Tough Talk for Tough Times

“I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man” Ned Pepper

Living in Michigan I’ve had a front row seat for the demise of the economy and the crushing effect it has on people. Lots of jobs lost and no new ones to be found. What gets lost in the statistics are those situations like one of my friends found himself in this week where his salary was cut by 20% and his car allowance eliminated. Also lost is the mental grind of worrying about losing your job either through downsizing or your company going under. My son-in-law (and thus the rest of the family) finds himself in that situation as his company hovers constantly on the edge. The third category of unreported trauma is highlighted by another old friend who found a new job but only after many, many months of looking and at a salary well below normal.

It was really interesting to digest the conversations I had with these three people.

My friend who has taken a salary reduction remains optimistic and committed to his company and is willing to adjust his lifestyle to deal with what he hopes is a short-term situation.

My son-in-law also remains optimistic but has already used his small, but obviously good, network to find three, yes three, safety nets for new jobs. None of them are perfect; one would require relocation, one mega travel and the third a reduction of income, but nevertheless.

The other old friend who just started the new job spent the entire conversation grousing about how long his commute to work was and how low the salary is although it has good upside with commissions and once trained the ability to work several days a month from home. He expressed no relief to finally getting a job, no excitement for learning a new product and no optimism for performing well and earning commissions.

It caused me to go back to one of early posts Ten Simple Rules. My reduced salary friend seems to be following many of them although I wish he would spend some of his time networking and searching out some safety nets. My son-in-low I’m very proud of as he’s neither bailing out nor standing pat.

The third, however, is very disturbing. Not only will his negativity work against him being successful in this job but it will hurt him going forward. A lot of people, me included, helped him during his dry spell by firing up our networks and promoting him to others. This particular job was secured through the efforts of one of his friends who has a really strong friendship with the hiring manager. In talking with his sponsor (who’s a mutual friend) he has also been subjected to the negativity and is pretty steamed about it.

I’m adding another Bonus Rule to the Ten Simple Rules. Never piss off your network!