Time to write more

I am going to start this blog back up again, and try to write regularly on it. I previously had started this as a reaction to the Fortune 500 corporate world when I was working for AT&T. I left that world, temporarily, and now am back into it working for JP Morgan Chase. I imagine that if someone was to report me, that I could lose my job if I said the wrong things. But as a disclaimer of sorts, I am writing about my experiences, through my own filter on the horrors, the goofiness, and the difficulties of the mega-size corporate world. These are my own views. Since my time with AT&T I was an English teacher for a brief 3 year period. I also graduated with a Master of Arts in English Professional and Technical writing. Some would say that is a useless degree, but I am finding it quite useful instead. A Masters seems to bring a certain amount of instant credibility and hire-ability as well. When I write about Better Business Theory, these are my viewpoints based on experience, plus academics. You see, I did not just take a few English classes or writing classes. I took business classes on a high level as well. Things like Organizational Management, Communications Theory, Project Management, and higher level marketing classes. I am not trying to brag, let alone say that what I write is the best way possible. I am just a differing viewpoint, a different logic perhaps. I enjoy doing this, writing, voicing concerns, creating a logic, or even offering a solution or two. It is a therapy of sorts. My goals are to write towards creating a book for the corporate world. There are topics such as Who Moved My Cheese, or One Minute Manager. Both great books, and there are many more out there that are must reads for anyone that is a business owner. I aim to add to the flotsam of business books eventually. When studying Organizational Management, one may start to adopt a logic that with a huge hierarchy that it is difficult to have a true top down approach. It has been my experience with two of the largest companies in the world that the supposed smart guys at the top still try to implement policy from far to high in the chain. Some of my writing will be reaction to those misdeeds, and I will cover other topics of importance in the current business world.

Arise Virtual - and the virtual pay.

Due to the economy many are taking jobs in any way that they can. Work at home is a great solution, but with so many scams out there, you have to be careful and filter out the nonsense which can be hard, there are pros out there that aim to fool you.

Arise Virtual solutions is a company out of Florida that offers many jobs, and you, through your own business, and in no other way contract through them in a B2B method to perform work as a contractor for them. Recently their business practices are deteriorating - is the best way to describe it. Normally a business has many contact methods, and is responsive to the needs of those who deal with it. Accounting, support, and other needs are usually dealt with in a rapid manner since it is in their best interests. As you can imagine, Arise is slipping in those aspects.

It is believed, through my own experience, and with confirmation of others, that they are purposely shorting checks, $10 here, $20 there, and now upwards to hundreds. Accounting is impossible to reach, so you have to put a "trouble ticket" in so that your needs can be met at their leisure. I have worked tech support for 12-15 years now, and I have never, ever lost a data base or entry in a data base without purposely entering into the system, into sql and removing it. Arise loses tickets daily, that is amazing. So your accounting or other issue gets lost on purpose, allowing Arise to sneak off with your money. The longer you are not dealt with, they get to work with your money further, in hopes that you give up and they keep it. Hmmm, is that fraud, or just plain thievery?

The troops are getting angry now, and with this week invoices have yet to be released, with pay being withheld or incorrect Christmas is not so jolly for some. What a way to get the best out of your people. How does that go? Take care of your people and they will move mountains?

Its been a while

I have finally been able to write for real and get paid for it. So my blogging gets more involved with writing columns now rather than the precursor to a non fiction book, or a textbook for a graduate class of potential managers. Better Business Theory is really necessary as an introspective, and a magnifying glass of the business world.

Contracting is the Devil

The world is a vampire, and contracting is one of it's minions. I was taking out the trash, contemplating a move to a new house from my apartment. Suddenly it came to me, amidst the 5 mph speed limit that is not obeyed, that in this day an age, the American Dream is not found in this complex. If one were to continue down the paths of contracting, and uncertainty, life is quite gray.
How is one to live in this nouveau society of contracting, and faux servitude and not have hope? We have bred resumes that look like Swiss cheese to shore up corporate America's bottom line. Now we see record foreclosures, massive drops of credit scores and businesses failing because basic economics fail to function in our communities.
What does this all mean?
Well, if our communities, and corporations are unable to support the worker bees, we will have a very large contingent of bad attitudes and work ethics going from bad to worse. Put on a happy face! Or at least fake it a bit. Your job, and your life have never been more insecure, those are the words that will make a nation..... fail?

Dont be smart with me!

There is no room for smart people in technical support anymore. Managers arent drawn from technical groups so they resent smart people, cant develop them, and will hold them back because they lack the abilities as managers to draw this type of person out and raise their abilities. The environment that is conducive to intelligence is few and far between. Its a shame that we are unable to utilize the people tools amidst our workforce, we resent them, and then ostracize them to the point they do not want to be a part of us. Why else would you gimp an intelligent person with scripts and other nonsense rather than tapping their energy in a positive way? If I hear you are here to answer the phones again, I will barf. That is not what I get paid for. Else, why am I being talked to for not helping everyone around me? After all I am just answering the phone....

Actions dont speak louder than words.

The company I used to work for is the devil. Perhaps the Devil without a clue that is. I truly believe it has no clue in what it is doing, the venerable left hand has no idea what the right is doing. It doesn't understand its customers, employees or the vendors involved at all. I am dumbfounded as to why there is this clueless nature that is abound. The best you can do on a weekly basis is a two to four page "newsletter" that has little news and rehashes information that is stale.
Its truly amazing that they even exist or better yet don't hurt themselves on a daily basis. Its as if they on inconsequential elements rather than say making money, or making something work right. What irritates me the most, is that you can essentially fail at your job, but if you say all the right things, you are golden. Thus words are better than actions. Pretty awesome for a communications company. Perhaps they have their definition wrong, as you have to DELIVER communications, not just say the words.
Be careful of big corporate America. The sleeping giants know not what they do. They are so diverse they kill themselves. The common consumer is not prepared to deal with your silo approach to business units. They cant even withstand 15 minutes on the phone with multiple transfers to get to the right unit, in this day and age of technology making things easier, we have failed.

life

A friend of mine died the other day. I was reading many of the kind words that were said about him, the lives he touched, and how he touched them. The man was a genuine person, that you wanted to call a friend. A stark contrast to another person who died recently. It’s a shame that so many people idolize the wrong element in society. My friend was a rich person, his attitude, actions and his place in our own little world saw to that.
I began thinking, that his accomplishments, not only on the bike, but in his personal life and his professional life were rewarding. They were something that would motivate oneself to do similar. I have been motivated in a similar way. I also feel disappointed that I live in Phoenix, that has none of that character, and would never reward it. I was a bit angry in thinking that geographically there are limitations as to what you can and cant do. Is this realistic in this day and age? Do communities hobble themselves to the point that greatness cant be achieved?
I began thinking that why should I be limited because I live in Phoenix? My personality runs many ways, but for the most part I don’t worry much, much like my friend. He is one to act upon what he can and let the chips fall as they may. In the same sense that to this day, chance meetings, or limited contact with him is far greater than any contact I have ever had in my professional life.
Unfortunately I look at what makes up my community and I see the lacking. The people and the activities that are important to me, the elements, the environment, and what transpires is not really held to a standard. Perhaps it could start with me, holding it to a standard, and for others to see that it is worthwhile to desire more, and expect more. I look on my wall and see awards that I have won, jerseys that I have worn and wonder if it could be more. I wonder what I could be, if I could put a bit more energy into my life. What I could be if I could live past the excuses that bind me. I don’t believe that anyone can say they have put 100% into anything. You ask an Olympic Champion, a marathon winner, or anyone that has accomplished anything of some magnitude, and you will find they could have done better. That achievement is limitless.