Archive for April, 2010
April 27, 2010 at 2:37 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Thanks to the refined sensibilities of the sub-editor at “The Australian”, today we’re greeted with the headline:
Labor on the mat in two states
The article then details the drop in polling for state Labor parties in New South Wales and Victoria. If the elections were held tomorrow, Labor might limp home in Victoria however in New South Wales (NSW) the Coalition would win.
If the same headline were prepared for the sister publication, “The Daily Telegraph”, perhaps the headline would read:
Labor on the nose
That’s a direct reference to something odoriferous. Seems it isn’t only fish and friends who stink after three days.
Oddly enough, the Federal election must be held before the NSW state elections are due. That leaves Prime Minister Kevin Rudd facing the electorate when the most populous state despises his state-based peers. Face it. In NSW we’ll change governments when elections are due in early 2011. Yet before the end of 2010 Prime Minister Rudd needs to call a federal poll.
What to do? Punish the Big Boss for the inactions of his underlings? Of course! Retribution feels too good not to practice frequently.
So whether it’s on the mat, on the ouster, on the nose or just plain rotten – Labor in NSW is ripe for change!
April 22, 2010 at 8:46 am · Filed under Workplace
The CEO of an automotive components manufacturer shared with me it was easier to shrink than to grow. When business is contracting you know what to do and when - you understand how many people you need for a certain level of business. If you used to have revenue of $800 million and contractions brought you down to $500 million you just referred to your game plan from that stage of development.
Growth is a lot harder to manage.
When your business is growing you’re unsure when and where to hire. Which team needs resources first? Is the business permanent or a short-term spike? Can teams manage with a little more focus?
Since October 2009 the revenue at Fleishman-Hillard in Sydney has doubled. We expect a 50% increase in the next two months. The team has gone from restless to overworked in a short space.
Thankfully the last months I’ve focused on setting in place the senior team, with a good tranche of mid-level executives. Today we need starter professionals. We have capacity for two interns and two junior professionals (2-4 years experience). For all roles you need to have the right to permanent residency in Australia - a short-term international visa won’t help, as we try to find interns capable of full time employment at the end of their term.
Our internships last three months and require a minimum of three days per week - with a preference for full-time. These are paid at a nominal level ($100 per day to defray expenses).
For Account Executives and Senior Account Executives, our greatest need today is in healthcare, consumer health/wellness and fast moving consumer goods. While we do have practices in corporate and technology, those are both fully staffed at present.
Please note this is for our Sydney office - learn more here: http://fleishmanhillard.com/careers/internships-scholarships/
I look forward to hearing from you!
April 19, 2010 at 10:29 am · Filed under more on me, Social Media
Last weekend Leichhardt Council organised a community garage sale day. Households were encouraged to off-load old goods one day in advance of council clean-up day. The goal was to reduce landfill and nearly everything went. What didn’t sell was left kerbside for scavengers to review overnight. By morning little was left. Mission accomplished!
During the sale I was distracted by an old box filled with old correspondence. My friends Iva and Bill were married 24 years ago. Their wedding invitation was there as good as new. One letter made me sad - it was from my grandmother. She and I shared a special relationship. She’s been dead for ten years now. There were first anniversary cards from my partner of 19 years. And letters - lots and lots of letters.
In the interests of second hand commerce I closed the box but refused to sell the container - or ditch the contents. Perhaps I’ll re-open that box another ten years from now and really review the contents. Or perhaps my son will ditch it when I’m dead. Who knows.
What I enjoyed the most was the ability to reflect back on all that had happened. That’s where electronic media lets us down. Will I prop myself up in a retirement village and scan old blog posts on an iPad? Could I shuffle my Flickr photos on an eFrame? And what about all the correspondence that I receive? Just because I helped Ashton Kutchner get to one million doesn’t mean I want his Tweets in my memory book.
The Library of Congress in the USA announced it is cataloguing and saving every Twitter posting since 2006. As there are 300,000 new updates each day the investment in data storage technology is considerable. (Until we all get a 1TB USB free with a petrol fill.) It’s nice to read our micro-blogging conversations will be stored, catalogued and ready for retrieval.
Perhaps one day I will go back over all my postings (”G’Day old self - and you thought 48 was bad!”). Yesterday we took Ethan to the Powerhouse Museum and revelled over their exhibition, “The 80s Are Back.” There was an old mix tape - just like the ‘best of’ cassettes I loved. Those days you needed absolute quiet and precision timing with your record player to make sure the segues weren’t faulty. Now it’s a case of drag and drop with the click of options to ensure a smooth transition.
Hopefully the quick and efficient review of on-line correspondence and postings will be that simple in years to come. If not? Frankie Says Relax.
