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Winter 2006 Newsletter (Newsletter Archives)     Download Adobe Acrobat Version

Update From Eileen

"Throw it out! Get over it! Get on with it!" That's the advice of my buddy, Joe Calloway. He's a fabulous speaker, author, and owner of Mirror, a top Nashville restaurant. He is also dead right! How can you have something "new" like a year for Pete's sake, if you don't throw something out? How do you go for the next stretch, the next dream, if you keep moving in the same circles? The poet, David Whyte (see "Must Read Books) calls it "living at the frontier".

Are you ready to live at the border of your life-that place of both fear and excitement? I am! I'm throwing a ton of things away to start 2006: black/white newsletter, old web site, old preview video. Still keeping the same old, used and dearly beloved husband. But I'm ready for an adventure, for something bold, different, creative, and umm-well, maybe even risky.

"What is it?" you ask. Not sure. I'm looking. Paying attention. Listening to what I want to do but haven't yet tried. I put our names in for a trek to the Himalayas with explorer Jeff Saltz but was too late. In December, I did record The Littlest Angel with pianist Ken Medema. (Watch for our marvelous CD offering of this classic tale in which Ken's music literally becomes the tiny cherub.) Might not sound like an adventure but, hey, it's a new venue for me.

That's my question to all of us. What will you do NEW this year? The operative word is NEW. Brand new. Never been tried. Never been experienced. Never been seen. It might be a trip, a project, a garden, or a re-designed life. It might be sleeping on the side of the bed you have NEVER slept on. Heck, it might even be sleeping outdoors in a hammock—kind like the wish you had as a kid but your parents always said "no".

I'd love to hear what your "new" is. Write me. Call me. I'll keep you posted on mine.

Courage.

Warmly,

Disconnect Zaps Retention

Spherion's 2005 Emerging Workforce Study surveyed a nationally representative sample of U.S. companies and employees and found a serious disconnect between employers and workers on important workplace issues.

They differ on the critical issues affecting retention, such as training and development and work/life balance. The study found that fewer than one in five employers is positioned for the future to recruit and retain top talent.
According to the Emerging Workforce Study:

Only 34 percent of human resources managers mention turnover/retention as a key HR concern;

60 percent of workers rate time and flexibility as a key factor in retention, but only 35 percent of employers feel the same;

Only 49 percent of employers rate money as an important issue in retention but 69 percent of workers believe it is;

And nearly 40 percent of U.S. employees intend to find a new job in the next 12 months, but employers expect only 14 percent of their work force to leave in the next year.
 

Must Read Books

Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss (2004, Gotham Books, ISBN 1592400876). The old English teacher in me found this vastly amusing if a little long. But in an age where communication becomes muddled and the difference between a comma and a period can stir international trouble, you might find this book fascinating. AND-I am a stickler for the proper use of it's and its. Now, read her book and you'll know why.

Midlife and the Great Unknown by David Whyte, 2 cd-set (2003, Sounds True, ISBN 1591790697). I am a reader, plain and simple. But alas, Whyte's wisdom doesn't come in paper. And wise he is, plus profound and accessible. I found myself listening to these CDs three times just so I could take notes. (It also proved to me just why I want to put transcripts with my CD products!)

Whyte shows listeners how the language of poetry can be our guide through the unexplored terrain of the middle years of our lives. With over 75 million people between the ages of 35 and 55 living in the United States today, David Whyte inspires a wide new audience, offering ways to bring courage and clarity to face what he calls the "fierce edges" of our lives. If you have the time and the tenacity, I guarantee you'll love this set.

Dear Reader,

I admit. I wrote the following poem in a fit of anger at just another bit of lousy customer DIS-service. We've all been there. It's the I am-mad-as-heck-and-I-am-not-going-to-take-it-any-longer reaction. And then, I got sad. Because I am convinced that too many companies are clueless. So, consider this my gift for the New Year. If your company fits this bill, then tell them to GET A CLUE!

Screw The Customers

We've got a plan to make'em sweat and generate more dough
We just add fees for simple thing folks would want to know
We make 'em pay in 30 days to get advice-NOT free
FAQs will never help- just send the cash to ME.

Don't ask for customer service. It's just a silly game
We'll transfer you to way offshore where folks can't say your name.
They read a script that makes no sense and tell you that they're sorry
The program's fried, your data's gone and still they say, "well, sorry."

You pay a fortune for the room on Kona by the shore
They'll charge a buck to ride one way to reach the ONLY store
They want a buck so you can sit on a chaise by the sea
Another buck for towels-but hey-the sand is free.

On ritzy grounds, you pay THE price for staying in this place
But park your car? Costs more you know. We're in the dollar race
And how about the telephone? One buck a local call
And yes, plus minute charges unless it's down the hall.

We're cutting back on service help. You need to stand in line
Have questions you need answered? Sorry—we don't have the time.
You want a person on the phone? Why surely you must jest!
Just go online and search for days. Be frustrated with the rest.

We just can't be bothered doing business face-to-face
And God Forbid we have a human answering in this place.
Don't look for a service number on our warranty—big and bold
You bought the stuff. It's up to you. We just want the sucker sold.

RETORT:

So just keep what you're doing. Because I'm in business too
I'll do what you're not doing and feel good when day is through
They'll stay with me forever and bring their friends along
Money's just applause for service and makes a better song.

Copyright, McDargh Communications, 2005

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