.6 (NFL Record) and Manning at 68.8.   Brees threw 34 touchdowns to Manning’s 33.  Manning threw 16 interceptions to Bress’ 11.  Brees was the highest rated passer at 109.6.  Manning was 6th at 99.9.  The bottom line is that you will see the top two quarterbacks in the game today play on Sunday.  Regardless of allegiance, what a treat!!

5: Football games are won in the trenches.  The Colts and Saints are very evenly matched on their offensive lines.  Both are ranked in the top 5 in sacks allowed (Colts 13 / Saints 20) & hits on the QB (Colts 44 / Saints 52).   Neither offensive line is legendary, but they have stellar leaders that possess great internal clocks and know how to move in/out of pocket.

34: Receiving TDs – Both the Saints & Colts are tied for 1st w/ 34 (Vikings also had 34).

#1: The most overrated stat I’ve heard is the Colts beat the NFL’s best defense already, which in 2009 was the Jets.  The pedestrian logic is that since Peyton tore up the #1 ranked Jets’ defense in the AFC Championship, then the Saints are doomed as they are ranked #25.  The only one stat used to declare the best defense in the NFL is yards per game allowed.  Of the top 10 teams in this category, 4 did not make the playoffs and the other 6 have been knocked out already.  The Colts rank 18th giving up 15 yards less per game than the Saints.

Now…10 Stats That Back the Saints to Win SB XLIV

0: The number of kick-off Returns of 40+ yards the Colts have made, which ranks them at 28th.  The Saints are ranked 4th with 5 on the season.  Both teams are about even on kickoff touchback percentage, so it could be a big kick-off return that gives either Brees or Manning the edge they need.

3: The Saints defense has beaten 3 more Super Bowl tested quarterbacks than the Colts have.  The 5 quarterbacks the Saints played are E. Manning, Delhomme, Brady, Warner & Farve.  The Colts have only beaten 2 (Warner, Brady).  Combined, those 5 quarterbacks have 11 Super Bowl starting appearances and 6 championship rings.  In contrast, the Colts opponents have 7 appearances with 4 rings.

4.5: The Saints running backs are just better than the Colts as they are ranked 5th in team rushing with 4.5 yards/carry.  The Colts are ranked 31st with 1 full yard less per carry (3.5).   The Saints are a much more balanced team as they accomplished that stellar mark on 812 more rushing attempts than the Colts.  Ironically, the Jets, whom the Colts beat, also had 4.5 yards/carry.

…so why will the Saints fare better?…The Jets were a 1-trick pony (no pun intended)…

8.3: The Saints are ranked 3rd for number of passing yards per attempt at 8.3.  The Jets were ranked 31st with 6.6.  The Colts place 10th at 7.7.

11: The Saints are ranked 3rd in turnover margin at +11.  The Colts are 14th at +2.

21: The number of rushing TDs by the Saints, which ranks them 3rd in the NFL.  The Colts are 13th with 16 rushing TDs.  This difference of 5 will prove to be relevant since the both teams are near even in the passing game.

31.9: The Saints are ranked 1st with 31.9 points per game (PPG). The Colts are ranked 7th with 26. (Vikings 2nd 29.4 / Jets 17th 21.8)

32: The Colts rushing attack is ranked dead last with 1,294 yards.  As a team, the Saints are ranked 6th in rushing with 2,106 yards.

39: The Saints are ranked 2nd in total takeaways with 39.  The Colts are ranked 18th with 26.  The Saints defense is so hawkish that it caused the Minnesota Vikings to turn the ball over 5 times.  If the Saints had recovered every turnover, then they would have had 9 on the day.  Until the NFC Championship, the Vikings had turned the ball over no more than 2 times all season.

889: Total defensive penalty yards racked up by the Colts, which is good for 24th place.  The Saints finished 9th with 717.  It will be interesting to see if the refs pay special attention to the “late” hits on Peyton seeing how the Saints have already roughed up Warner and Farve to this point.

A Few Extra Points…

8: The Saints are ranked 1st in defensive touchdowns with 8.  The Colts are tied with several teams in 16th place with 2.

Rushing: Only 2 Saints (Bell, Thomas) have rushed for more than 100 yards this season.  No Colt has rushed for more than 80 yards this season.

SB Teams That Were Given No Shot: 2008: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14…2003 Bucs 48, Raiders 21… 2002: Patriots 20, Rams 17. … 1998: Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24. … 1970: Kansas City Chiefs 23, Vikings 7. … 1969: New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7.

Intangible: I believe the Saints are collectively playing with higher sense of purpose than their counterparts. The Super Bowl trophy is named after Vince Lombardi and he once said, “Success demands singleness of purpose.”

Prediction: Saints 38 Colts 34

Gene Wojciechowski’s Take On the Colts Winning

Dec8

The 4-Letter Word Gen-Y Can’t Stand

Posted at 7:02 AM • Comments

Hell's Kitchen

“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” – Harry S. Truman

Do you want to be the best in your field?

People are inherently good, which in turn makes them dishonest because everyone walks on eggshells today for fear they might offend someone. The hypersensitivity of my generation (Y) has made it even worse.   Criticism is seen as a four-letter word; but if you want to be the best at what you do, then you better learn to ask for criticism, accept it and then fix it.

Real Coaching

I remember during my prime athletic days when everyone would tell me what a great job I had done, regardless of my performance quality; and I’d always take it with a huge grain of salt.  I learned quickly not to read the papers (blogs weren’t relevant yet) because they can only see 2 sides to any issue.  Plus, they only offer problems and never solutions.   Until college, the only person that I always felt gave me a real assessment of my performance was my dad.  The great thing about it is that he never offered it to me.  If I asked (which I always did), then he told me what he thought.

When I was first invited to be an author on Brazen Careerist, I was fortunate enough to get some 1-on-1 coaching with Penelope Trunk.  She told me straight up that the only people that care what you write about are your family and the person you’re currently sleeping with.  She was right because now I have people that write to me from all over the country.

While at LSU, I was fortunate enough to spend time playing under Nick Saban.  Saban’s reputation is not a sparkling one, but I hold immense respect for him because I learned a great deal about my mental toughness.  I was a back-up kicker on a field of 21 future NFL draft picks, and he tore into me with the same fervor that he did all the others.  At the end of the day, he made me better.

Driven

Most reading this blog are hungry people, but sometimes you need to get out of your own head and gain some perspective.  Everyone sees a performance in their own way, so an outsider’s view should always be welcomed.  Good coaches and critics are hard to find, but if you want to rise above the rest in life, then you need to find a few.   They’ll be honest with you.

Photo: tdub303 via flickr

Dec3

3 Vital Tools for Honest Communication

Posted at 7:01 AM • Comments

stopcollaborateandlisten

So now you have your Innovation Dream Team.  Are you being as effective as possible using your current tools to communicate and collaborate with your team?

I’ve written about the importance of communication when it comes to change management and/or innovation.  Below, I’ve listed some of the tools that I use because of their ease and effectiveness.

  1. Google Talk – I send very little email because it’s time consuming and too formal for the majority of conversations.  Aside from instant messaging, the best features of Google Talk are: On / Off-the-Record Chatting, Free Voice and Video Chat & Instant File Transfers.  Also, Google Talk has mobile apps for the most popular mobile OSes including iPhone, Blackberry and of course Android.  If your group doesn’t have Gmail accounts, then you can easily sign up for one.
  2. Basecamp – 37signals has a nice package of collaborative tools that are perfect for any organization from bootstrapped to venture funded.  Basecamp is their project management platform.  It allows you to manage multiple projects, assign certain users to certain projects and milestones.  The dashboard provides an easy to follow snapshot of everything that is going on within a project.  My favorite part is that I can subscribe via RSS or email to the reminders, so I always know where everyone stands.
  3. Food / Drinks – Not “hi-tech,” but I’m a firm believer in getting away from my static habitat to increase productivity.  With my laptop and a mobile phone, there is nothing I can’t get done from a coffee shop that I can’t get done from my office.  Besides a change of scenery, it does 2 important things for my teams and me: 1) It provides an opportunity to talk one-on-one with team members about their concerns and/or accomplishments.  People like to be known other than a name on a screen and this helps achieve buy-in. 2) Change management requires innovation and innovation requires new perspectives.  A change of scenery always stirs my creative juices simply by having new surroundings.

What other tools are vital to your organization’s success?

Photo: liz burnunzio via flikr

Dec2

Change Management: 5 Ways to Be a Successful Leader & Innovator

Posted at 7:30 AM • Comments

No Fear from the Lion

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin

How do you lead innovation in an environment that is resistant to change?

Unless you work in a zoo or some place where people are the minority, then you will face resistance to change because people are inherently resistant to it.  Innovation leaders understand how to manage change when people want to run from it.

I’ve been successful at several companies where innovation is a necessity; and the people inside them that survive adapt to the change that naturally comes from innovation.  Some of my companies have changed their business model every quarter, month and even every week, so it becomes a necessity that your team adapt to change that naturally occurs from innovation in order to survive.  The need for speed in change management varies from start-ups to corporations; however, these 5 factors will ensure successful change management regardless of size:

  1. Endorsements – Get true sponsorship for your idea from the top to the down.  If you’re serious about your idea, then don’t settle for simply getting one or two sponsors.  Make sure you have sponsorship from all the people that will be required to make the idea work.  Always be prepared to sell your idea by showing its immediate benefits.  If you are the “top dog,” then it’s your job to make sure the people you bring on to help you buy-in to your idea.
  2. Honest Communication – Typically, honest communication relates to something that you could read about in the self-help aisle.  As far as change management is concerned, it relates to deadlines, realistic expectations and real needs.  The success of innovation will come if communication is always open and timely.  Priorities are constantly shifting inside of innovation endeavors, so deadlines are in constant flux.  The person that doesn’t provide a realistic deadline will commit the crime not the person that has to change it.
  3. Employee Investment – A simple concept…but usually the hardest for leaders to execute.  Let people show-off their strengths by taking over responsibility for their parts of the project.  Trust them to succeed, and they (and you) will shine.
  4. Change Agents – #4 won’t happen without #3 happening first.  The change agents are the ones that become the internal champions for your idea.  Once they buy-in, they will become the best PR ever because they have true blood invested.  In essence, they should become mini-yous.
  5. Culture – You either have it or you don’t.  And if you don’t, it will make your job harder; but it’s crucial to the long-term success of your innovations.  Culture is not something that can simply be created overnight.  Culture takes time to grow.  Steps 1 – 4 will lay the groundwork for your culture change and at the same time providing a blue print for a successful change management strategy.
Photo: ucumari via flickr

Mar9

Nike Shox Wedding Contest – Win $50!!!

Posted at 9:32 AM • Comments

If you read my blog, then you know I’m a big fan of the Nike brand and their commercials.  They’ve been there with me through all my days as an athlete in soccer, basketball and football.  At all levels whether it was all-star teams or the powerhouse that is LSU football, I more often than not chose Nike gear.  I figured they ought to be with me on one of the most important days of my life too.

During my wedding reception (5.9.2009), I will need that extra confidence and bounce to make sure I can make it to each food station with ease as they unveil new dishes throughout the night, meet n’ greet my guests with grace and, more importantly, glide with elegance and style on the dance floor.  I will only be able to perform at my maximum in a set of Nike Shox.  Using this reasoning and my superb litigation skills, I convinced my fiancee to let me wear a pair of Nike Shox during the wedding reception!!

The best part: I’ve chosen the shoe, but YOU get to choose the style and have a chance to win $50!!!  It’s quite simple to compete and win, so here are the rules:

1)    Go to NIKEiD and design a pair of Nike Shox for me to wear at the wedding reception.

2)    The model has to be a running shoe, which are the “Turbo+ iD,” “Experience+ iD,” “ NZ iD” or the “Turbo+ VI iD.”

3)    Save the design to your Nike profile (aka “myLocker”), use the “share” feature at the bottom right to copy the hyperlink to the design and then comment on this post with your design and hyperlink for all to see.

4)    The winner, chosen by us, will receive a $50 Nike gift card!

5)    Pictures of the shoes in action will be posted upon return from the honeymoon.

You can read the backstory on this contest here.

clouvioffdamkt1

Considerations…

1)    My groomsmen and ring bearer will have the option to wear these shoes as well, so your design could be on eight pairs of feet!!

2)    Feel free to comment on the blog with questions or check here regarding anything about the wedding so you can better tailor your design. e.g. What are your colors?

3)    Feel free to email me the wallpaper download, so I can put a copy in my Flickr Stream.

4)    This is a subjective contest, so if you like someone’s design, please leave a comment saying so.  It may influence the results.  Also, my wonderful fiancée gets the final say-so.

5)    Even if you’re not competing, pass along the link to this blog.  Increased competition yields better results.  That’s what Nike and I are all about.

6)    Feel free to ask me any questions about the NIKEiD site or this contest.  Contest ends when my bachelor party begins at Midnight EST on  April 1, 2009!!

Oct28

Facebook Is Dead..Now What?

Posted at 6:05 PM • Comments

Over a year ago, my friend Darren Herman wrote a post about the social networks Facebook and LinkedIn colliding.  I saw this happening on a small scale at the time but not on the major scale it is now.  I now have clients, MBA classmates, colleagues, friends, family, Michael Phelps, dogs, cats, etc. all in one place!  This is NOT why I signed up for Facebook!  I signed up because I wanted to have easier access to my family as well as friends of past and present.  Also, when I was single, I could see if that girl I just met was crazy or not.  Anyway, like Darren, I wanted a place that I could keep in touch with real people or friends that I’ve actually met.

I have another acquaintance Ryan Coleman, a successful entrepreneur, that runs NextForce and argues (in short) that it shouldn’t matter what picture, videos, etc. are on your site because if your culture lines up with a prospective employer’s culture, then it’s all “gravy.”   I agree and disagree with him, and this is where my aggravation with Facebook comes into play.

Gen-Y understands Facebook…the new business networkers (largely Gen-X and beyond) do not understand it beyond having an electronic organizer.  I can tell they don’t get it because they have no picture or one, most likely from their company website, and then there is nothing else on their Facebook page.  People are becoming scared to put things up about themselves.  I have friends looking for jobs that feel the need to take down their walls, delist their relationship status and disassociate themselves with groups their passionate about.  I don’t blame them.  I would do the same…now.

Facebook is about to become LinkedIn Part 2.  It’s going to become a contact tool instead of a place to share things.  Facebook isn’t going to be the only one dying off.  This cycle will repeat until a solution is found.  Maybe an invite-only Ning is the way to go or the ever-elusive ASW.   Maybe Web 3.0 is all about tagging people as entities or degrees of separation.  i.e. Darren Herman (email, facebook, linkedin, mobile, AIM, in-person) or Ryan Coleman (email, facebook, mobile).

Gen-Y is still another 10 years from being the majority in hiring roles.  Until then, I can’t fully buy into Ryan’s way of thinking.

BTW, ONLY add me to Facebook here if you meet any of the following criteria:

1)    I have no idea who you are.
2)    You have 1 or 0 pictures of yourself up.
3)    You are reading my blog for the first time.

Oct9

Down Economies Are Fun!!!

Posted at 1:43 AM • Comments

I’ve always tried to do things a little different than the person next to me.

This world is so competitive that you have to do things to set yourself apart if you want to get noticed.  While this holds true for careers, it also holds true for life.  Stop watching ticker tapes all day.  Forget that the Dow is plummeting (You do realize it’s only 30 stocks right?).  Forget about what certain candidates have to say about it (You don’t think you’re going to get a real answer until after election day do you?).

It’s easy to go along with the crowd; but it’s harder but more fulfilling to go against the grain.  We’re Gen-Y, and by our nature that’s what we’re about.  Improve your personal brand by being the person that others look to for a light in the darkness.

Here are 5 ways to be part of the solution instead of the problem:

Take a Vacation
Grab a friend so you can spread some joy.  You don’t have to go to a tropical island.  Head down south with a buddy for a powerful SEC football game, hit a local beach or just go visit a friend you haven’t seen for awhile in another town.

Buy Some Stock
Undergraduate finance: buy low, sell high.  Do your part to help with the $700B buyout.  If you have a little extra cash, buy a little extra stock.  All I know is if RIMM drops a bit below $50, I have Chuck all over it!

Break Your Horn
Before you go cranking on your horn because you’re stuck in traffic, sit back and crank up your iPod.  Horns release middle fingers.  Music releases pheromones.

Grab a Drink
Finding friends to grab a drink right now shouldn’t be hard.  However, don’t let the talk steer towards the economy or politics.  Talk sports, sex or TV shows.

Breathe
It’s fall right now, which means it’s beautiful outside.  Find a spot in the park, sit on your balcony or lie down in front of a window with nothing on and take a breath or two or three.  Clear your mind and try to focus on what you have instead of what you don’t.

My point is not that you become this corny person that’s one-step away from working at Disney.  However, enough is going on right now to make everyone think the apocalypse is upon us.  Be a little different.  Try to be the light, and maybe it will be a little contagious.

BTW, hometown (New Orleans) featured in this V-Dub Spot.

Sep30

Good Resumes Lack Objectives!

Posted at 5:20 PM • Comments

With the job market following suit of the economy, it is hyper-competitive to land a great job.  If you believe that you are the best of the best, then you better have a solid resume that will drive that point home.

I have been working on a project for a client, which required research of thousands (probably hundreds) of resumes.  Now, I truly understand why HR professionals spend less than 10 seconds reading each resume that floats across their desk.   Aside from reading many generic resumes that looked like they came straight from a Microsoft Word template, I noticed that the “objective” part of the resume is the biggest waste of precious space.  The resumes that stood out to me had no objective but instead contained a “personal brand statement.”

The PBS doesn’t have its own section or bold highlight that reads, “Personal Brand Statement.” It is simply the first statement that the reader sees below the header.  The PBS is a quick but powerful definition of who the candidate is.

Why the objective is irrelevant?

1)    If you’re applying for a specific job, then the hiring manager knows what your objective is.
2)    It looks like everyone else in the database.
3)    Each resume gets viewed for 10 to 30 seconds and a generic objective isn’t going to stop anyone in their tracks.

What should be in my “personal brand statement”?

1)    Quantify what you can bring to the table.  Use experience, goals achieved or both…people like numbers because they relate easily.
2)    Once quantified, briefly highlight the steps you made getting to that point.
3)    Immediately below your PBS, list (horizontally) 5 (not 6) or 7 keywords that describe you.

I have been listening to my iPod relentlessly all week to rid the voices in my head that repeat phrases such as, “seeking a mutually beneficial position” and “seeking a rewarding and educational career.”  Blah!!

Aug24

Seinfeld and Bill Gates Go to College

Posted at 5:00 PM • Comments

Microsoft’s ego is so large that they fail to acknowledge the principles that have helped make Apple a successful lifestyle products company and are increasingly losing market share in the computer space.  Since Steve Jobs has come on board, he has shown Apple as a simple design company by using young and fresh technology, and their ads have always reflected this.  Microsoft’s new Vista strategy is to do the opposite with a 54-year old comedian.  Really?

I have always loved Seinfeld and Apple.  I don’t hate Microsoft at all, but I feel as though the only reason I keep a copy of their OS (Windows) on my MacBook Pro is because I have to do so, and I rarely use it.  I assume that most Windows users feel the same.  More and more people are asking me if they can buy a Mac and still do “A, B or C” on the Mac like they do Windows.  95% of the time, I answer, “Yes.”

Since Apple switched from Apple Computer, they have run their “Windows versus Mac” ads that use Justin Long to illustrate Leopard’s superiority over Windows.  Apple has always had a high cool factor, but the ads are genius because they bring the idea of switching to consumers in a simple fashion.

Microsoft wants to attract a new generation of users by targeting young people.  According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is about to unveil a “Seinfeld Campus Tour” around the country where Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates do a series of commercials.   Seinfeld is one of the most popular celebrities in the world, but his show ended in 1998; and although you can find it on TBS every night, I don’t see him as the cool person to help Microsoft push their latest message.

College is a time when most kids go nuts and discover new things.  Listening to parents is not a commonly practiced pastime of college students and that seems the premise behind the campaign.  I have a feeling the next generation of Apple ads will be about Apple making fun of Microsoft ads being irrelevant.

Aug21

‘Our Country (USA) Is the Best’

Posted at 10:00 AM • Comments

That is a direct quote from Kobe Bryant in an interview this Friday past with NBC’s Chris Collinsworth (download link).  I picked up on this story from an opinion piece on the WSJ.  The piece mentions that TV commentators keep opining that the Olympics are all about the brotherhood of man, rather than national ambition or patriotism.  The Olympics should and are about two things:

1)    Competition, aka Bragging Rights
2)    Class, aka True Character

Excerpt from the interview:
Collinsworth: Where does the patriotism come from inside of you? Historically, what is it?

Kobe: Well, you know it’s just our country, it’s… we believe is the greatest country in the world. It has given us so many great opportunities, and it’s just a sense of pride that you have; that you say ‘You know what? Our country is the best!’

Collinsworth: Is that a ‘cool’ thing to say, in this day and age? That you love your country, and that you’re fighting for the red, white and blue? It seems sort of like a day gone by.

Kobe: No, it’s a cool thing for me to say. I feel great about it, and I’m not ashamed to say it. I mean, this is a tremendous honor.

Collinsworth’s reaction gets under my skin.  A ‘cool’ thing to say???  This should be applauded!!  Reading an American newspaper, people think that everyone around the globe hates us and that is simply not true.  Collinsworth gives off the impression that Kobe should not maintain an elitist attitude.  Why not?  It’s made us the country that everyone in the world strives to be in some way.    At this very moment, immigrants are trying to move their families here to give them a shot at life.

Kobe seems to know what he has here and is proud to represent that.  Kobe has never been one of my favorite athletes, but he’s gained back some favor with me.  The USA may be in trouble if the majority thinks like Collinsworth.  However, I’ve been in various bars watching people like Bryant, Phelps and fantastic American athletes do their thing; and I haven’t seen a lack of pride.

Aug19

Does TheLadders Stink?

Posted at 2:20 PM • Comments

I have been using TheLadders for just over six months now to see what the hype was all about.  To be honest, I have been less than thrilled.  I was browsing some of the highlights over at the $100K+ job board SalesLadder.com.  They posted the “Top 100 Recruiter Search Words” used in the past week.  Something that stuck out to me is how general the Top 25 terms (shown below) are.  I thought the purpose of resume filters was for recruiters to filter out resumes they don’t want to be bothered with.  The number one search term is ‘sales.’  Well, anyone that has spent a minute on Monster.com can tell you that would bring up something such as ‘entry-level sports marketing’ or some other turnstile position.  In fact, the top 25 lists pretty vague terms.  The first somewhat specific term I see is #10, ‘business development.’

TheLadders suggestion is to use the terms that describe you perfectly and use them in your resume.  Ok?  Is this what I’m paying for?

I have ‘sales’ all over my resume and so does the freshly minted graduate that was selling raffle tickets to the latest Greek fundraiser this past spring.  Every recruiter I’ve spoken to wants to hear about awards won, unique achievements and/or hard numbers.  I don’t see any of these terms listed in the top 100.    TheLadders big selling point is that it will separate you from all the rest.  I’d like to know what TheLadders does to screen their recruiters.

1 sales
2 CPA
3 Marketing
4 Human Resources
5 software
6 tax
7 controller
8 manufacturing
9 engineer
10 business development
11 finance
12 SAP
13 Java
14 healthcare
15 tax manager
16 Construction
17 software sales
18 project manager
19 product manager
20 operations
21 accountant
22 accounting
23 supply chain
24 recruiter
25 Retail

Jun4

Real Men Suit Up For Success

Posted at 3:35 PM • Comments

I love the scene below from Boiler Room (viewer discretion advised) in which Ben Affleck delivers his “Act As If…” speech. The point is that if you’re going to sell, then you have to look the part. It doesn’t matter if you’re in sales or not, you need to dress for the position you want because you’re always selling yourself. The position you want may not even be with your current company; but you need to always look good because you never know who is looking at you.

Unlike the boys hustling shares of stock, we’re not all pulling down $25K per month; so lining our closets with the latest trends seen in Men’s Health or Playboy is not an option. Here are 5 ways to cut some corners with suits and still look good:

1) Suits

Buy the inexpensive styles of the suits you saw in the magazines. Jos. A. Bank and Men’s Wearhouse are constantly having sales on decent quality suits. Pick a store and find a dynamic contemporary pattern you feel comfortable with. Dillard’s and Macy’s always have sales too, but getting a good opinion or measurements from a general department store salesman can be hit or miss.

On style, feel free to venture from the typical browns and blacks as just a subtle charcoal pinstripe or a something cooler for the summer months such as a taupe are fetching. Go with the 3-button suits as they are seen as more stylish.

Also, when shopping for a suit, you will need a second set of eyes because the colors will all begin to bleed together. I suggest bringing a girlfriend (platonic or otherwise) or a gay male friend. If you have a friend that still wears Croakies around his sunglasses for any activity aside from boating, do not bring him!

2) Dress Shirts

If you’re on a budget, then your shirts are the most important aspect of your wardrobe. This is where you get a chance to create your own sense of style. This doesn’t mean buying a Polo dress shirt from a department store. It means looking to some high quality designers and custom clothiers. Spend the $125 required on a high quality dress shirt. You need at least three. Find your style with the likes of Thomas Pink, Paul Smith or Ted Baker to name a few. They can be found online or at your local haberdashery. Never doubt the power of a custom shirt. Check out a company such as Tom James that has been manufacturing custom made shirts for years. It’s big boy time, so only get French cuffs. It takes us approximately 45 minutes less than the average woman to get dressed in the morning, take the extra 90 seconds to put cuff links into your shirts.

3) Cuff Links

Again, you have a chance to exhibit your own style without having to dye your hair or install permanentMF Cuff Links ink onto visible areas of your body. For the most part, cuff links can be anything you choose. My only rule of thumb is to make sure the metal (usually gold or silver) matches your belt buckle (and watch if you wear one). I can go into any haberdashery and find hundreds of cuff links that will match my shirts and ties. Unless you are close with your client or work in familiar office space, I would stick with a more conservative design during the day. Night time is the time to break out the spinning roulette wheels.

4) Sport Coats

The sport coat is great because there is almost no wrong answer. They are versatile in that one or two coats can pair with many combinations of dress pants or nice jeans. I wouldn’t go nuts like TNT’s Craig Saeger, but you should definitely feel free to express yourself some here.

5) Rule on Blue

I can’t stress this enough. If you were blue slacks or have a blue suit, you need to wear brown NOT black shoes. Unless you are in the United States Marine Corp, there are no exceptions to this rule. Ok, there really are, but to be safe please use brown. If nothing else, the ladies will definitely notice your dress savvy.

Bottom Line

Perception is reality. Dress how you want to be perceived.

May22

5 Ways to Be Rich and Powerful

Posted at 7:58 PM • Comments

The perceived recession is over hyped. A recent Business Week article finally proved as much. Regardless of the economy, I maintain the mindset of ABS…not brakes…ABS = Always Be Saving. Our generation isn’t going to collect a dime of social security, so it’s important for us to save now.

George Costanza said very few intelligent things, but he did once say, “Interest…it’s an amazing thing. You can make money without doing anything.” He was half correct because you have to put the pieces in place to work for you. Here are 5 ways to get your money working for you:

1) 401(k) and/or Roth IRA

This is the biggest no brainer in the book especially if your company has a match. It’s tax free money. If your company has a match, then max it out. If your company doesn’t have a 401(k), then open a Roth IRA. I prefer Fidelity and Schwab, but you can use any brokerage service. Each brokerage I mentioned offers a method for incremental contributions just as you’d have with an employer. That way you can open an account with $50 instead of $3,000. The maximum contribution for 2008 is $5,000…try to hit that! You have until tax day 2009 to contribute.

Be a ROCKSTAR! If you can afford it, open a Roth on top of the 401(k).

DON’T TOUCH!! Pull the money out and you’re taxed 30%. However, there are little loop holes. For instance, you can make a withdrawal as a down payment on your first home purchase.

2) Mint.com

I work hard for my cash, and I want to know where it’s going. Throughout college my mom was baffled that I could never fully balance a checkbook. However, I’ve always been able to budget. I’ve used Quicken and Money in the past…never again! Mint is barely a year old. It has won an award, received major funding and is more efficient than those other two. The security is top notch, and the only information they need is your email address. It helps you track expenses, bills, budget, savings opportunities and much more!

3) Payment & Punishment

Once you have Mint setup…use it! Figure out your biggest expenditure, aka weakness, and exploit it. Take whatever you spend there and match it into your own savings. For instance, my weakness is for random runs to the nearest crack house…errrr…espresso distributor; so each month I find out what I spent on it and put that same amount into my money market fund.

So, if you spend $175 a month on Marlboros, then you put $175 into your savings of choice. This practice will have several positive effects on your financial life.

4) High Yield Checking

I only need a physical bank for one thing…ATMs. When I moved to Atlanta, I went with Wachovia because they are everywhere. My paychecks are direct deposits and my bills are paid via online checking.

Schwab now has an award winning checking account the garners interest. I can do everything with them that I do with Wachovia and earn 2% on my cash. In the rare occasion, I need a physical check, they are free. Visa debit card is included. If I need cash, the world is my ATM! They reimburse for ATMs worldwide.

5) AMEX One Card

This is a little known card from American Express. The only AMEX card I see less than this is the elusive black Centurion card. The One card is boring in appearance except as it’s mostly green. Green because it earns you money. AMEX One has replaced my ATM/Debit card. I use this card for all of my purchases.

AMEX opens a savings account for you and matches your spending into your savings account. They start you with $50 after your first purchase. Thereafter, they match 1% of your monthly expenditures directly into the savings account. While your money is sitting, it earns interest (currently 2.75%). It has interest protection for new purchases. Basically, this means that you don’t pay interest on the full balance but only on what was due before the current month. Having said that, I strongly suggest you only using this method if you typically pay your credit card off in full each month. Paying interest defeats the purpose of the savings account.

Bottom Line

Money, Knowledge and Sex are Power…Know where your money is going, use the intelligence to distribute it so you can attain more, this will make you more attractive on several levels and then you’ll have more sex. You are now ALL POWERFUL!!

Photo Courtesy of DeShawn Stevenson ;->

Apr19

Blkberry messD my TXT

Posted at 12:37 PM • Comments

Last night, I was texting my friend in New York about the New Orleans Hornets’ chances in the upcoming NBA Playoffs. He and I were going back and forth for a bit. I realized that his messages were one page and mine were two every time. My Blackberry Pearl has been affecting my real life texting capabilities. The Pearl has been great, and many have commented on the quickness and accuracy of my thumbs to spit out messages; but it has stolen my true SMS capabilities. I sent my first SMS in 2002 and worked hard to hone my craft. I’m scared to go back to a regular phone now. Maybe it’s like riding a bike, and I’ll relearn it easily if need be.

Apr7

Size Matters!

Posted at 10:52 PM • Comments

Recently, I’ve had a few conversations about emerging media and technology with corporate marketing heads. For many companies, they are just now thinking about or starting emerging media departments. One of the common themes that quickly come up is my view on the upcoming generations and the role mobile will play. I’m quick to bring up two points in each conversation.

One, as Cyriac Roeding pointed out earlier this year, the content has got to be redesigned for mobile applications. Companies can’t afford to simply re-purpose online content and then redistribute it amongst cell phones. Too many companies are doing this, and it’s a waste of time. This is discussion for another post though.

The second point I bring up is that companies must start looking past cell phones and iPods. People, especially Gen-Y and early adopters, are about to take their living rooms with them. Recently, I’ve seen Intel ads for a new processor scattered amongst technology sites and LinkedIn. Intel is working on a chip that powers nothing more than a simple computer….no big hard drive, no DVD player, etc. They are designing chips for laptops that won’t be much bigger than a PSP. Need space? Today, you can grab a 250+GB hard drive the size of passport for under $200. My future laptop need be nothing more than a screen, keyboard and USB port. Check out these pictures of the future Lenovo line courtesy of John Bancroft.

Lenovo Mobile Internet Device

Stack of MIDs with Apple iPhone

Here’s an Intel Netbook via Engadget.

My life would be so easy if I could put everything I need in my jacket pocket. The future of music will be streamed not downloaded. I already mentioned my 250GB USB drive. With the power of Google, new frontiers in social media and the upcoming breakout of Web 3.0, I may not even need that large hard drive except for backup purposes. I could be streaming my life to that little device.

Obviously, the emergence of these devices will help define the direction of mobile advertising. But, how fast will companies digest these new processes? They have to think past the mobile phone with SMS. Companies need to start having more conversations with their consumers. This is one area where I see Twitter becoming so powerful. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but GM is already starting to take the lead on Twitter. I’m glad but surprised. They’re having active conversations with their customers. Now, will they truly hear them?

I wish I’d been born in my 8 year-old Godson’s generation (no official title given yet) because by the time he’s college, he may not have to carry anything more than some sort of laptop and Kindle combination.