Caterwauling

Wyland’s famous Key West sign

Originally uploaded by dcwriterdawn

I only wish I were in Key West. But 70 degrees in Palm Beach County ain’t so terrible either, especially when my northern friends are still digging out of their driveways at 11 a.m.!

I saw an interesting comment on Facebook today, that the truth is only the truth for as long as you want it to be. Someone was cheering on another with her weight-loss goals, and I wanted to adopt it as my mantra today.

I have been paying $40/month to Weight Watchers for the past three years, just in case I wanted to hit a meeting. I never really did, though. Yesterday, I downgraded to eTools (online-only) plan. It costs a lot less but means I have to read more. Oy vey. No wonder people in meetings out-lose the online set — there’s so much to learn and it’s all different from when I first joined!

Since I’ve been home, I’ve been consoling myself with food. Lord knows I can’t go shopping or restaurant-hopping like I used to. So yesterday, I decided to say fuck it and start tracking my food intake.

I’m annoyed, of course, because Mom just baked awesome cupcakes. But it feels good to be in control of something again.

In other news, I was talking to a professional cohort yesterday and learned that their business is really starting to take off. That gave me a lot of hope. What really made me do the Snoopy dance was that they enforce a strict “No Assholes” poilcy.

In other words, no working with assholes. That even though certain people have money to spend and influence to wield, there isn’t enough incentive in the world to take on the aggravation.

I like that. I am inspired that, even in this crap economy, one can choose their projects and colleagues. More workplaces would probably succeed if everyone got a chance to vote people off the island — maybe they’d get rid of the slacker or the dumbass or the ass-pain instead of the people they crap all over.

And really, it’s the human bidets who are accountable for managing the PITAs of the world. And when the talent fails to perform according to task, they aren’t the ones scouring the “Help Wanted” ads.

Speaking of the need to do a worldwide systemic overhaul of the corporate world, check out my buddy Bill Catlette’s new book, “Rebooting Leadership.” Download the first chapter FREE here! I told him I was nodding along like a kid at a headbangin’ concert.

Here’s a small excerpt that captured my interest:

“It means that shaping your career requires more (and better) strategy. Vertical organic career growth (i.e., upward movement within the same organization) is diminished as there are fewer layers of management, many roles are farmed out, and Boomers just won’t get out of the way. In that vein, it’s more important for you to find the right person to work for than the right organization.That person, if so inclined, can take a more immediate interest in your learning and development, provide important growth opportunities, insulate you when you make a mistake, and share credit.”

Read that part again: It’s more important for you to find the right person to work for than the right organization.

*chills*

I think that makes a lot of sense. We often joke in my circle about “getting the band back together.” In other words, when you invoke the “No Assholes” rule and only surround yourself with people you want to bust your ass for, it becomes more about helping the “family” to succeed than the faceless and emotionless “company.”

In any case, be sure to buy the Contented Cows’ new book. Tell ’em Goddess sent ya. And prepare for a discussion group on these pages, because I can’t WAIT to reflect when my copy arrives straight from Cows headquarters!!!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 26th, 2011 at 11:07 AM and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.