Turkeys Suspended On The Climbing Structure
I ran into a friend’s mother the other day. I’ve known this woman and her daughter for more than thirty years. A side benefit of living within fifty miles of where I grew up. “We are going to The Grill Room for Thanksgiving,” she responded after I queried about her plans for the upcoming holiday. “My daughter used to do it but ever since her father died she hasn’t been able to. You know how close they were…” Continue reading…
I don’t know if anyone caught the news last week. On September 11 a textile factory fire in Karachi, Pakistan killed 289 workers. The factory made jeans destined for Europe. In reading about this tragedy and why it happened I was reminded of a quote in an investigative report on Apple and its Asian manufacturer Foxconn in the New York Times in January 2012. The series focused on the too-often fatal working conditions for employees who polished aluminum iPad cases. The quote by MIT professor, Nicholas Ashford, was, “If it were terribly difficult to deal with aluminum dust, I would understand. But do you know how easy dust is to control? It’s called ventilation. We solved this problem over a century ago.” Jeans? iPads? A profoundly sad common denominator…these tragedies were avoidable. Continue reading…
“Did you post about Marissa Mayer, YAHOO’s newly appointed CEO?” asked my husband late last week. For those out of the news vortex Mayer is expecting her first child in October after assuming the role of YAHOO’s CEO July 16, 2012. She shared the following with Fortune’s Patricia Sellers, “my maternity leave will be a few weeks long and I’ll work throughout it.” Continue reading…
I got a terrible feeling as I extended my hand to introduce myself. We were meeting at a hotel restaurant for breakfast. It was St. Louis or Atlanta. I can’t remember which. I was screening him for a senior role on my team during my tenure at a large IT outsourcing company. I had been coached not to make instant decisions about candidates. We chatted. ‘Let the data make the decision,’ I kept repeating to myself. For some reason I was glad we were in a crowded hotel lobby. I couldn’t put my finger on this feeling I had. Ever been there? Continue reading…
I was in tears and, at the same moment, utterly surprised at my reaction. Crying? I was watching Iron Lady, Meryl Streep‘s Academy Award victory lap in which she portrays Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1979-1990. The movie caught me off guard. The twist for me came in the movie’s lens into Mrs. Thatcher’s life; the view is of her nearing dementia with life ‘highlights‘ told in retrospect. A wave to young children who were pleading with her not to go as she sped off to the Conservative Party‘s leadership. An aging person alone washing out her tea cup in the sink of a lovely, closeted London home. Adult children operating on the periphery. Why did it hit me so? Continue reading…