Jason Nazar wrote an article for Forbes (www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar)
titled, Things 20-Year-Olds Don’t Get. He makes some very good points, but I don’t think it applies just to 20-year-olds. I think there are nuggets in the article that apply to everyone. I posted portions of the article previously. (Check the archives) Here is some more of the article along with some of my comments:

“Speak Up, Not Out – We’re raising a generation of sh-t
talkers. In your workplace this is a cancer. If you have issues with management, culture or your role & responsibilities, SPEAK UP. Don’t take those complaints and trash-talk the company or co-workers on lunch breaks and
anonymous chat boards. If you can effectively communicate what needs to be improved, you have the ability to shape your surroundings and professional  destiny.”

I wrote about challenging the process (not the leadership) of an organization in my e-book, Leadership for New Managers: Book Two. It is available at http://smashwords.com/b/300090. Here is what I wrote: 

“To improve the organization, leaders/managers need to challenge the process.  Leader/managers cannot be afraid to challenge how they and their organizations operate. Unless
leader/managers are willing to question how things operate now, no one will know what is possible. An upbeat climate encourages individuals to recognize the need for organizational change and supports a willing attitude of learning to work with change.”
We old-timers would say, “If you work for the man, don’t badmouth him.”

You HAVE to Build Your Technical Chops – Adding “Proficient in Microsoft Office” at the bottom of your resume under Skills, is not going to cut it anymore. (http://clicktotweet.com/b305aI) I immediately give preference to candidates who are ninjas in: Photoshop, HTML/CSS, iOS, WordPress, Adwords, MySQL, Balsamiq, advanced Excel, Final Cut Pro – regardless of their job position. If you plan to stay gainfully employed, you better complement that humanities degree with some applicable  technical chops. 

I felt bad when I read this. I am good at Excel, MS Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and a few other software, but , I must confess, I do not know anything about half of the software on Jason
Nazar’s list. I better get my act together. I wrote about self-development in my e-book. Here is what I wrote:

“Education is an important part of self-development. Leader/managers seek out education and
training opportunities beyond required schooling. To achieve success in increasingly complex environments, leader/managers need to expand professional knowledge and develop a keen sense of self-awareness. Leader/managers prepare themselves for greater responsibilities through lifelong learning and broadening experiences. Lifelong learning involves study and reflection to acquire new knowledge and to learn how to apply it when needed. 
 
“Education and training opportunities, assignments, and experiences provide exposure outside the leader’s functional area competencies. This allows development of a wider range of knowledge and skills, promotes practical application of language training, or increases cross-cultural exposure and expands awareness of other organizations, or environments. Good learners focus on how to use new
information as it relates to other information. To solidify new knowledge, leader/managers apply it and experience what it means.”

There are zombies walking among us so beware. Case in point – Anthony Weiner. (http://clicktotweet.com/0eN5m)He is dead, or at least his political career is dead, and he still walks and talks as if he could win the election for mayor of New York City. Apparently, Anthony Weiner was a little upset that Miley Cyrus got more publicity than he did with his sext. Rumor has it that he leaked the fact that he is paying his supporter $15 for showing up and appearing to agree with his flaky answers to their rehearsed questions. That is outrageous! Fifteen dollars is more money than fast food servers get paid, and they actually provide a service. Paying for supporter is a traditional practice that dates back to the Roman days when politicians gave out bread. I never consider Weiner to be a traditionalist. 
 
Jason Nazar wrote an article for Forbes (www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar)
titled, Things 20-Year-Olds Don’t Get. He makes some very good points, but I don’t think it applies just to 20-year-olds. I think there are nuggets in the article that apply to everyone. I posted portions of the article previously. (Check the archives) Here is some more of the article along with some of my comments:

Read More Books, Fewer Tweets/Texts – Your generation consumes information in headlines and 140 characters: all breadth and no depth. Creativity, thoughtfulness and thinking skills are freed when you’re forced to read a full book cover to cover. All the keys to your future success, lay in the past experience of others. Make sure to read a book a month (fiction or non-fiction) and your career will blossom. 
   
Too bad that Anthony Weiner did not read this before he started sexting. Then again, if hadn’t, we would not know what an idiot he is and he would still be a congressman. 
 
Be selective in your reading. For example, in my 20s, I decided that reading fiction was a waste of time. I decided I would read non-fiction like history and self-help books. Now, years later, I regret that decision. I think I missed the opportunity to learn the greatest lessons of life from fiction. I love history and have published a historical novel, but what I learned from the self-help books did not get me very far.

Now I am going to tweet this to my followers. Life is hard.

Apparently, the Pope has been calling some of the faithful. There has been some concern over what to say when the Pope calls. This may seem silly but it a serious concern. I
thought I should provide some pointers for my non-Catholic friends, just in case he should call:

1. What title to use - “Your Holiness” is always appropriate, or just the humble “Father.” Please don’t refer to him as the Commander-in-Chief of the Swiss Guard.
2. His name – he has taken the name of Saint Francis of Assisi, not Saint Francis the Sissy.
3. If you get the call, stay cool. Don’t shout out, “OMG!, Holly Shit!, or Sweet Jesus!”. 
4. Remember, he is not calling for your confession. This is not the time to confess about your extramarital affairs, your sexting, or any criminal activity. 
5. Please do not ask for forgiveness for not paying your taxes. He has no authority in the USA.
6. If he says God bless you, don’t worry about it; you did not sneeze. It’s a Catholic thing. 
7. Do not ask for any favors like damning your ex, sending a swarm of locust to your neighbor’s yard, or giving your boss hemorrhoids. He is in recruitment, not operations.
8. Do not put him on hold.
9. Do not ask him to bless your lottery numbers. 
10. Do not refer to Jesus Christ and his disciples as JC and his posse.

If you follow these simple rules, your call will go well.
 
If Mark Twin had a cell phone he may have texted the following:

6:06 PM - Guys! Coming down w/ head cold. Any remedies? -Mark
6:06 PM – My old standby is a glass of whiskey b4 bed.-Tom
6:06 PM – Have a c. of whiskey @ bed time. - Dick
6:07 PM – 8 oz. of whiskey b4 bed should do it. -Harry
6:07 PM – I use 3 fingers of whiskey – straight up. – Nimrod
6:08 PM – Thanks. That is about 2 pints. I will try it & call you in the am.
 
If Julius Caesar had a cell phone he may have texted the following’

9:15 PM Hey, Julius. Did u get to Gaul? -Cicero
9:16 PM I came. –Julius
9:16 PM Did you c Paris? – Cicero
9:17 PM I saw. –Julius
9:17 PM Then what did u do? –Cicero
9:18 PM I conquered. -Julius

CNN reported that an 8-year-old Louisiana boy shot and killed his elderly grandmother. CNN stated that the shooting was intentional and that a video game may have caused the boy to do it. I doubt anyone can prove that the video game made the boy kill the 87-year-old woman. I even doubt that an 8-year-old
understands enough about guns and killing to prove that it was intentional. The police did not charge the shooter because of his young age. Maybe they should charge the parents. We read all the time that very young kids show up at school with weapons in their backpacks. 
I have a swimming pool at my house. I have a fence around it with locked gates to keep out kids. However, if a child somehow climbs the fence and drowns in my pool, I am liable. In legal terms, it is an “attractive nuisance.” It should be the same for gun owners. If you own a gun and somehow, a child gets it and shoots someone, you should be liable. (http://clicktotweet.com/32ana)

In Spokane, police arrested two teenagers for the murder of a WWII veteran. They also arrested three other youths that were with the murder suspects. Did the parents know where this gang of kids was and what they were doing? I doubt it.

I wrote in my blog previously that I think parent are accountable for their kids’ actions. Apparently, in the first incident, the grandmother was watching the boy. Why did she let him play with a gun? How did the boy get his hands on a bullet? Guns and bullets should be under lock and key in separate locations. Why was there no trigger lock on the gun? How was an 8-year-old able to reach the gun? There ought to be law! The murder in Spokane is a little different because teenage boys are hard to control. However, there must be some effort to curtail their behavior. I will never understand how a child can take a gun from the home and take it to school. Why don’t the parents check the backpacks before the child leaves for school? They should also be checking for grogs, homework, and notes from the teacher. How does the child find the gun? Why aren’t the guns secured? Trigger locks and other safety features should be required for gun owners. 

Google Glass has developed a new technology for a camera that looks like a pair of glasses. I thought that was interesting since I wrote about such a pair of glasses system in my novel, The
Clone Murders. My glasses were a computer rather than a camera and much more powerful. The novel takes place in 2031 when science has perfected the cloning of humans and cloned a few. All seems to be going well until one of the clones turns up dead from exposure to anthrax. Senator Steve Morgan calls on his campaign manager, Cas Novak and his niece, Robbi Kelly, to investigate. Cas has a pair of these high tech glasses that he wears during his investigation. What Cas uncovers is the greatest threat to national security in decades.
The Clone Murders is available at http://smashwords.com/b/160136.

I just watched the video of Miley Cyrus’s outrageous performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. Rather gross. She danced with Robin Thicke. After watching Miley Cyrus, I had to ask myself, What was the concern about Bob Filner? (http://clicktotweet.com/Y3jbf) Filner could take a lesson from Cyrus. If you are
going to do sexual harassment – do it on stage and go overboard. Of course, the big difference is that Filner’s misconduct was unwanted while people paid to see Cyrus’s misconduct. That’s entertainment. Filner’s actions were misconduct. Also, Miley is not the mayor of a major city - yet.
 
Jason Nazar wrote an article for Forbes www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar) titled,Things
20-Year-Olds Don’t Get. He makes some very good points, but I don’t think it applies just to 20-year-olds. I think there are nuggets in the article that apply to everyone. I posted portions of the article previously. (Check the archives) Here is some more of the article along with some of my comments:

A New Job a Year Isn’t a Good Thing – 1-year stints don’t tell me that you’re so talented that you keep outgrowing your company. It tells me that you don’t have the discipline to see your own learning curve through to completion. It takes about 2-3 years to master any new critical skill, give yourself at least that much time before you jump ship. Otherwise your resume reads as a series of
red flags on why not to be hired. 
 
People Matter More Than Perks – It’s so trendy to pick the company that offers the most flex time, unlimited meals, company massages, game rooms and team outings. Those should all matter, but not as much as the character of your founders and managers. Great leaders will mentor you and will be a loyal source of employment long after you’ve left. Make a conscious bet on the folks you’re
going to work for and your commitment to them will pay off much more than those fluffy perks.

It took me many years to learn that people are the key to accomplishing professional goals. Years ago, I worked at ServiceMaster when it was sold to Aramark. We had a farewell get together to say our goodbyes. The VP who hosted the event had asked for stories about the company and he read many of the stories. It struck me that every story was about a person. There was not one story about reaching goals, the bottom line, closing a big deal, or profits. The stories were about the people that made the everyday work place a great place to work.

Jason Nazar wrote an article for Forbes (www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar) titled, Things 20-Year-Olds Don’t Get. He makes some very good points, but I don’t think it applies just to 20-year-olds. I think
there are nuggets in the article that apply to everyone. I posted portions of the article previously. (Check the archives) Here is some more of the article along with some of my comments:

"You Need At Least 3 Professional Mentors – The most guaranteed path to success is to emulate those who’ve achieved what you seek. You should always have at least 3 people you call mentors who are where you want to be. Their free guidance and counsel will be the most priceless gift you can receive.”

Many famous people had mentors. I wrote about mentors in my e-book, Leadership for New Manages: Book Two. It is available at http://smashwords.com//b/300090. Here is what I wrote:

Mentorship is the voluntary developmental relationship that exists between a person of greater experience and a person of lesser experience. It is characterized by mutual trust and respect. Mentoring takes place when the mentor provides a less experienced leader with advice and counsel over time to help with professional and personal growth. Mentoring is a voluntary relationship that extends beyond the scope of reporting relationships. Effective mentorship will positively affect personal and professional development. Assessment, feedback, and guidance are critical within the mentoring relationship. The mentee should value feedback to grow and develop. 

The current news about teenagers committing crimes and getting into trouble has prompted some discussion on whether to hold the parents responsible as well. I don’t think there has been enough discussion on the subject. Parents certainly have a responsibility to raise their children. It has become difficult for families where both parents must work or where one parent is absent. 
 
I was reminded of an incident that happened while I was in the service in Germany. I lived on an American Army base. One day, some teenagers vandalized the elementary school and the MPs caught them. The post commander was a hard-nosed guy who believed that the parents are responsible for the actions of their kids. He ordered that the fathers pull guard duty at the school for one week during the period that it was closed. After that, there was no vandalism for a long time.

Some people say that the law does not allow punishment of the parents, but I disagree. I believe in plea-bargaining the judge may impose certain requirements on the parents. There are some laws that certainly apply in extreme cases where parents contribute to the delinquency of a minor, serve alcohol, or allow kids to use drugs. When the teenagers use a parent’s car to commit a crime, perhaps the court can suspend the parent’s license. I am not recommending that we punish the parents so much as we make kids aware that their actions affect the entire family. It would also tell parents to pay attention to their kids.

Well, it is official. Bob Filner, Mayor of San Diego, has resigned effective August 30. At a press conference yesterday, he continued to deny the sexual harassment
allegations. I can understand that in view of a pending lawsuit for sexual harassment, he would not want to admit to any misconduct. However, I think he went too far in his press conference. He said that while his behavior toward
women was inappropriate at times (an understatement), he “never sexually harassed anyone.” We will see how the lawsuit turns out.

Apparently, Bob Filner doesn’t know the definition of sexual harassment. He thinks that asking women not to wear panties to work is merely “trying to establish personal relationships.” Duh! I would say that is very personal. I wonder if it is too late for San Diego to get their money back for the “intensive therapy” sessions that Bob Filner went through. Did he pay for that?

Bob Filner went on to say that, none of the allegations has been “verified or proven in court.” He should have added, “Yet.” He blamed the media for the “lynch mob” hysteria that resulted in his resignation. There may be a little truth to that statement. He certainly was an easy target. Now blogger like me will have to find another pervert to blog about. Goodbye, Bob Filner and thanks for the entertainment.  Now back to Anthony Weiner.
 
CNN reported that the Ridgedale Church of Christ booted the mother of a gay detective from the Tennessee church that she attended for decades. Apparently, the elders told Linda Cooper and two of her relatives that their public support for Kat Cooper, Linda’s gay daughter, went against the church’s teachings. The mother publicly supported her daughter’s marriage to a same sex partner. She was so bold as to sit by her daughter.

I guess the Church of Christ is not big on the forgiveness of sins. I am sure that if they ejected all the sinners from their church, there would be no church. They are also not big fans of parents supporting their kids with unconditional love. The church may recall the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. Jesus told her to go and sin no more. I don’t recall that he then threw stones at her parents. Of course, I wasn’t there.

According to CNN, Bob Filner, Mayor of San Diego, has proposed an agreement. The city council will meet at 4 PM today to discuss it. CNN reports that Filner is ready to resign if the city officials accept his mediation agreement. Several women are suing him for sexual harassment. One question left answered is whether the voters in San Diego should have to pay for Filner’s misconduct. Of course not!
The people who should pay are the people who voted him into office. Wait! That is the voters of San Diego. Never mind.

Apparently, several people were upset when Dr. Phil tweeted the question, is it okay to have sex with a drunk woman. I guess many folks thought he was asking permission. These people need to get a life. It isn’t necessary to tweet every emotion that you may have at the moment. Sometimes, it is a good idea to sleep on it, before
tweeting. That means think about it. Then, in the light of day, decide whether to tweet the message, or not. I think it is a good question since so many dates involve alcohol. Sex with a drunk man is apparently not a valid question because it may be impossible. I speak from personal experience, of course.

You may have seen this little item in USA Today. The headline read, “Thailand: Police seize 14 elephants with fake IDs.” August 21, 2013, Thai police made several arrests and broke up an elephant smuggling gang. They smuggled elephants in from neighboring Myanmar or from the wild. Now you might wonder why Thai elephants need IDs. Well, there are several reasons:
1. to  show that they are documented, legal aliens. 
2. so they can vote.
3. so they can drive a car.
4. as proof of age in case they want to buy alcohol.
5. so that they can carry a concealed weapon.

You may also wonder, as I did, where an elephant would carry an ID. Wait for it! Wait for it! In their trunk! Oh, ... you saw that one coming. It is like that age-old question, "How can you tell if an elephant has been in your refrigerator?

Jason Nazar wrote an article for Forbes (www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar)
titled, Things 20-Year-Olds Don’t Get. He makes some
very good points, but I don’t think it applies just to 20-year-olds. I think there are nuggets in the article that apply to everyone. I posted portions of the article previously. (Check the archives) Here is some more of the article along with some of my comments:

“Be the First In & Last to Leave ­– I give this advice to everyone starting a new job or still in the formative stages of their professional career. You have more ground to make up than everyone else around you, and you do have something to prove. There’s only one sure-fire way to get ahead, and that’s to work harder than all of your peers.”

In addition to learning the business, arriving early and staying late also allows new professional a chance to see what goes on at work, especially when there is more than one shift. For leaders, it sets a good example and work ethic. 
 
I wrote about setting an example in my e-book, Leadership for New Manages: Book Two. It is available at http://smashwords.com//b/300090. Here is what I wrote:

Setting the example means arriving early to work. Leaders cannot tell their associates to be at work at one time while they arrive whenever they want. It also means staying late, seeing what goes on after quitting time. Leaders show that they care.

“Don’t Wait to Be Told What to Do – You can’t have a sense of entitlement without a sense of responsibility. You’ll never get ahead by waiting for someone to tell you what to do. Saying ‘nobody asked me to do this’ is a guaranteed recipe for failure. Err on the side of doing too much, not
too little.” 

This is about taking the initiative. In other words, be a self-starter. Sometimes it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. 
 
“Take Responsibility for Your Mistakes – You should be making lots of mistakes when you’re early on in your career. But you shouldn’t be defensive about errors in judgment or execution. Stop trying to justify your F-ups. You’re only going to grow by embracing the lessons learned from your
mistakes, and committing to learn from those experiences.”

This is all about being accountable. 

“You Should Be Getting Your Butt Kicked – Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” would be the most valuable boss you could possibly have. This is the most impressionable, malleable and formative stage of your professional career. Working for someone that demands excellence and pushes your limits every day will build the most solid foundation for your ongoing professional success.”

Jason Nazar wrote an article for Forbes www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar) titled, Things
20-Year-Olds Don’t Get. He makes some very good points, but I don’t think it applies just to 20-year-olds. I think there are nuggets in the article that apply to everyone. I posted portions of the article previously. (Check the archives) Here is some more of the article along with some of my comments:

“Pick Up the Phone– Stop hiding behind your computer.
Business gets done on the phone and in person. It should be your first instinct, not last, to talk to a real person and source business opportunities. And when the Internet goes down… stop looking so befuddled and don’t ask to go home.
Don’t be a pansy, pick up the phone.”

I am a firm believer in face-to-face contact. When I worked in the Pentagon (1985), e-mail and the internet were just getting started. Most of our coordination took place by telephone. We played a lot of phone tag, even within the Pentagon. I accomplished more if I just walked over to the person’s office. In addition, it was good exercise.

I am not sure that the 20-year-olds have a problem using telephones. Sometimes I think that they surgically attached their cell phone to their ear. However, telephone etiquette is sometimes lacking. I wrote about using the telephone in my e-book, Leadership for New Manages: Book Two. It is available at http://smashwords.com//b/300090. Here is what I wrote:

"The amount of time spent on the telephone will vary with the job. It is appropriate for sharing bits of information in a quick exchange and for checking up on things. It is not appropriate for discipline. 

a. Voice Mail

"I am always amazed to hear unprofessional answering machine messages. It gives a bad impression. Leader/managers should have professional answering machine messages or use the canned messages that come with the system. The same goes for leaving messages. Always state your name and leave a telephone number up front. If the answering machine cuts off the message, the key information is there. Do not assume that the person you are calling will recognize your voice or have your number handy. The rest of your message then follows. Return calls promptly--within 24 hours. Unreturned calls or playing phone tag frustrate and annoy callers.

"Leader/managers should always identify themselves when answering the telephone. That way the
caller knows that they have the right person on the phone. 
 
b. Cellular telephones

"Using a cell phone requires certain etiquette. Leader/managers follow it. As a rule, people should place their cell phones in the silent mode during meeting. Leader/managers move to a place of privacy, if possible, to take calls. Cell phones now take e-mail message so that people are in instant contact with each other at all times."

Enough said.