Bonus Track

Disney Understands The Customer

by Ray_anne

When I was a kid, going to Disneyland was an incredibly exciting event. I loved the Magic Kingdom! But that was back in the day when each ride required a ticket and Disney tickets were labeled as either A, B, C, D, or E. For example, a climb through the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse? A – Ticket. [...]

February 21, 2012 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Stagnation vs. Intensive Purpose

by Ray_anne

Nine-year old Sam once asked his father, “Daddy, how can we make a stuffed animal come to life?” His father pondered…, and decided yep, that’s a good question. A favorite toy, yet stagnant and non-productive. The production of play is in the mind and action of Sam, not the stuffed animal itself. Sam must move the toy [...]

February 20, 2012 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Dividends in Pride

by Ray_anne

The engine rev’d and lurched the vehicle just a bit. The car next to me, a Cadillac Escalade, was polished and chromed with expensive wheels and tires. Its anxious driver could barely contain himself while waiting for the light to change. Apparently, it was very important to him that he be the first out [...]

February 17, 2012 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Email: A Costly Error and You Are Fired!

by Ray_anne

A few years ago, a young woman called me, devastated. She had been fired from her job. She had nowhere to turn and was seeking advice. What could I tell her but the same old, tired phrases “Everything happens for a reason” or “You will see, it will be for the better.” She was hurt, [...]

February 15, 2012 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Is a Job Well Done Thanks Enough?

by Ray_anne

When offering thanks to anyone in business, what is the appropriate approach? Most Chamber of Commerce organizations allow for “testimonials” during our networking luncheon, they can often be tedious and self-indulgent. Do they work? Manners seem to be regionally-defined as well as industry-distinct, but should they? I mean, it’s not as if a “service tip” can be [...]

February 13, 2012 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Common Sense: It’s Not so Common.

by Ray_anne

“Good sense is the master of human life.” I don’t know who said that, but I like it. How often, when confronted with a decision, business or otherwise, do we allow our emotions to cloud our judgment, to interfere with our common sense? We each possess it, it is available, an innate sense to make wise [...]

February 10, 2012 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Twitter: Communication and Geeks

by Ray_anne

I have written about Twitter often and not because I am an expert, but because I am an avid student and constantly seeking the best way to use the communication tools we have. It is interesting how quickly humans become accustomed to certain behavior and how easy it is to rile them up when that [...]

February 9, 2012 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Align Your Strategies With Your Goals

by Ray_anne

Have you ever had a lasting effect on someone? As a professional in your industry, I certainly hope your answer is yes. What is it about you that differentiates you from the rest of those in your industry? Why should someone hire you? Why would someone come to work for you? Why should someone buy your [...]

February 7, 2012 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Life in Human Resources is Not Easy, Ever.

by Ray_anne

Comfort. Some things in life are more comfortable than others. It can be a bit disconcerting to receive a phone call from a client who expected more from your relationship or be summoned to your superior’s office to hear the dreaded words, “I don’t like anything you have suggested.” Or how about that time when you [...]

February 6, 2012 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Learn to Love It or Shove It: Your Job

by Ray_anne

Yesterday, I wrote a post about finding happiness in your work or – or - leaving your work at work and not letting it define the whole of your life. It was an innocent post about learning to love the tedious parts of your job or the parts you hate and not letting them infect [...]

February 3, 2012 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Happiness: Does Your Career Define Who You Are?

by Ray_anne

Are you happy? Do you have the time or impetus to find happiness in your life? Sometimes we get so caught up in just getting by from day to day that we lose the big picture. The big picture of being content, of feeling settled, of finding our place – the place that feeds into [...]

February 2, 2012 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Why Blogging Matters

by Ray_anne

Social Media has pretty much been dissected, why it matters, why Twitter will change the face of business, why all of it is important. Or, at least, why someone thinks it’s important. There are many who write on a regular basis – who produce original content consistently, who create thoughtful and meaningful responses to emotionally [...]

February 1, 2012 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Joblessness: Not My Kind of Freedom

by Ray_anne

Do you know someone out of work? Maybe several someones? Do you know anyone who has been laid off or who has had their hours or pay reduced? Have you, yourself, suffered in the current recession? I hate to say it and I really do not want to believe it, but we are not out [...]

January 31, 2012 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Networking is a Team Sport

by Ray_anne

“In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.”~Yogi Berra I love baseball. Especially non-MLB. Little League. High School. Independent Minor League Baseball. Baseball at its best. Fewer steroids, fewer and less rowdy fans, but still that lovely green grass of a baseball field so lovingly called a diamond and [...]