Recent research shows we love to talk about ourselves as it triggers the same sensation in the brain as food or money.

Harvard University neuroscientists have confirmed we spend about 40% of our day telling others what we feel or think. The main reason is that this rewards us at the level of brain cells and synapses. People are even willing to forgo money to talk about themselves. Not only did people decline money but functional MRIs confirm the highest blood flow and activity in the brain associated with mental activity relating to people talking about their own beliefs and opinions. We are getting into the meso-limbic system here which is associated with the sense of reward and satisfaction from food, money and, yes, sex.

So, twitter and facebook may be as fulfilling as a cookie and they don’t have calories….but we can look like an idiot when we don’t shut up…hmm.before I say more I think I head for the pantry.

Maybe you want a pack of Oreos around the next time the office braggart comes in. Just smile and hand him the pack.

Got this from Bret Stephens in the  Wall Street Journal. Home Run! If I could be tech savvy enough I would post the link. Give him full credit for this one..
Dear Class of 2012:

Allow me to be the first one not to congratulate you. Through exertions that—let’s be honest—were probably less than heroic, most of you have spent the last few years getting inflated grades in useless subjects in order to obtain a debased degree. Now you’re entering a lousy economy, courtesy of the very president whom you, as freshmen, voted for with such enthusiasm. Please spare us the self-pity about how tough it is to look for a job while living with your parents. They’re the ones who spent a fortune on your education only to get you back— return-to-sender, forwarding address unknown.

No doubt some of you have overcome real hardships or taken real degrees. A couple of years ago I hired a summer intern from West Point. She came to the office directly from weeks of field exercises in which she kept a bulletproof vest on at all times, even while sleeping. She writes brilliantly and is as self-effacing as she is accomplished. Now she’s in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban.

If you’re like that intern, please feel free to feel sorry for yourself. Just remember she doesn’t.

Unfortunately, dear graduates, chances are you’re nothing like her. And since you’re no longer children, at least officially, it’s time someone tells you the facts of life. The other facts.

Fact One is that, in our “knowledge-based” economy, knowledge counts. Yet here you are, probably the least knowledgeable graduating class in history.

A few months ago, I interviewed a young man with an astonishingly high GPA from an Ivy League university and aspirations to write about Middle East politics. We got on the subject of the Suez Crisis of 1956. He was vaguely familiar with it. But he didn’t know who was president of the United States in 1956. And he didn’t know who succeeded that president.

Pop quiz, Class of ’12: Do you?

Many of you have been reared on the cliché that the purpose of education isn’t to stuff your head with facts but to teach you how to think. Wrong. I routinely interview college students, mostly from top schools, and I notice that their brains are like old maps, with lots of blank spaces for the uncharted terrain. It’s not that they lack for motivation or IQ. It’s that they can’t connect the dots when they don’t know where the dots are in the first place.

Now to Fact Two: Your competition is global. Shape up. Don’t end your days like a man I met a few weeks ago in Florida, complaining that Richard Nixon had caused his New York City business to fail by opening up China.

In places like Ireland, France, India and Spain, your most talented and ambitious peers are graduating into economies even more depressed than America’s. Unlike you, they probably speak several languages. They may also have a degree in a hard science or engineering—skills that transfer easily to the more remunerative jobs in investment banks or global consultancies.

I know a lot of people like this from my neighborhood in New York City, and it’s a good thing they’re so well-mannered because otherwise they’d be eating our lunch. But if things continue as they are, they might soon be eating yours.

Which reminds me of Fact Three: Your prospective employers can smell BS from miles away. And most of you don’t even know how badly you stink.

When did puffery become the American way? Probably around the time Norman Mailer came out with “Advertisements for Myself.” But at least that was in the service of provoking an establishment that liked to cultivate an ideal of emotional restraint and public reserve.

To read through your CVs, dear graduates, is to be assaulted by endless Advertisements for Myself. Here you are, 21 or 22 years old, claiming to have accomplished feats in past summer internships or at your school newspaper that would be hard to credit in a biography of Walter Lippmann or Ernie Pyle.

If you’re not too bright, you may think this kind of nonsense goes undetected; if you’re a little brighter, you probably figure everyone does it so you must as well.

But the best of you don’t do this kind of thing at all. You have an innate sense of modesty. You’re confident that your résumé needs no embellishment. You understand that less is more.

In other words, you’re probably capable of thinking for yourself. And here’s Fact Four: There will always be a market for people who can do that.

In every generation there’s a strong tendency for everyone to think like everyone else. But your generation has an especially bad case, because your mass conformism is masked by the appearance of mass nonconformism. It’s a point I learned from my West Point intern, when I asked her what it was like to lead such a uniformed existence.

Her answer stayed with me: Wearing a uniform, she said, helped her figure out what it was that really distinguished her as an individual.

Now she’s a second lieutenant, leading a life of meaning and honor, figuring out how to Think Different for the sake of a cause that counts. Not many of you will be able to follow in her precise footsteps, nor do you need to do so. But if you can just manage to tone down your egos, shape up your minds, and think unfashionable thoughts, you just might be able to do something worthy with your lives. And even get a job. Good luck!

PART ONE

Yahoo confirms misleading info on new CEO’s resume..it turns out the new CEO for Yahoo does not have a computer science degree as noted on his resume. Thompson only has an accounting degree from Stonehill College, an accomplishment that Yahoo also listed in the filing. The accounting degree was the only one listed in Thompson’s resume last year by eBay Inc. when he was still runnin…g that company’s PayPal payment service. He graduated in 1979, according to Stonehill’s website.

Yahoo confirmed Thompson’s credentials had been exaggerated in the recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company, which is based in Sunnyvale, California, brushed off the distortion as an “inadvertent error.” (the preceding 85 or so words in this post come from MSNBC)

Now, I am not sure how a college degree inadvertenty shows up on a resume in a year. That is what amazes me here. It seems to me that cases like this are usually a misrepresentation done years back that simply sticks and two decades later it is discovered.

Does Yahoo pass or fail the integrity check? The verdict is still out. But for you, double check your resume and get it right.

PART TWO

The Nashville Predators on Tuesday suspended forwards Alex Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn — two of the team’s top scorers during the playoffs — for Game 3 of their series against the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena for an unspecified violation of team rules.

The Predators pass the integrity check big time. They are in the playoffs and suspend two adults for missing a curfew.

What do you do when one of your best does something counter to the values of the organization?

First off – I have been posting some on Facebook lately and am still working on getting it all connected. I encourage you to follow FireStarter Speaking and Consulting on Facebook….some people have had a hard time finding it though so you can email me your Facebook name and I will find you. I will not give you my passwords.

NOW FOR BREAKING AND ENTERING….What would you do if a potential employer said during the interview “Let’s drive to your house, I want to look inside and look in your cabinets and files?” I am guessing you would say no. But that is exactly what many employers and schools are doing when they ask for your password information for Facebook and other online accounts, and I for one, that it is wrong. Are there no limits?

I am hugely in favor of background checks by prospective employers and also am in favor of them looking you up online and checking out your public postings. In fact, as an employer, if you do not do this you are missing an important part of the hiring process. While I do think a firm should do their homework in the selection process I am not fan of starting off on tack that of mistrust. Requiring passwords as a condition of employment is just that.

It is an employers market these days. High unemployment makes people do things and giving passwords is one of those things. Would you want your boss watching over you while you sleep? yikes!! I cannot imagine asking someone to do this as an employer and do think it sends a poor message about trust. Maybe I am wrong but that is where I am on this and I hope the new legislation proposed to end this intrusive hiring practice passes.

But this isn’t about politics or legislation it is about a workplace built on trust and respect. Demanding passwords isn’t that.

Did you ever make a bad hire…Of course…but you hired them because you needed them…but that assumes you find the right person too. Do you ever hire someone simply because you DO need them knowing (or maybe failing to admit to yourself) they are not the right person. This brings me to Ryan Tannehill.

Who? Exactly. I consider myself a bit of a college football fan but his name never sank into my mind over the past few years. I just had to look to find that he went to Texas A&M. In short, he had a nice college career and a very good pro day where he showed his stuff to NFL scouts. The top two quarterbacks in the draft are probably going number one and two and are already spoken for. This makes Tannehill the number three QB available. Couple this with his good pro day and he is all of  a sudden the talk of the draft and he will go higher, perhaps much higher, than originally predicted or perhaps even higher than he should go based on demonstrated talent. In other words, his body of work, clearly shown in his game films is good but not great and created expectations he would go at number 18 or so. Now he could be top 10. Good for him, maybe bad for the one drafting him.

How many times have you needed to hire someone and you talked yourself into them in the interview. Heck, you probably talked yourself into it when you looked at the resume. The interview is where you are suppposed to be evaluating the person, not talking yourself into hiring them. An interview is inherently inaccurate. We all know that. They are measured to be 31% accurate/effective in predicting the success of a new hire. It seems this is exactly what some teams are doing in this draft. Tannehill had a good pro day (see that as the interview) and teams are talking about drafting him high. Mind you, before the interview he was good not great.

The point here is that hiring is a process that should have serveral phases and parts to it. The interview is only part of it. The NFL also uses an assessment called the Wonderlic (I have had this one done to me) to determine overall cognitive reasoning (I got hired so I guess I did OK). What do you use and how well do you use it?

We help people in the hiring process with assessments of various kinds. Most firms use no assessment but those that do enjoy a better success rate in the hiring process. We can even benchmark a position and then help you hire to the benchmark. The NFL does that too. They know the general size, strength, speed, and intelligence requirements for any given position. This doesn’t mean having the right numbers insures success but it does help.

I hope Tannehill has a great NFL career. He does seem like a good guy but I can’t say for sure. What I can say for sure is hiring should be based on the needs of the organization coupled with the ability of the organization to find a qualified candidate. To do anything else is to invite failure in hiring.

Was a bit tired yesterday getting on a late plane from Denver to Raleigh. Knew I wasn’t up for work and knew I shouldn’t sleep as I would not be able to sleep once I got home at midnight..went to the bookstore for something light. Found Driving Mister Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry and Baseball’s Greatest Gift. It fit the bill perfectly but there is more to it than an entertaining read. (For Yankee fans this is a must read). It has a few lessons on life and leadership I want to share with you.

First, the history. Yogi Berra played for the Yankees as catcher. Winning 10, YES TEN, World Series rings. He was also a 3-time league MVP. He went on to manage a few teams and was fired by George Steinbrenner prompting a falling out between the two men that caused Yogi to never set foot in Yankee stadium for fourteen years. Now that is a man of principle. Steinbrenner, The Boss, was no shrinking violet but he allowed himself to be talked into flying to NY from FL just to see Yogi and to ask forgiveness for the poor way his firing was handled. Both men took  advantage of the opportunity and reconciled. How many times do people take a grudge to their grave or let it eat them up and let it push them into the grave? Great lesson there. Saying I am sorry and accepting it when someone one says it to you.

When Yogi came back he started going to Spring Training. Evidently a number of old-timers do that to help out. Yogi loved it and he quickly found his voice as a mentor to some of the best in Yankee history. They revered him, his experience, and his wisdom.  They listened and learned. He gave them a sense of history too as he regaled them with stories of his Yankees. When Jeter won his fifth world series title Yogi reminded him that was half-way there. The lessons on mentoring and history are on every page and we would all do well to learn them. The Marines do a great job with legacy. We celebrate our birthday every November 11. How can your firm capitalize on the corporate knowledge of those about to retire, or even those who are retired. They have been there and done that and they see things and can offer insights. Why put them out to pasture?

Finally, the book is about friendship. In this case the one that bloomed between Ron Guidry and Yogi Berra when Yogi returned. They knew each other before but somehow they came to be best friends. A generation apart but sharing values on life and respect for the game. Their unique give and take and good-natured ribbing is the stuff locker rooms and relationships are made of. We recognize the importance of creating these opportunities for connection at one of the corporate universities I support. The meals are as important as the content as they allow people to connect and build those cross company relationships that provide cohesion and strength for the company. I always enjoy seeing classmates sitting together at larger corporate meetings years later as I know they have been in touch and are connecting.

The book gave me alot more than I was looking for or expecting. I guess  alot like Yogi. Grace, Committment, Mentoring, Excellence, Generational Dynamics, Tradition, Winning and Friendship. Not bad for a “light” read.

Easter Sunday….I had a bet with myself that this Sunday would be like many of the past Easter services at our church. The young man playing trumpet as the choir enters from the back of the church, etc, etc, etc. Now, Let’s be clear. This isn’t an anti-religion nor an anti-tradition rant..It IS an anti-staleness rant. It was cute when the lad was in Middle School..now, not so much..in fact, he looked disinterested and bored. Well, I would have won/lost the bet as today was like years past. YAWN…

Now, let’s talk about your annual meeting. I participated in threee of them in the past two weeks. All were cited by attendees to be among the best ever. In the first case, we prepared and rehearsed and made sure everybody who presented was excellent. We also built some follow-up tools and commitments right into the meeting which gave people a sense that this wasn’t just a pep rally.

In the second one the CEO, to the surprise of all, rode in on a Harley and talked about revving up safety focus. (it actually was pretty cool..) even more so when he said if they go without a lost time incident in the coming year someone will get a Harley, or similar incentive. NOW, THAT got attention. But they also had different speakers and added a healthy does of interaction to include one of our very popular workshops. It was different and that helped to make it good.  Third meeting, new content, new speakers, outstanding delivery, etc etc.

DON’T sound the trumpet….When your mind hears and sees the same thing too many times it has a harder time hearing and seeing it. In fact, your mind, out of boredom, may start to wander.

Variety matters in our message delivery and it is up to you as a leader to make sure you are getting heard. Maybe you need to try something different. Next time, get rid of the trumpet and let’s go with drums…

Got this from an attendee at a session today.

OK, think fast…there is situation on a job site at work and you need to call in some support. Maybe you cant get there and you need someone to fight the fire or maybe you are on site and need some reinforcements. Who do you call? OK..crisis handled…….time goes by..another crisis, who do you call?

Many of you will answer the same person you called the first time. We all have that go to person. We need a person like that. The problem is when we never call someone else. Why? First off, the go to guy may be tired of being called although they will never tell you that. Second, and much more important, you aren’t doing much of a good job in developing people in your
organization if you never call anyone else.

One of the traits of best of class leaders is they develop new leaders. They dedicated time to growing and developing people and have a default approach in that they are always developing people when they can. Chapter Six of my first book, NO YELLING, is called Make New Leaders and we talk about this very point.

It reminds me of the time a great manager who worked for me asked me where I had been and I told her I was at a location that was having troubles. She knew the answer but asked why I never spent time with her. Of course, I didn’t have to, she was fine. But her point never left me. We need to take care of our good people too. I digress but you get the point from both examples.

So, who you gonna call?

What if I told you I found a way for you to save $3.27 for every dollar you invest in this area? Any business person would be hard pressed to pass on a 3 to 1 payback. But it gets done everyday.

You know the cliche, people are our most important asset. Then why isn’t more being done to help them on the wellness front?

Harvard researchers found that for every dollar invested medical costs go down by $3.27. Sign me up…

And we aren’t talking about installing a gym, although that might be nice, just get moving. Get the team to walk around the block for ten minutes a few times a day. Go ahead and encourage gym membership. Allow time for peopel to get fit. Bring healthy food in along with the donuts. Do something. Lead them, set the example.

A few times a year I do a corporate university with a client. We added morning activities which is either a run or a walk of 2 miles. Sadly, there are people who cannot walk a mile. Wactching them stretch and do jumping jacks is downright scary.

Healthy people save you money on health care and are generally more productive because of higher energy and well-being.

I say again, we need not complete an office Ironman but we might start with a walk around the block. And it falls to you to lead people in that direction.