Therapuetic Taboos?

Body art and piercings can be a tricky topic at work; opinions often run alongside the generational divides.  But breakthrough ideas usually come from someone on the margins, or at least someone who is open and curious about things outside the norm.

Dr. Anne Lumann's "aha" moment seems linked to her study of body art.  Researchers were  trying to help people confined to wheelchairs improve on existing methods of using one's mouth to steer a chair.  Magnets on the tongue were promising; they send signals to a user headset.

Gluing the magnet to the user's tongue only worked for a few hours.  Dr. Laumann, an assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern, thought of piercing the magnet through the tongue.  And Ann Carias, an able-bodied, 30-yr old Ph.D. student, stepped forward as a volunteer.  The result?  Another step towards improving the mobility of people with severe restrictions. 

Ms. Carias must feel somewhat vindicated for her own piercings and large tattoos.  "I think it's great that something taboo can be used for therapeutic reasons, she said."  (NYT 06/07/11 article by Emma G. Fitzsimmons)

Guess us oldsters should think twice before rejecting 'foreign' forms of expression.

Even Prophets Have HR Problems

Seems that Minister Harold Camping, founder of Family Radio, had a major disconnect with staffers.  According to a USA TODAY article by Dennis Cauchon, "most workers were skeptical about the doomsday prediction" and "many planned to be at work on Monday." (05/23/11)  Camping gave the staff Friday off with pay, which doesn't seem necessary to me, as he thought the world would end on Saturday, May 21st.  So stay tuned to see if Caucon's muti-million dollar Christian Network, which is broadcast in many locations here and abroad, resumes operation. Here is some free HR advice:   Harold needs to convene a town meeting if he wants to get the staff back on board.

Flying Above the Fray

Vote for Christine.  This 55-yr old French finance minister reportedly covets the job of running the International Monetary Fund.  My guess is that Dominique Strauss-Kahn will succomb to the pressure to resign that post, as he sits in a New York jail on sexual assault charges.  One factor against Christine Lagarde is that the people at I.M.F. may not have the appetite to appoint another European, let alone one from France, to the gi-normous global position. 

But a 5/19/11 NYT article by Liz Alderman and Katrin Bennhold portrays a winning portrait of someone who is "enormously impressive, politically astute, a strong personality" ... who "at finance meetings all over the world ... is treated practically like a rock star." (Kenneth S. Rogoff, former I.M.F. chief economist and professor at Harvard).

Who better to step into the shoes of a brilliant man with a known vulnerability for women, than a silver-haired, tall, stylish woman in a Chanel jacket?  She sounds no-nonsense, charmed Jon Stewart and lived in the U. S. for 25 years, when she headed up a law firm in Chicago.

While she wisely has kept her own counsel about the current scandal, and her candidacy, she was quoted earlier as saying that women "inject less libido, less testosterone into" the workplace than men.  Another boost for zestful women of a certain age all over the world.  Go Christine!

Will the Dogs Bark?

Recent economic data points and opinions clamor and compete for our attention.  Adam Posen, an American economist who's currently with the Bank of England, thinks inflation will decline and "Wages ... will be the the dog that doesn't bark." Seems that when workers lack leverage to demand substantial raises, it helps companies keep prices down, suppressing inflationary trends.  (David Leonhardt, NYT -- 03/30/11).

The head of Wal-Mart's U.S. unit says consumers face 'serious' inflation, due to increases in raw materials, labor costs in China and fuel costs for retailers. (Jayne O'Donnell, USA TODAY, 03/31/11)

OK, so far, its the workers in China that are barking.  But another USA TODAY article describles a Silicon Valley hiring frenzy that "is beginning to resemble an economic Nirvana" -- the article's subtitle is "Meals, iPads used to lure workers."  (Jon Swartz, 3/30/11)  Economic reports also describe a "strengthening job market ... with smaller businesses doing the heavy lifting."  (Paul Davidson, USA today 3/30/11)

More provocatively, MetLife's  annual report on employee trends produced results that USA TODAY characterized as "Workers antsy as morale plunges ...but employers think everything is fine."  (Laura Petrecca, 3/28/11)  Surprise! Employee loyalty is low, and recruiters report an uptick in job choices, with clients more willing to negotiate offers.  But employers are blissfully unaware, as the dogs are not barking?

I'd be remiss if I did not, a la Abagail Adams, 'remember the ladies.'  Women ages 55+ face the dual challenge of age and gender in competing for those jobs that, a la Bruce Springsteen, some think 'ain't never coming back to our town.'

As I described in an earlier posting, talented, burned-out employees, of any age or gender, always have one foot out the door  -- "FOD", for short.  My advice to employers is to learn from the past and reinvest in workers.  Hiring and basic training is more expensive than rewards  and recognition.

Apolitical Veterans Advocate

Linda Schwartz -- a Vietnam-era Air Force nurse, Yale nurse educator and "disabled survivor of a 1983 midair training mishap" was recently reappointed as the Commissioner of the CT Dept of Veterans Affairs.  Her eight year tenure had a shaky start, but she jumped through a narrow window to gain much needed funds to better serve 280,000 Connecticut vets.  She advocates for vets of multiple generations, and wants her legacy to be the outreach to the women who served.  Her fans include legislators from both parties.  (Hartford Courant, 3/6/11)

My dad and brother both benefited from CT VA medical services, and my ex-helicopter pilot husand, who flew during Vietnam, may also need their help one day.  While I was the first to challenge the system when we bumped into barriers, I was always impressed with the compassion people brought to their jobs.  Walk down a hall  at the West Haven VA Hospital, and everyone says hello -- you are instantly installed into a special club.

Putting political persuasions aside, Linda Schwartz offers many leadership lessons -- fight for those you serve, don't let past practices determine the future, and make things happen.  This 65-year old woman, who is also the president of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs, shines a light on Connecticut, and shows that age, gender or disability can't stop a good leader.