9\11 : A DeadHead’s Tale

The effects of 9\11 still reverberate today.  Each of us, as Americans were affected in some way, shape, or form.  This story is about a fundraising effort for the Widows and Children of the Police & Firefighters, by members of the Grateful Dead.  Kind of ironic, considering the Police would always look to arrest Deadhead’s whenever the band came to town.  But this spirit of humanity that was present after the cowardly attack on innocent civilians changed the world in many different, subtle ways.  This is one such story.

               It was a Monday night, December 3rd, 2001, when I first had a reason to go to NYC.  Phil Lesh & Friends were performing in an Unbroken Chain benefit for 9/11 victims.  Phil Lesh, for those of you who don’t know, was the bass player for the Grateful Dead.  On this night, he is joined by Bob Weir, guitarist, of the Grateful Dead.  It will be the first time these two musicians will appear on the stage since the passing of Jerry Garcia.  The rest of the band is Rob Barraco - keyboards & vocals, Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers, Government Mule, and The Dead) - guitar & vocals, Jimmy Herring – guitar, and John Molo – drums.

The venue, the Beacon Theatre, was built for sound.  It opened in 1929 as a forum for vaudeville acts, musical productions, drama, opera, and movies.  According to its official history on the Beacon Theater web site, it was designed by Chicago architect Walter Ahlschlager in the Art Deco style popular at this time.  It is a building of grace and class, of timeless elegance and excellent acoustics.

I was taking the bus to Port Authority to meet up with my cousin Mitch and a dear old friend David.  The night would start with an amazing meal, surrounded by businessmen in their suits, romance in the air, and me, in my tye-dye du- joir.  After dinner, we would walk down Broadway, a leisurely stroll, to the theatre.  Our seats were in the balcony, chosen specifically because of the way the sound resonates and travels in this grand old theatre.   

I got off the bus and followed a line of fellow deadheads through the labyrinth that is Port Authority.  Across the concourse for one escalator, a quick turn for the next, the steps to the next venue, and down two more escalators to buy my return ticket.   The people, in general, seemed quieted than other times I’ve come to the city.  Everybody still moved with a sense of purpose, but, it’s hard to put into words.  

Ok, concert tickets in my pocket, return home, safe and sound, I walk outside and head for the corner of 42^nd Street & 8^th Avenue.  Since I was meeting everyone, I needed to call to find out where we’re meeting.  As I walked through the second set of doors and turn right, I stop, dead in my tracks.  I see a sight that I never thought that I would see in the 21^st Century, in America.  And that’s when I knew the country had changed.  I saw four US Soldiers, in full combat gear, with weapons, walking the perimeter of the building, on the lookout for anything suspicious.  And I now understood the feelings that could not be put into words.

 

The Last Dance

For the last six years, I’ve been a very lucky Dad (well ever since my little girl was born I’ve been lucky, to tell you the truth). I have had the pleasure of a unique experience, one only a few Fathers that I know, are fortunate to be a part of. See, she is a dancer and at the yearly recital, I get to go on stage as a member of the Dancin’ Dads and perform with her. But this year has a special meaning as it’s our last dance together.

To me, the Dad’s Dance is a very special event that I took very seriously. All year long, the girls dedicated themselves to learning new moves, becoming more graceful and confident in dance. We Dads have about six weeks to learn a dance and look like we know what we’re doing. The better we look, the more we understood the patience, care, and dedication of the Dance Teachers, (Miss Aimee, Miss Vicki, Miss Jean, and Miss Angela). As “afraid” as we were about screwing up, letting our daughters down was not an option. Sometimes we had to fake it, but we tried our best and gave it all we could.
Of course, being typical Dads, we had a good time. We made smart comments about the songs (country, ugh), hated some of the costumes (like the year we wore disco clothes or danced in boxer shorts), busted each others chops, but we learned the dance, even knowing that as much as the audience loved us, some people didn’t. They felt we took away the girls’ thunder; after all the blood, sweat and tears they put in all year. Or that we didn’t take it seriously. But those people missed the big picture. The members of Dancin’ Dad’s didn’t care if people laughed. We were doing it for our daughters, because they wanted to dance with us.
My daughter loves the performing arts. She has danced for 11 years, sung in two choirs, had roles in three plays and is a member of JITS (Junior International Thespian Society). In the fall, she is going to be a freshman in high school and is planning on joining the Drama Club. With the challenges of going to a new school, the increase in studying, and with drama a 10 month commitment, there isn’t enough time to devote to dance.
I’ll miss Dance. I’ll miss the camaraderie. I’ll miss the practices. I’ll miss the rehearsals (but not the costumes). But most of all, I’ll miss the hours I spent with my little girl, dancing the night away.

Commonly Misused Resume Words

At one point in the interview, you’re going to be asked what your strengths are or for three words that describe you (it’s basically the same question). You blurt out reliable or dependable, hardworking and flexible. Why, because these are the most popular words that people use, they are safe and somewhat descriptive. The interviewer nods their head and you feel like you’ve finally gotten a question right. You gave an honest answer about yourself. But was it the best answer?

Let’s look at the words chosen. Reliable\dependable were the first ones out of your mouth. A car is reliable, a washing machine is dependable. These words are great choices for describing a machine, not a person. A person is responsible. This is a word with meaning and depth. Not only does it imply the reliable\dependable traits you wish to convey, it says you just doesn’t follow instructions, but will take and show initiative. It says you can be trusted, that you care about doing things right, and will take responsibility for what you do. Do you want someone who is dependable or responsible?

Hardworking is another popular phrase that pays. It pops up on resumes and in interview answers all the time. But that is an expectation of job performance. A better term would be diligent. A diligent employee is a hard worker who pays attention to the details of the situation or task. A diligent person uses their mind to solve problems and focuses on the big picture.

Flexible is defined as the ability to change. A better, more accurate term is versatile. Versatility is all about the talent or usefulness of a person, of being able to use all of your skills and abilities to figure out the whys to do more how’s. Simply put, a flexible person is one who is willing to change shifts while a versatile person is able to take on new challenges and opportunities. Versatility has more usefulness to an employer. By choosing words with value, you can stand out in a positive way.

One last example of the importance of choosing the right word is the choice between teacher and trainer. The difference, in a nutshell is you train animals, you teach people. Training is the ability to repeat an action, over and over and over again. Teaching is the building of skills or knowledge and the proper implementation of what was presented. There is a greater wisdom in being taught as opposed to being trained. A teacher is an educator. When taught a new skill, if something happens, you can roll with the changes and develop a proper plan of action. Someone who was trained can only repeat the actions they learned.

By choosing the right words, you can better illustrate why you are the best candidate. It shows you’re not just a doer but a thinker, someone who can make more of a contribution to the growth of an organization. It shows you are responsible, diligent, versatile rather than reliable, hardworking and flexible. So, which words best describe you?

The State Of The Jets

As many of you know, I am a Jets fan. I go back to Super Bowl III when I saw Joe Willie & the Jets beat the Colts for their first and as I’m constantly reminded, only championship. I have followed them for years, with the exception of the Joe Walton & Rich Kotite years (I still shudder at the memory of those pathetically coached teams).

Today, I have heard a HUGE amount of disturbing news about our team. Since trying to make an intelligent point on any Talk Radio in this area is next to impossible, I am left with the best way to have my voice heard, which is my here. So in no particular order, here is my State of The Jets.

Payton Manning as quarterback. NO, as in NFW!!! He had a chance to join the Jets when we had Bill Parcells as coach. He could have come out early and been the #1 pick in the draft. Instead, he said he wanted to return to college and go for the National Championship (we all know how that turned out). So Bill traded the pick to the Rams, who chose Orlando Pace, we picked James Farrier, who was traded to the Steelers. A loss-loss for the Jets as we got nothing in return (2 rings for Farrier, 1 for Pace). So now the cry goes out, get Manning as a Free Agent. #1, he isn’t a Free Agent yet. #2, he’s had 2 neck surgeries in the past year. #3, a quarterback coming off two operations, going behind a suspect line, with a poor excuse for a running game, that’s a sure recipe for success. Personally, Sanchez was anointed too early. He needed to sit behind a good veteran and learn, like Aaron Rogers did. But now that he had 3 seasons of experience behind him, is NOT the time to replace him.

Blame the offense; no let us lay the lost season at the feet of the true culprit, the Defense. Yes, the offense stunk. Most of us sitting on the couch were calling the plays before they were executed. But if the defense makes 1 stop per game, Denver (we got Te-bowed at the end), Giants (Victor Cruz on a 3rd & 10 play), or the Miami 21-play drive (where they were 6 for 6 in 3rd down conversions on that drive), we wouldn’t be having this conversation. It was our vaunted D that let us down. That falls directly in Rex’s lap.

The rest of our offensives woes were because of the flaws in the design of the team and that falls in the lap of Mike Tannenbaum. Left Guard, Right Tackle, Running Backs, the bench, back-up Tight End, these positions needed to be addressed, either in the draft (the best case scenario, or by smart, free agent signings. And TJ Conley, what were you thinking. Yes, Schotty has to go, I agree completely. But to even think of replacing him with Tony Sparano, are you insane! Look at his body of work, Tony Romo (an over-rated, mistake prone, choke-artist, turnover waiting to happen), Chad Pennington (2 surgeries later), Chad Henne 9injury-prone), Matt Moore, none of those offensives run by that group of quarterbacks strike fear in the hearts of defensive coordinators. And Todd Haley as receivers coach, another joke. This is a guy most of his players can’t stand playing for. When he was on Arizona, Antwain Bolden & he had to be separated. The Chief players had a party when he left and they certainly played a lot harder for Romeo.

So what to do? Draft better, which means scout the players properly. For Offensive Coordinator, look at who is sitting behind the Coordinators for the Saints, Packers, 49ers. Or go the college route and hire those coordinators who led their respective teams to blow-out victories by scoring more than 40 points in the Bowl games. Or if you really want to think outside of the box, hire a great former defensive coordinator, one who had to scheme against a high powered offense. Hey, he had to study offense to learn how to beat it, which means he learned a variety of offensives and how they attack a defense successfully.

Marketing 101 : Playing Your Business Card

In the age that we are in, nothing is more valuable than information. This is what drives the generator of knowledge, growth and development. Asking the right question, having the appropriate data, enables companies to utilize a variety of resources more effectively. The more that one knows about a product, service, the competition or a person, the better the decision which is based upon it.

Relating this to job search is vital. If there is a lack of information about what skills and abilities you bring to the table in your network, the less help they are capable of giving. Unless you walk around with your resume on a sandwich board, the question is, how can you create a “buzz” about what you are marketing?

THE LIGHT BULB MOMENT
In a local election for town council, one candidate came up with a distinctive, creative, powerful way for the voters to get to know who he was and what he stood for. It was small, lightweight, ideal to distribute, and saved paper. Because instead of a campaign flyer or brochure, he gave out a business card!

Yes, just a simple, well crafted business card with the key facts that he wanted people to know about him. On the front, there was the typical contact information with something extra, his slogan. The back was where the impact lies. It listed his community service, previous offices held, and a very brief synopsis of his employment history.

For a job seeker, this lesson can translate to you. Your slogan is the one, best reason why an employer would want to hire you. Make sure that what you write s a statement of fact and has value to the career you want. It should be short and sweet, no more than 10 words, but just like a commercial, this will be the message that you want to get across about you. The back of the card will list 2 or 3 job titles and one accomplishment you had, which relates to your slogan. This is a snapshot, with talking points that you chose to highlight.

DIRECTING THE LIGHT
The advantages of this approach are many. When running around, you might not always have a clean copy of your resume handy. A business card fits easily in a pocket, purse or wallet. People save cards because they hold information in a small space. Plus, people might not take a resume, but they will always take a card. This idea shows creativity, a “think outside of the box” attitude that exhibits a pro-active problem solver in action. It helps you focus your message. And it saves paper.

Getting information into people’s hands is vital. Having a quick, easy, imaginative way to do so helps you stand out from the crowd in an uniquely positive way. This will increase the number of people you can contact and who can help you find the opportunity that you’re looking for. So the next time you say, “here’s my card”, make it an ace from your deck.