tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146247142012-01-25T12:58:14.541-05:00Since founding <a href="http://www.execunet.com/index.cfm?welcome=3567">ExecuNet</a> in 1988, Dave Opton has used his 40+ years of experience in Human Resources to develop the premier private business and career network for senior-level executives with salaries above $150,000. Dave has worked with executive recruiters and six-figure leaders across all industries during his 20+ years as CEO and as a result, has learned about the most effective job search and career development strategies.Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.comBlogger3341100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-84730234935254321742012-01-03T19:34:00.000-05:002012-01-03T19:34:00.449-05:00

Six-Figure Learnings: I'll Take Networking for $1000 Alex

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-1121997718575550512012-01-03T14:15:00.000-05:002012-01-03T14:23:26.075-05:00

No matter how cynical we can sometimes become the fact is, at least for me (and I certainly have developed my fair share of cynicism over time) when it comes to a new year you can't help but reflect on what has been, what might be to come, and what has changed.  As we start a new year at ExecuNet, I can assure you, in between reading the crystal ball pieces written by all the bulls or bears

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-1121997058972353612011-12-20T12:40:00.000-05:002011-12-20T13:49:18.009-05:00

If you are anything like me, while you always knew there were laws against age discrimination on an intellectual level, it wasn't until you got out there in the real world looking to make a change at say 45+ that you came to internalize emotionally age discrimination was very real. Not a great feeling to understate the case. Given the make-up of ExecuNet membership (average age 52) we gets

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-46218275262759825372011-12-04T12:18:00.000-05:002011-12-04T12:22:30.560-05:00

About a year or so ago in addition to the normal phone calls and emails that come on a daily basis I wanted to find a way to make sure that I was continually available and accessible to our members but also to do more in terms of sharing with them some of the lessons I had learned from my stumbling around the world of career management for the last 45+ years. I don't mean to imply that I

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-77886092107726914152011-11-21T14:36:00.001-05:002011-11-21T15:54:15.687-05:00

I actually can’t recall when I first met Pete Weddle which is either yet another sign of my senior citizenship status or simply evidence of the fact that I have known and respected him for a long time. I think I’ll opt for the latter. Over the years, at ExecuNet, we have been fortunate to have had Pete as a speaker at our networking meetings in and around the NY metro area as well as being

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-75810391023182330722011-11-06T17:02:00.000-05:002011-11-06T17:02:33.006-05:00

This is not a paid commercial in any way but I have to say that I am a fan of Bloomberg Businessweek, especially since they changed the format.  Really like the way it is organized, but that is not what this post is about which I would guess comes as a relief to anyone who has read this far. Along with millions of others, I am also a big fan of Charlie Rose.  One of the best interviewers

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-56700510828427616812011-10-11T17:46:00.000-04:002011-10-11T17:46:19.523-04:00

Okay, I admit it, I am a bit of a "machineophile" or maybe in the current era and vernacular a "gadget geek."  I love the apps, the widgets, and the QR stuff.  I have no idea what most of it does, worry to death about which ones come preloaded with a virus and then end up deleting the vast majority about every 6 months to make sure I still have disk space on my PC and cell phone. Well,

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-85817778912000141512011-09-14T11:20:00.001-04:002011-09-14T11:27:31.310-04:00

To be honest, I am not sure where the zig zag theory of organizations originated, but I do know that I have heard about it most of my professional work life, and I have been in enough settings, both large and small over the past 40+ years to know that there is much truth to the concept. In case you are not familiar with the concept, it is pretty straight forward.  The theory essentially says

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-1121997540275887262011-08-23T21:11:00.000-04:002011-08-23T21:11:14.763-04:00

For sure, like the one Fortune ran for their cover story in the May 16th issue way back in 2005 (50 and Fired) are attention grabbers designed to sell the magazine, but I wonder if those who read that piece or others like it these days come away feeling anything like I did. What a downer! After reading it back then and checking out the look on the faces of some of the folks they featured, one

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-7257479882417982562011-08-10T15:56:00.000-04:002011-08-10T15:56:46.325-04:00

Ever since I can remember, there has been a “factoid” making its way around the career management world about how long someone should plan their job search will take. What I can’t recall and never remember seeing is the source from which this “factoid” came. In any event if you are in a job search, you have probably heard it too. It goes something like: You should plan your search to take about

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-70972587485214299452011-08-01T14:48:00.003-04:002011-08-01T15:43:04.348-04:00

Want something to take your mind off the mind-numbing noise coming out of DC? I said take your mind off it, not fix it (or them). Okay, here's what you can do; think of any one of the several characters we have all been watching over the past several months irrespective of political persuasion. Got that picture? Okay, now download the PDF summary (it's free) of John C. Maxwell's The 21

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-89697108281164599372011-07-18T09:42:00.000-04:002011-07-18T09:42:10.165-04:00

Gerry Crispin and Mark Mehler are well known in the staffing world, and with good reason. Their consultancy called CareerXRoads has been adding value to the world of talent acquisition for quite a while now.  One of the things they do is to publish a (free) quarterly newsletter they call CareerXRoads Update. In the most recent edition, there was a piece called: Measuring the Right Thing is

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-25366540914633393052011-07-05T09:45:00.002-04:002011-07-05T09:48:06.483-04:00

I am as I am sure you are, keenly aware of the magnitude of what Japan experienced.  I am also equally sure that when the images of what the quake did to Japan it reminded us of events like Haiti, Joplin, Katrina, the flooding in the Midwest and any number of other catastrophes visited upon us by mother nature. On the other hand, with what we are confronted with on and off the Internet on a

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-70948206330071516742011-06-21T11:54:00.002-04:002011-08-08T11:41:30.202-04:00

It used to be tough enough to pick a few columnists to follow, but when blogging grew into a hydra it became impossible to pick "just a few."  Indeed, even if you wrote off the millions who when you saw what they were doing you wished for a universal block & report spam button, there was still so much "good" stuff that one could not begin with any organized approach, and even if there were a "

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-54610794752106433652011-06-05T14:02:00.000-04:002011-06-05T14:02:34.667-04:00

The fact that an article that was written in June of 2009 has just found its way to my consciousness is probably as good an indicator as anything in terms of how unorganized and not on top of things I am. I have no excuse, however, if I were to try to conjure one  up it would be that I am not technologically proficient enough to get my information filters properly in place and as a result, if

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-34258869003888939652011-05-20T16:48:00.000-04:002011-05-20T16:48:17.163-04:00

This is probably another case of "Dave, where the hell have you been" but I only recently got turned on to a site called 1.00 FTE whose tag line is Impressions of a Corporate Life, and man are they! If you are looking for at least one smile a day from your current or fomer life, I suggest you check out the site here, and if some of what you see doesn't remind of places you've been (or are) then

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-41526899368392634592011-05-15T14:42:00.001-04:002011-05-16T11:28:24.833-04:00

Everyone knows the "If I only had a nickel..."  phrase, and I know we all have dozens if not hundreds of situations where we have thought of those famouns words as we sat frustrated over one thing or another. The most recent instance for me actually wasn't one of frustration but rather was much more positive, although it didn't necessarily start out that way.  So why did the "If I only had a

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-72723006043898131312011-05-07T12:07:00.000-04:002011-05-07T12:07:47.618-04:00

A number of people, both on our staff and off, who have stopped by my office over the years have often remarked about the fact that I seem to have an awful lot of pictures for such a small office. Indeed, they say I have a lot of them even for a big office! I guess I never noticed or thought that it seemed like picture overkill, although now that I look around I guess I see what they mean. I just

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-91632432661892872602011-04-24T14:20:00.000-04:002011-04-24T14:20:23.078-04:00

As you might guess having been part of ExecuNet for 23 years during which time there have been at least three recessions and given the depth of the most recent one, we could probably say four and not get too much of an argument, I have talked with thousands of executives about more career related issues than I can remember. Given the economic turmoil of recent times, it isn't surprising that

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-12678030780679969732011-04-15T17:30:00.000-04:002011-04-15T17:30:51.599-04:00

One of the blogs I follow is called Leadership Freak.  Heck, I think the name is enough to warrent a connection, but as it turns out the content is consistently of interest, well said, and thought provoking. A recent post by Dan Rockwell (the blogger behind Freak) was on a subject which, judging by how fast the comments were coming through the ether was of far more than just passing interest. 

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-41937326661936657192011-04-08T10:56:00.003-04:002011-04-08T16:24:59.221-04:00

I need some help! Probably not the best way to start this post as it begs the question of "so tell me something I don't know." Anyone who knows me would probably say this isn't a question of Dave needing help, we have known him long enough to know that he is well beyond that at this stage! As true as I know that is, at least at this point, that’s not the kind of help I had in mind. My need

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-47664361284104448862011-03-24T20:26:00.000-04:002011-03-24T20:26:44.025-04:00

By now, I would guess that the article that was in the New York Times a couple of weeks ago that went by the catchy and attention grabbing headline of  Google's Quest to Build a Better Boss has probably been passed around every HR department in the continental U.S. along with as Walter Winchell used to say "...and all the ships at sea." In addition to that, after they read it, there are probably

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-68173709747708607802011-03-16T21:29:00.000-04:002011-03-16T21:29:12.118-04:00

I wish I could come up with whatever it was over the past 45+ years that I have been running around the working world that has fueled my interest in leadership but the fact of the matter is I can't, or least haven't been able to so far. And if the truth be known, if I am going to come up with, "the" reason then I had best get my act together because with 45+ years worth of running and wondering

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-55885040379530091542011-03-07T17:26:00.000-05:002011-03-07T17:26:18.732-05:00

For the past several years, we have worked with any number of thought leaders and practioners who are experts in a wide variety of fields and subjects.  With ExecuNet being both a career and business network the opportunity to learn from these folks has and continues to be a terrific experience and a major perk. A couple of weeks ago, I got a chance to experience this once again when I hosted a

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-63296613628710268712011-02-26T15:00:00.000-05:002011-02-26T15:00:50.583-05:00

I am not sure at what age the obit page becomes a section that you check every day, but as I was going through the NY Times today I realized that whatever that age is, I was there. I also realized that when I read of the passing of David T. Kearns, former CEO at Xerox that aside from the respect I had for him when I worked at Xerox, I was reminded that some of the passion I feel around the need

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-81810823457846158722011-02-22T19:44:00.000-05:002011-02-22T19:44:10.321-05:00

I have never been one of those who keeps careful records, and when it comes to something about which you care a lot, while you may not always recall precise dates, you certainly don't forget that you have feelings about the subject and have voiced them. Such is the case with the post you see below which I came across the other day when I was trying to clean up folders to create a bit more space.

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-51346963649990847942011-02-07T14:04:00.000-05:002011-02-07T14:04:30.552-05:00

217,000,000 was the approximate number of "hits" that I got when I typed in "online profiles." When I "refined" the search to "online user profiles" it went up to about 461,000,000. So much for narrowing things down. The whole thing kind of made we wonder if "profiles" would be in the running for one of the most used words these days. If not in the world, then certainly in the U.S. I don't

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-90862792301358109272011-01-30T15:20:00.001-05:002011-02-22T11:01:31.798-05:00

Given that most of us have gone through our business and personal lives either knowing intuitively or having learned through experience just how important networking is to both our personal and/or career success, it should come as no surprise that when I see a book that talks to that subject that immediately want to check it out. That's what I did when Gordon Curtis sent me a copy of his new

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-41119789914794332282011-01-18T15:13:00.002-05:002011-01-18T15:15:52.125-05:00

Unless you have been in a time capsule, when it comes to managing a successful job search, everyone knows (or at least has heard - maybe more times than they wanted to) that the most effective strategy is networking.  That doesn't mean you don't do anything else, it just means where the biggest ROI is in terms of where you invest your time and energy. Saying the word ‘networking’, reminds me of

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-64314441096644017862011-01-09T20:49:00.003-05:002011-01-09T20:52:47.646-05:00

4,830,000 was the number of hits that came up when I put "job search strategies" into Google.  Pretty big number, and my guess is considerably understated.  Indeed, given what I see come across Twitter on an hourly basis, I am not sure how big the number could get, but I'm sure it is considerably larger than what came up on Google. If you review the bidding, most experts agree that there are

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-26225317337285250762010-12-29T19:10:00.002-05:002010-12-29T19:13:51.173-05:00

I am sure that many readers of this blog are, like me, subscribers to Bloomberg Businessweek. For those who might not be, you might want to pick up a copy of the December 20, 2010 - January 2, 2011 Year in Review edition. Pretty interesting stuff presented in a very different and creative way. It is filled with lots of data much of it leaving the reader wondering as many of us felt before

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-1121997593145729922010-12-19T16:55:00.003-05:002010-12-20T14:10:57.268-05:00

They keep telling us that we are up to our necks in a service economy. I don’t know about you, but it seems like with the advent of the "net" the world has been turned on its ear. It wasn’t too long ago that I traded at those bricks and mortar stores based on how I felt I was treated as a customer. That was then and this is now. Now it seems you walk into a store and you feel like you should go

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-30998102315075651932010-12-04T14:19:00.000-05:002010-12-04T14:19:05.365-05:00

I don't know about you, but based on my own experience as well as talking and listening to ExecuNet members over the years, people spend a heck of a lot of their time reacting as opposed to 'proacting'. Worse, by the time we realize that there is something to react to, we rush into an "action" mode before really thinking through what we want to do, why we want to do it, and how we want to do it.

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-88475489219043518932010-11-10T14:34:00.001-05:002010-11-10T14:34:15.448-05:00

It’s funny how sometimes you really don't think about some things until someone asks you a specific question and when you come out with an answer you are sort of surprised by what you say.I had a moment like that some months ago when I was doing a "live" interview on a local radio show called Greenwich Entrepreneurs. I think part of the reason that these "truths" pop out in these situations is

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-77812250122693112682010-10-26T15:06:00.004-04:002010-10-26T17:06:23.147-04:00

As we all know, there are top 25, 50 or 100 lists for almost everything such as the top 50 NFL players of the decade or the 25 Best Costumes for Lady Gaga, Most Important Inventions of All Time, Best Political Scandals of the Decade, etc. As we all also know, it seems that whenever something awful happens, be it large or small, man-made or natural, there are always some folks lying in wait to

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-59019450064123723092010-10-12T11:42:00.001-04:002010-10-13T11:40:48.749-04:00

So just for the heck of it, I googled working with recruiters and back came nearly 5.2 million hits give or take. That was almost enough to make me think that writing about what was wrong with the Mets and Red Sox might serve a more useful purpose. But before cashing in my chips, I took out my Google user's manual and tried "working with recruiters" in quotes and felt a bit better when only

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-61954222493097087392010-10-04T14:38:00.015-04:002010-10-04T15:27:42.046-04:00

"When it comes to the hard work of finding great work, Pam Lassiter is the consummate pro. She has the experience, the common sense, and the proven track record. My advice: Take her advice."The foregoing is what Alan Webber the Founding Editor of Fast Company had to say about the newly released and revised edition of The New Job Security by career management expert Pam Lassiter.The book was

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-12052485272361902922010-09-26T09:37:00.005-04:002010-09-26T10:17:30.016-04:00

Since sites and blogs are created faster than most super computers can track them, maybe you haven't yet found HumanResourcesiq.Now, as soon as some see the words "Human Resources" in the context of most anything, they immediately tune out figuring that this is just another "feely touchy" place that produces platitudes covered with layers of wishful thinking the practicality of which is

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-49580856450847457742010-09-13T17:41:00.001-04:002010-09-13T17:47:03.724-04:00

One of the real drawbacks of modern communications and technology is that it makes you realize more quickly than you otherwise might just how little you know about so much. But just when you're feeling really bad realizing that you'll never catch up, there turns out to be a real plus side. Here's the plus: while it is crystal clear that the world is chock full of people who are ten times smarter

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-6896282170524480152010-08-30T12:49:00.005-04:002010-08-30T13:05:20.941-04:00

Most of us go to industry conferences all the time. If the ones you attend are anything like most that I have been to, they usually have a keynote speaker to kind of kick things off and get people energized. Also, and if you are anything like me, you have heard really good ones and some “not so good.” Like everyone else, it is hard for me to get “energized” and in a positive frame of mind

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-67417542941760800202010-08-17T15:41:00.000-04:002010-08-17T15:42:54.433-04:00

Any of us who have had anything other than a flat EKG have known for many years that a good many of the ethical failings that we see on the business pages with appalling frequency can and often are laid at the feet of the CEO. And why not, for if nothing else, a CEO is looked upon and expected to be the moral compass of the enterprise. So, when that turns out not to be the case, generally we "

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-72903204270346175692010-08-11T14:54:00.005-04:002010-08-11T15:09:45.961-04:00

It is really very hard these days to take anything positive from the challenges faced by millions of Americans trying to work their way out of a recession that has "ended" but where the jobs engine is not yet operating on all eight to say the least. And as if it were not bad enough as we read the newspapers, magazines, blogs, and/or see and hear about it all on TV 24/7 it feels like 99% of what

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-58397151754858936292010-08-03T17:01:00.001-04:002010-08-03T17:38:05.501-04:00

While there are literally dozens of issues where job changers look for answers such as on: resumes (functional vs. chronological), interviewing (what are the best ways to deal with questions that feel like they have no good answers), networking (how do you build one, keep it, expand it?), salary negotiation (when asked about compensation, what's the right answer?), age discrimination (how do you

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-1434415348244456562010-07-23T10:36:00.000-04:002010-07-23T11:46:46.334-04:00

Want a sure bet? Here you go: What is the probability of yours truly actually making an effort to read an article on the website for the EE Times?Actuarially impossible, right? I mean we are talking here about someone whose aptitude for things mechanical, much less electronic, is something slightly to the left of absolute zero. Indeed, I have been known to be found at the desk of our company’s

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-50289869452880282192010-07-16T15:53:00.021-04:002010-07-16T17:20:32.772-04:00

We once asked a banker and CEO about his decision to lend to a start-up technology company that later became a big success. The banker took out a sheet of paper and wrote two words: assets and liabilities.This is the opening paragraph in a post contributed by Larry Stybel and Maryanne Peabody to the MITSloan Management Review.Larry and Maryanne are cofounders of Stybel Peabody Lincolnshire and I

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-62658676976919901362010-07-08T16:35:00.003-04:002010-07-08T18:13:50.715-04:00

I have no idea how many blogs there are, and if you google it, you get a pretty big range of answers and no agreement. Let's just say that it is well into the 70 million plus range and there are those who say the number doubles every six months. Maybe they ought to put up another clock in Times Square to count how many are created every minute? There's probably room right under the one that

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-51695258564639442772010-06-27T16:16:00.005-04:002010-06-27T16:16:00.470-04:00

When you talk to anyone trying to make a career change these days it doesn't take long before you realize that while there are lots of the questions being asked, the answers vary all over the lot.To many of us this comes as a very frustrating and unhappy surprise. This is especially true for those seeking executive level jobs since most come from positions of executive leadership and are very

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-43901513659067223592010-06-19T10:26:00.002-04:002010-06-21T13:30:40.397-04:00

When it comes to the world of career management these days, online or off, as we all know, the buzz word of the moment is "branding." Translation: If I am looking to make a career change in this economy (either because I want to or have to) how do I make myself stand out from the rest of the tens of thousands who are trying to do the same thing?It's a question that has been around for as long as

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-38847112699911396392010-06-10T16:56:00.006-04:002010-06-10T17:22:17.510-04:00

The last time I checked there were only 21,185,836 views of this video which should give you some idea of how "tuned in" I am! The video is part of a series put together by Playing for Change and if you are one of the 21 million plus mentioned above, of course, you already know that.But for those, like me, for whom it was a recent "discovery" then hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I did. And

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-52263128791743135282010-06-04T11:07:00.017-04:002010-06-04T16:03:45.287-04:00

By now, whether you are a Sports Center addict or not, you have seen the call by umpire Jim Joyce that cost Detroit Tiger pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game with only one out to go. Talk about a bummer both ways, this was definitely a classic.On the other hand, once you get past the emotion you feel for both men, if you followed what happened after the call and the next day, you also had a

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-79023977688268806332010-05-28T12:23:00.018-04:002010-05-28T15:01:20.560-04:00

Maybe it's my age, maybe it's the silent list of those killed in action at the end of the News Hour or maybe it's the impact of having just finished watching all ten episodes of The Pacific on HBO or some combination of the foregoing plus the fact that it is Memorial Day weekend that prompts this post. Who knows?When I say my age, I am of the generation that was born just before WWII, so while I

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-19866538004435767572010-05-17T17:55:00.000-04:002010-05-17T18:09:08.653-04:00

I live in a town just outside of Providence, RI. Of course, now that I think about and given the size of RI, I guess almost any town in RI is "just outside of Providence.Be that as it may, I am happy to report that despite its size, Providence still has a daily newspaper; actually a pretty good one by my "lay person" standards which are pretty much made up of a criteria that includes large print

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-16844346437502935392010-05-04T15:57:00.002-04:002010-05-05T11:04:29.133-04:00

They don't call it the digital age for nothing I guess and further proof showed up recently on the NY Times site with the publiation of an article written by Gary Wolf who, if you read the print article in the May 2nd Sunday Times magazine, you will already know writes about science and social issues for Wired, where he is a contributing editor. The article is called The Data-Driven Life. I

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-90305700102785294062010-04-21T15:10:00.001-04:002010-04-21T15:13:36.744-04:00

Are you a trivia buff? If so, here's today's Six Figure Learnings trivia question:In the 22 years that ExecuNet has been around, what topic gets members more ticked off than almost any other?a. The world has too many Yankee fans?b. Everything we like to eat is fattening?c. I rarely hear back from recruiters?Right, c. It's like things were vaporized.The purpose of this post is not to condone the

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-39159888482640320042010-04-13T16:01:00.003-04:002010-04-15T10:07:50.312-04:00

I know there are lots (i.e. millions) around the country who think that the New York Times is so liberal that when you even mention the name Bill O'Reilly breaks out in hives, but that is not what this post is about nor is this about trying to make a case for the Times in general. It is, however, to suggest that anyone who either doesn't have the time to get their TV news from the News Hour or

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-45691786153853318912010-04-08T16:17:00.001-04:002010-04-08T16:29:24.612-04:00

As this written, I no longer remember where I stumbled across the info that came out of a 2008 study by The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and which placed the United States 18th among the 36 nations examined.While I know 2008 seems like ancient history and in Twitter years probably qualifies as prehistoric, but even way back then there were folks concerned about where

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-41399710020982110582010-03-23T11:21:00.007-04:002010-03-23T12:26:27.898-04:00

There is a column in the Sunday New York Times called "Corner Office." Essentially it is a structured interview with various and sundry luminaries (mostly CEOs) who talk about their management styles, how they approach different types of organizational challenges and their "learnings" and "beliefs."One of the things that is neat about structured interviews, of course, is that you get to see how

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-8166248669417632842010-03-12T16:40:00.000-05:002010-03-12T17:34:36.919-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had the good fortune to attend a unique and powerful gathering of senior HR executives and CEOs at a conference put together by CTPartners. The conference sought to create(and I thought very successfully) an open and candid discussion between business heads and the HR function to better understand why HR is not viewed as a true strategic player in most boardrooms and what

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-27007307710933737472010-03-08T11:32:00.020-05:002010-03-08T14:51:19.030-05:00

Many readers here are aware that since 2003, ExecuNet has been tracking how the search community feels about the market. We publish it on our website under what we call the Recruiter Confidence Index. We have seen that index climbing steadily the summer of last year. All good news.As we all saw recently, the US economy lost 36,000 additional jobs in February which was a smaller loss than

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-29911712123254239132010-02-26T17:45:00.001-05:002010-02-26T17:57:00.591-05:00

I know there are some who think Jamie Oliver is a bit over the edge when it comes to his crusade re: obesity. I also know that there are those who have both good and not so good things to say about the TED Awards, speeches, etc. Indeed if you are one of the thousands (millions?) of Tech Crunch followers you probably saw the back and forth over the speech given by shock stand-up comedienne Sarah

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-73940747532340904462010-02-18T14:12:00.002-05:002010-02-18T14:18:51.713-05:00

My guess is that most everyone who stops by this blog from time to time will recognize the name CareerXroads. However, just for the record for those who might be experiencing short-term memory loss, CareerXroads is an enterprise founded in 1994 by Mark Mehler and Gerry Crispin.For many years among other things, Mark and Gerry have published a newsletter called: CareerXroads Update. The name is

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-23579319152804306052010-02-11T14:20:00.004-05:002010-02-17T16:55:15.069-05:00

Just to show you how far being the times I am, the subject of this post was actually around since August of last year. Fortunately for readers, the content of Jose Ruiz's post was not time sensitive, indeed, in some respects it is timeless.Jose, as you'll see if you check out his site, is a principal in Heidrick & Struggles Monterrey office where, as his bio indicates, he specializes in

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-83468837787974102882010-02-03T09:11:00.000-05:002010-02-03T09:20:32.199-05:00

Okay, so here's today's cash call question: As you look over the list below, what do the numbers at in front of each statement have in common? #59 Should you jump in and save every sales situation?#39 Do you have to know everything that's happening? #38 What is the one thing that makes people join your new company? #6 Is having fun at work over-rated?#7 Why is firing someone at your

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-51192920200785058602010-01-29T10:45:00.003-05:002010-01-29T11:06:43.151-05:00

We're almost out of January, and a lot of the resolution stuff is wearing off so I am rushing to get this off my chest before it simply proves I am further behind the power curve than even I thought.Question: Do you hate stuff that makes you think as much as I do? Okay, maybe hate is too strong a word, maybe feeling humiliated and embarrassed is more like it.Well, I have to admit publically that

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-90658396905536163292010-01-22T09:50:00.001-05:002010-01-27T15:10:34.350-05:00

There is an old saying that goes something like "when you're mad, write the letter but don't send it until the next day." The same can often be said for things you put out on the net. In fact, even if you aren't particularly ticked off about something, but just fired stuff off after a few glasses of wine or when you were back in college and someone dared you to upload something that you now

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-30753787488546792382010-01-05T15:32:00.012-05:002010-01-12T16:03:28.801-05:00

When the new year begins the lists come out and it's always time to see who views what as "winners", "losers", and/or what's in store for the next twelve months or so.The other thing that happens, at least for me, is that this time of year makes you think of where things have been, what's changed, and what worked and what didn't. It also makes me think of what hasn't changed and why.And so it was

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-85619325968905473162009-12-30T11:31:00.004-05:002010-02-17T17:32:40.096-05:00

One of the things that has made being a part of ExecuNet so satisfying and rewarding over the years is meeting and getting to know our members be it in person, on the phone, or online.In the case of Rick Hubbard it was first via email and then by phone.His self-description is that of a "Technologist, Author & Professional Services Executive" and now having spent a fair amount of time with Rick, I

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-83343737115622164272009-12-23T13:27:00.006-05:002010-02-17T17:37:05.472-05:00

So I am driving to work and listening to NPR as I do on most days. On Morning Edition I hear this story about Mekong Blue and immediately said to myself this would be a good thing to share for those who may not yet know about this project. Since I just recently returned from a trip to SE Asia, this might have had something to do with my wanting to help get the word out on a project like this,

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-89122551043772968822009-12-12T10:56:00.039-05:002010-02-17T17:40:21.959-05:00

I guess I should start this post with a tip of the hat to longer vacations. I, like many Americans, rarely use all of the vacation time allotted, but this year I made an exception and invested three weeks to explore Bali, Burma and Thailand. Once I got over the guilt's (that took about a week) by the time we returned, I didn't even know what day of the week it was. Of course, some of that

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-89429123167038310022009-11-17T14:09:00.012-05:002010-02-17T17:41:41.381-05:00

Given the current state of affairs on the unemployment front these days it probably comes as no surprise that two of the most asked questions we get from ExecuNet members who have been caught up in all this are:1. What is the "secret" in dealing with recruiters, and 2. What sort of strategies are there for moving from one industry to another?I could easily list another ten to twenty questions

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-78678507332436518932009-10-27T10:23:00.017-04:002010-02-17T17:43:17.322-05:00

Aside from the frustration experienced by job seekers from what feels like the "black hole" in responding to postings on job boards (and there is enough on that subject to provide fodder for posts for the next year!) the next major pain point often seems to be around the dreaded word for anyone in transition: networking.Yes, they have read the stats be they from our own Executive Job Market

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-1121995887241691002009-10-16T15:07:00.005-04:002009-10-16T15:13:33.866-04:00

Like many other businesses with a major online presence, we do lots of "live" programs which means there is no time for a do over. A few weeks ago, we experienced a techno glitch during one of our online programs. It was a sold out show and halfway through, our web meeting provider lost our connectivity. Not only was access lost, so were a few pounds from the stress.Fortunately, these problems

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-88657216590558131902009-10-08T17:09:00.000-04:002009-10-08T17:10:46.545-04:00

I don't know about you, but in my case I can tell you that when they were passing out the genes for creatvity I was either sick or on vacation. It's a good thing for me that my wife got more than her fair share otherwise both our house and my home office would look like it was decorated in an "early Salvation Army" motif, and that's only on the personal side.On the business side they simply have

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-56279129300230716082009-10-01T10:29:00.001-04:002009-10-01T10:29:03.146-04:00

One of the really interesting things about having been around as long as we have is that we have experienced what it is like to be part of a community both on and off the Internet. As many who read this blog are aware (i.e. both of you) I started ExecuNet in 1988. Hell, now that I think of it, there were fax machines then and we still thought technology had gone beyond amazing and then along

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-69358482561490459532009-09-23T15:44:00.003-04:002009-10-05T15:47:33.579-04:00

Bill George is, as many already know, a professor of management at HBS and the former chairman and CEO of Medtronic. He also wrote the 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis. In short, he is one of those people who as the old E.F. Hutton commercial said "when Bill speaks, people listen." And well they should.If you didn't see his piece in the past week's edition of BusinessWeek it is well worth the

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-58380932954863215682009-09-11T17:04:00.005-04:002009-09-18T12:39:17.315-04:00

Our banjo playing Chief Creative Officer, Sue DiAmico, is, among other things, a multi-tasker extraordinaire, so I wasn't surprised when she found the time in her cyber travels to forward a piece that appeared on the eMarketer Digital Intelligence site. The article was entitled: Job Candidates Both Hurt and Helped by Social Networks. As the title implies, the information about you on the Net can

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-30494508979549668072009-09-03T10:44:00.000-04:002009-09-03T12:11:24.023-04:00

If one of your goals as a leader is to become a better communicator, there is no better time than now to do just that. Indeed, given the present economic envionment, if you are a leader there has never been a time where it is more important for you to communicate to those you lead.As we all plan to spend the balance of 2009 moving beyond the recession and into some sort of recovery, the fact

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-27138720287257706842009-08-25T13:46:00.004-04:002009-08-25T15:51:01.177-04:00

As most readers who know ExecuNet are aware we have been up to our ears in the career and business issues impacting senior level business leaders for 21+ years.Among other things this means as an organization which is focused on the executive level we have been around for the last three recessions and because of our relationships with not only our executive members but our RecruitSmart members as

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-322451668020708672009-08-12T11:00:00.002-04:002009-08-12T11:00:01.683-04:00

Among the all-time debates with no answers such as: nature or nurture; chicken or egg and of course DiMaggio or Mays there remains the nagging one of hiring or retention. What is tougher, making a good hiring decision or retaining "A" players once you find them? These are issues that probably have been studied, surveyed, poked and prodded by more organizations than have sworn off applicant

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-55016097268428515432009-08-02T13:04:00.003-04:002009-08-14T15:23:48.872-04:00

I guess I could have labeled this post as "A Public Service Announcement" but decided on the A,B,C theme since I wanted to draw readers attention to three totally unrelated but I thought interesting posts that came across my CRT this past week.Since I stole GL Hoffman's gruzzle graphic (I know, I don't know what that means either, but that's what he calls them) so I guess I'll start there.I,

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-17641092042858676612009-07-22T09:02:00.007-04:002009-07-23T18:38:36.672-04:00

One of the advantages of being the first and oldest at something (ExecuNet was founded in 1988) is that when you start collecting data and war stories you can truthfully say "trust me when I tell you....because I can prove it."So "trust me when I tell you" ever since day one when we spoke to each and every person considering joining this network as well as the wealth of survey information that we

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-45578598189554672172009-07-17T13:45:00.001-04:002009-07-20T09:57:55.938-04:00

If you are familiar with ,ExecuNet then it will come as no surprise for you to know that we collect trend information in the executive career management arena. One of these collection channels we call the Recruiter's Confidence Index. The RCI is a monthly survey of the recruiting community and includes both retained and contingency firms.The core of the index is focused on their feeling about

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-88262886091346352752009-07-08T10:20:00.007-04:002009-07-10T23:27:19.705-04:00

Okay, I admit it, I am a Tom Friedman groupie and if you fall into that category then you will instantly recognize the title of this post as being the title of the Op Ed piece that Friedman wrote for the Sunday NY Times at the end of June.If you haven't seen this piece then as both as a business leader not to mention a concerned citizen I very much suggest you check it out.If you don't have the

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-41264404839143140352009-06-30T09:31:00.010-04:002009-06-30T13:46:22.052-04:00

"The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all." H.L. MenckenI suppose I am not unlike most other Americans in that I undoubtedly take the freedoms that I have pretty much for granted. Not that

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-26182914212179064372009-06-23T14:45:00.002-04:002009-06-23T14:49:54.860-04:00

HSM is an organization that has a richly deserved reputation for putting together conferences that rank among the very top tier of executive education for C-Level leadership.Last year's World Innovation Forum held in New York featured any number of A-List names, one of which was Andrew Zolli who was the closing keynote. Zolli is the founder of Z + Partners, a futures research and strategy

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-59500041711434591222009-06-16T15:50:00.008-04:002009-06-16T16:39:16.232-04:00

I am a fan of Robert Sutton which hardly makes me unique in that I am sure his fan base runs well into the thousands if not tens of thousands. Sutton's own blog is called Work Matters. He also writes for The Huffington Post when he is not writing books.Sutton's latest book as most know carries the attention getting title of: The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-61807082646814246412009-06-11T08:37:00.010-04:002009-06-16T11:17:42.225-04:00

The Fed numbers report that came out today were described by CNN Money.com as "positive signs." Jobless claims came in at 601,000 which while a big number at least was less than the prior report. In addition, retail sales showed a gain for the first time in three months.Eveyone has his/her own "touch points" that they watch to try and read the economic tea leaves. One of the ones we have been

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-25473175518274366972009-06-03T13:28:00.014-04:002009-06-12T15:43:40.569-04:00

When it comes to the economy it has always been about confidence (or so the talking heads tell us). To hear them tell it, it is almost like a self-fulfilling prophesy. If we as consumers think things are getting better, they get better. If we start to lose confidence, then the charts go the other way.Every day in the papers (what few are left) or on the crawling headlines on CNBC or MSNBC not

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-39708657644257245532009-05-21T11:26:00.009-04:002009-05-21T12:38:54.098-04:00

In terms of "followers" neither Seth Godin or GL Hoffman need any introduction in either the blogosphere or Twitter worlds.However, and in case you missed Seth's post a "Clean Sheet of Paper" and GL's value added, the links are included here as a public service.Far be it from me to try to value add to what these two guys have to say, but the thought struck me that in a sense what both were

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-82914143973508601222009-05-14T13:11:00.009-04:002009-05-22T14:31:13.857-04:00

Given the "latest in the series" as they say (i.e. Madoff and Stanford) many of the talking heads both on and offline have dusted off all the stuff they wrote when they were writing about Ebbers, Lay, et al each of whom were desparately jocking for space in the papers, on blogs and the FBI's Most Wanted List. I guess I probably should include the likes of Citi, BOA, Freddie Mac, etc. as part of "

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-71045298282344843102009-05-10T16:17:00.009-04:002009-05-22T14:49:27.256-04:00

If you think that all recruiters care or talk about is putting warm bodies into open boxes, you might want to check out Jason Davis' site Recruiting Blogs.com. Sure there are lots of posts regarding the care and feeding of recruiting practices both in and out of cyberspace. But beyond subject matter in which you would have little interest unless you were a part of the staffing world, there is a

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-70226539112991414472009-04-30T10:55:00.002-04:002009-05-22T14:42:45.050-04:00

Ever since we published this year's Executive Job Market Intelligence Report I have been getting lots of cards and letters (okay not cards and letters, really emails and "tweets") but in any case, lots of feedback on how much our members and others who have seen the report appreciate the work that went into it.As we all know all too well, the world is very quick to let you know when you screw up

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-79503563568078670342009-04-22T19:34:00.002-04:002009-04-22T20:15:10.400-04:00

So we were fortunate enough a few weeks ago to get icon Bill George who many may recognize as former Medtronic CEO, Harvard professor, and best-selling author, to serve as the judge in what we called The Bill George Challenge. I first mentioned something about it here in a post called: Semper Fi & The Challenge of LeadershipThe Challenge was for members to tell Bill what they would have to

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-63563057692559302972009-04-21T11:01:00.002-04:002009-04-21T11:06:49.528-04:00

For those who read this blog from time to time and are wondering what the heck the "good hands" are doing with a springlike sprout of who knows what growing up through the what's left of my 401(k), the answer is that this is the cover of ExecuNet's 17th annual Executive Job Market Intelligence Report, a copy of which went out to all our members last week.For those who may not be familiar with how

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-74116372866466078382009-04-12T10:57:00.009-04:002009-04-12T11:47:00.893-04:00

Dave,I have been in the nonprofit sector for 24 years and am looking for a new career challenge.What is the best way to do this?I have been the CEO of a Foundation in Ohio for the past 10 years. I have achieved every goal set for me over the past 24 years. (I have boxes of awards)Please advise a plan for me.I am interested in working for UPS but I have done nonprofit work for so long I don't

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-19186351344789653892009-03-31T16:45:00.001-04:002009-03-31T16:48:35.135-04:00

"Perceptions are real to those who hold them." I don't remember where I first heard this phrase or even if it was a quote from someone, but in my experience I have found there is great truth in it.How one measures the "value" of someone to an enterprise is like talking about "quality." It is a subjective term, and obviously means different things to different people. It has also been my

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-17854366872343905982009-03-20T15:13:00.010-04:002009-03-24T11:57:27.751-04:00

One of the features that ExecuNet members have and make great use of is our Roundtable discussion groups. I still think that the most powerful learnings on almost any subject come from peers, and when I get my daily digest of these discussions it does nothing more but add to that feeling. It is just great stuff.One of the topics a lot of members have been talking about, not surprisingly, was

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-11117405189648235792009-03-20T10:51:00.008-04:002009-03-20T12:10:16.834-04:00

After more than 45 years of being attached to the world of career managment in one way or another, it is pretty easy to think that you've heard it all and in some respects maybe you have. On the other hand, that doesn't change the fact that more often than you might imagine when you hear someone talk on a subject about which you feel you not only have "heard it all before" but think you know a

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-15928772517366189382009-03-09T21:32:00.004-04:002009-03-09T22:09:03.002-04:00

With the 24/7 "downers" that we all have been hearing for what seems like forever, I was both surprised and pleased to have recieved this video from a friend.I am guessing that many readers of this blog may have also been fortunate enough to have seen it already but for those who may not have, here's an opportunity to check out something that is not only in my opinion very clever but which also

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-37224062767999871492009-03-03T12:24:00.006-05:002009-06-12T15:32:22.256-04:00

Patty Azzarello's blog is called The Desired Outcome.In case her name is new to you, here's a brief bio:Patty was the youngest person ever to become a general manager at Hewlett Packard at the age of 33. She ran a $1B global software business at age 35 and became a CEO for the first time at the age of 38. With a scorecard like that, one can't help but say "this feels like someone I should pay

Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com4