Gave It 100% on the Job

I can't stand people in the business world who don't give their all. From a fry cook at McDonald's to CEO of Bank of America, if you are a slacker, then you are just a slacker. It doesn't matter the income.

It's crazy how someone working at a fast food restaurant gets an attitude. "Man, skip this! Boss man told me last night that if I didn't tighten up, he was going to have to cut my hours. I can do his job better than him if I wanted. I think I'm going to quit because he's disrespecting me."

How are you going to be a good manager if you can't even flip burgers right?

Why do people think they can half-do the entry level positions and still get promoted to the upper-level positions in management? People think that even if you're mediocre that years of service alone entitles them to something? Nah, it doesn't work like that.

I worked in the collections department for AT&T back in '02. I didn't like the job at all, but I was a top five money collector for most of my time in that department. Despite the fact that I disliked calling people's home asking for them to pay their cell phone bill, I was one of the best at it. I gave it 100% on the job.



Eventually, I got moved into another position which has led to the work I do today for another company. Not only did those dreadful days of collections prepare me for future opportunities, it also gave me a greater appreciation for the job that I do now.

Now, I know that everyone is different, but that doesn't change the fact that some people just don't get it. If all you do is complain on your job, then why would anyone want to bump you up to a more important position? If you're always late for work, then why would someone think that you could manage someone else's attendance?

Is it safe to say that today's youth (20-29 years old) feel a little more entitled than my generation did? Is it the fact that every kid got a trophy just for participating? Maybe it's the lack of red ink used when grading homework because it "looked harsh."

Whatever the reason, I cringe at the thought of who will be running the White House 20 years from now.

(dialing phone)



President Slacker: "Hello, Saudi Arabian President? We're all out of oil in the U.S. We used the last of it to fill a tarpit for a "Jurrasic Park" remake. Uh, can we borrow some more oil?"

Saudi: "Borrow? There will be none of that. What goods do you have to trade?"

Slacker: "Well, we don't make anything any more. We sent that hard work overseas because our mothers told us we didn't have to do that stuff if we didn't want. (Awkward silence) Uh... I can do the Dougie!"

Saudi: "Your silly dances from 2010 don't amuse me, President Slacker. It's 2030 and you're the only country that still uses oil for energy. Why is that?"

Slacker: "Yeah. You see, what had happened was... The guys responsible for researching energy really aren't qualified, but they got promoted because they have worked for us for a long time. I've been around almost a full term, too! I've been president for three years! I don't get anything for that?"

Saudi: (Click)

Slacker: "Hello? Hello?"

How to Get Famous 301

In 2010, it is not about if you're talented or not. It's all about if you are memorable.

Society has set the stage for us to find our way onto someone's flat screen! Will you do something so mind-numbingly stupid that people will remember you and want to see more of you?

How to Get Famous 301 starts now!

Reality show contestant

Gotta love reality TV. Mindless, manufactured drama which costs the broadcasters very little and doesn't require its viewers to do much thinking.



These people recognize their opportunities. They know that if they can act a big enough fool, that they will get their 15 minutes of fame and maybe even more.

Now, there's nothing "real" about a reality show. When's the last time you went to someone's house and they had 15 people living in it of different gender, race and/or sexual orientation? Mix in nightly trips to the bar with people of the opposite (or sometimes same) sex coming on to you with alcohol-induced flirting and you have instant drama! When you put people in that type of living arrangement, then something is bound to pop off.

That link is one of my favorite funny reality show clips, by the way. Anyhoo, I look at reality shows as a newer, sexier version of daytime soap operas. I remember being at work, a decade ago, and listening to women in the break room discussing "Y&R" or "All My Children". Now, when I enter the break room, it's all about Snooki (what's a "Snooki" anyway?), Nene or whoever. Snooki makes $30k per episode for being obnoxious and a drunk. Some of my readers probably do the same for free. LOL! Stop short-changing yourself! Get paid for those drunken rants you end up blogging about weekly! :)



There have been some talented and successful reality show contestants: Elizabeth Hasselbeck turned "Survivor" into a spot on "The View". Kelly Clarkson used "American Idol" to springboard into a successful music career. Kim Kardashian turned "ho-dom" into "stardom" (I'm sorry, but if you create and release a sex tape of yourself, you're a ho).

So, anyone can grace the cover of multiple magazines or home pages of websites. All you have to do is simply this:

a) Get a spot on a show .
b) Act the biggest donkey known to mankind.

Even a moron could do it! You could be the next big thing!

And when you do, don't forget to give me a shout for helping you learn how to get famous!

Bad For Business

I'm completely convinced that most companies do not understand how to run a business now. So many companies have training classes on how to provide the best customer service, but it's all a front.

Most companies don't care if you're satisfied or not. They just want to ensure that they're getting money from you on a monthly basis.

That's why cell phone companies, satellite services, etc. force you into a two year contract. Instead of trying to win your loyalty by providing the best service, they entice you with "new customer specials" and then after you sign your soul away, you're just a number for the next 18-24 months. You're no longer eligible for specials. At least not until the last six months of your contract. Then you're their best friend all over again.

Companies like Apple will provide you with a product that requires tons of other proprietary products from them. If you get an iPod, then you need to download iTunes. If you want your iPod to work on your stereo, then you need an iPod docking station. And so on and so on. There are a million i(insert name here) that Apple sells in order to make you dependent on them. Nothing naturally works with Apple. It always requires some additional purchase.

Here's another thing companies will do: instead of trying to just provide a good service, they try to eliminate the competition. Some companies will go as far as offering to buy their competitors just to get rid of them. How sad is that?

"If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em?" That quote doesn't ring a bell with me. AT&T got the hammer dropped on them in the 1983 U.S. v. AT&T anti-trust suit and it forced them to split itself into seven smaller companies. The company had bought almost everyone and was becoming too much of a monopoly. That break-up led to new competition in the long distance market from Sprint to MCI. The verdict of the antitrust suit was ultimately better for the consumer.

Well, after 20 years of purchasing those same companies back and changing names to protect themselves (SBC, AT&T Wireless, Cingular, back to AT&T, etc.), AT&T is back to being the "Death Star" of communication technology. They're basically doing the same thing they did back in 1983, but the difference today is that there are no more people in Congress who care. After all, AT&T gives its fair share of campaign contributions to the Democratic and Republican parties. Sine 1990, they've been reported to have paid an estimated $45 million dollars in campaign contributions (which is $9 million higher than any one else). Congress can't bite the hand that feeds them, right?

Lastly, the smear campaign is something else competitors will do. DirecTV and Dish have argued over who has the most HD channels for almost two years now and every single commercial is misleading. Besides, no one cares who has the most HD channels if a lot of them are pay-per view or simulcasts. An airing of a boxing pay per view event should not count as one of my channels. Instead of nitpicking with one another and suing each other every month for false statements, use that time and money to improve your product.



The bottom line is: corporations don't understand what has made them successful any more. They don't understand that treating your customers and employees right can lead to success in any area of sales.

Stop suckering in the new customers only to treat them like crap after they sign on the dotted line. The same effort you make to get the customer should be made to keep the customer.

Stop sending jobs overseas. By doing so, you're getting bad-mouthed by former employees who now hate your guts. Also, if all companies keep outsourcing overseas, then how do you expect us to pay for whatever it is you sell if we're unemployed back home?

Stop spending so much time trying to expose your competition. These guys are so busy trying to show what the next guy isn't doing that they're failing to improve upon their own product. Corporate competitors are just like Democrats and Republicans; they all love to point out what the other one is/isn't doing about a problem without having a solution to it.

Stop doing these things and maybe we can have some reputable companies in the U.S. again instead of these guys who are bad for business.