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jaq-faq |
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| What do you want? | Do you have a favorite industry? | |||
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I've had this question asked of me by friends and colleagues as I continue this job search. This is not the easiest question for anyone to wrap their head around. I think you have to know what "it" is. What is "it" that you want to have in your life, in your work? And you have to have a plan to get "it" and that plan has to have balance or "it" won't work. I want a lot of things but I need very little.
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Normally I would say, no, I don't have a favorite industry but I'm finding that I have a few! I'm really partial to the not-for-profit field as well as the entertainment industry. Opposites attract after all. I'd also love to have a chance to work for a well-established architect firm in the WTC area. It's a subject that is close to my heart. It would be very fulfilling to help in some way to rebuild the area. And then I'll write about it, where 'ere I land. | |||
| What is the "it" for you? | What is important to you in a company What things do you look for in an organization? | |||
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The 'it' is pretty simple and probably not very different from anyone else's "it". That fact never has been otherwise. I want the work of my life to be about using the natural talent that I have to create. The "it" is creating for the greater good. That drive crosses all industries. However, if I had my druthers, I would like to contribute with a not-for-profit charity in development, In a financial company I feel I would be best suited working with human resources or better still; operations In new media, I would be an asset as a project producer. In marketing, my strength is in grass roots - e.g. Street Team Marketing etc. In publishing, I should write or be an editor. |
First and foremost, it has to be the people and the culture. I always look for people who are excited about what they are doing. So passion is a great sales tool if an organization is going to win me over. The rest, for me is research. I will take a good look at the organization and mostly take it from there. If they are cutting edge and progressive in their mission statement then I find that very attractive. I also will look at what kind of commitment the organization has toward giving back to the community. I want to believe in what I'm doing. | |||
| What have you enjoyed the most in jobs that you've had previously? | Can you describe one or two or your most important accomplishments? | |||
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I would have to say that it's the people and the camaraderie
that you have with co-workers/team members etc. You share your history,
your friendship, your war stories. The people aspect has always been very
rewarding for me.
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I go back to a few examples that
come to mind immediately, One, was the work I did with the
Red Cross on 9/11. In retrospect, it was a defining moment
for me as well as many others who worked down there that
day. I'm still amazed that I got out of there without much
more than a scratch but also that I was able to contribute and
give care where and when it was needed.
In business, I am very proud to this day of the work that I did with Dennis Crumbine. |
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| So, do you prefer working in groups rather than, say, working on your own? | What courses in school have been of most help in doing your job? | |||
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I don't think that the two are mutually
exclusive. You have to work on your own at least part of the time.
While I was with Discover Card, I did the telecommute thing. Although I
was proficient at it, I found it difficult and isolating.
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It's odd that you ask that, I was thinking about this the other day and you might be surprised with my answer. While I was at Michigan, I had to take, as part of my course work, industrial organizational psychology -- what they called IO Psych and now called Human Factors. I absolutely hated that course. It was near to torture as I dare ever go. But thinking back on the experience now, I learned much that has helped me with CRM and managing others. I believe that I just didn't like the way the subject matter was presented. It was way too clinical and presented human capital within organizations as numbers, data and or survey participants and not as human beings. Humans are three dimensional beings with dreams, families, mortgages, fears and desires. They are not static. We are not static. You do yourself a great disservice believing otherwise. It helped me to understand what motivates people and I have developed a compassion for the people I work with and or for to this day. |
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| What things frustrate you the most? How do you usually cope with them? | Can you describe for me a difficult obstacle you have had to overcome? How did you handle it? How do you feel this experience affected your personality or ability? | |||
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Well, if I find something frustrating I usually
try to nip it in the bud right then and there. If that doesn't work, a little
distance and diplomacy works wonders. I get frustrated when people
are judgmental or don't really listen to what you say. It's frustrating
but not an impossible situation ever, just challenging.
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Again, I'm tempted to revisit the events of September 11th. With that experience in the forefront of my life experience, I can safely say that obstacles are not what they once were for me. Now, nothing seems impossible. Nor do I feel over optimistic either, but the worthiness of some obstacles, and or some battles that can be fought and overcome has changed for me. I'm not -- nor have I ever been quick to anger, however, now I will speak my mind much quicker than I have done in the past because my assimilation and value structure have changed somewhat. And my confidence has changed in ways I never thought possible. It's all positive. | |||
| Do you consider yourself a self-starter? If so, explain why and give examples? | How would you describe yourself as a person? | |||
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I would definitely describe myself as a
self-starter. Some examples, ...hmmm. Well, I can give you a
lot of them. It's interesting that the self-starter question came right
out of the frustration question. LOL
I would have to say that there is a certain amount of frustration that makes or prompts one to be a self-starter. Ahhh, but to the examples... In general, if there is a need or if I have a idea that I think is golden, I will pursue it. Several years ago I started a weekly workshop here in New York City to compensate for the lack of classical theatre education. So I started my own program, did the marketing, recruited volunteers, built the curriculum; everything. It was a hugely gratifying experience and now have sort of evolved into the Shakespeare BootCamp that I produce as part of the team at The New Perspectives Theatre Company |
I'm passionate about how I live my
life and that extends to my work life. I've been called a
catalyst but I reckon that my desire to help others achieve
their potential is my driving force. I have a crusader
mentality when it comes to working toward something that I
believe in or do.
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| In your work experience, what have you done that you consider truly creative? | Do you feel pressure in your job? Tell me about it? | |||
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I would have to say that my problem solving
abilities are pretty strong and allow for a great deal of creativity.
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I've learned to go to the bottom line very quickly. If the pressure is worth the end result then I'll groove with it. If it's not then I'll disengage from the pressure. In this respect, it's all about me. It has to be or my quality of life suffers and that's not negotiable. | |||
| What has been the most important person or event in your own self development? | What kind of books & other publications do you read? | |||
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My parents were and continue to be a force in my
life as they should be. What they have taught me and how I carry myself is
something that rings in my life everyday. The events of September 11, have
changed the way I look at life and that event continues to color my life in
amazing ways that at times I still have difficulty understanding. What I
believed two years ago is not the same set of beliefs that I have and own
today.
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Pretty much anything that strikes my interest. However, I don't read much fiction. I really enjoy literary criticism and that might seem a bit elitist, the new writers these days, particularly with regards to the classics like Shakespeare are more revolutionary than previous party liners. This new influx of talent is very appealing to me and my work on the same subject is slightly revolutionary as well. I like provoking thought and some gray matter activity, it's fun. | |||
| What has been the highest pressure situation you have been under in recent years? How did you cope with it? | Have you ever done any public or group speaking? Recently? Why? How did it go? | |||
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This current job situation has been the most difficult to deal with in that it just rails on the self confidence. It's not just one day or one week either, it's a constant battle. Everyone is feeling it on some level and some more than others. How you deal with it is and has been the greatest pressure situation that I've been under ever in my life. How I'm dealing with it is to try to take one day at a time, continue to keep my chin up and persevere, persevere, persevere. |
I grew up in the theatre so I don't have any problem speaking before a group of people. Have I done it recently? Not for a few months but it did go well. And I'll be teaching later this summer. That's never been a problem for me at all.
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| How do you get people who do not want to work together to establish a common approach to a problem? | What is your professional goal? | |||
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I think that you just have to be plain with people. There's a a time to sort of personality conflicts and if you are on a deadline for a deliverable and you are working within a team environment, you simply have to say it out loud, call peoples attention to it and bring them back to reality. You lead by example. |
You probably want to hear that I want to be the CEO of some organization or some other top of the rung ideal. I'm afraid you won't get that from me. The real challenge and gift is to find that thing, that job that will make me want to jump into my socks every single morning. Don't be fooled, I have a big ego but I'm still in 'honing' mode as far as my goals are concerned. |
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| Do you feel you work more effectively on a one to one basis or in a group situation? | How would you describe your basic leadership style? Give specific examples of how you practice this? | |||
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I'm really good at both. Obviously there are differences but again, as I stated in an earlier question, it really depends on the environment and it's culture but mostly it depends on the people that you are working with on a daily basis. I have no problem adapting to most any situation. I'm a chameleon. |
Well, you lead by example. You show compassion to everyone. I sometimes go back to the idea that the essence of management, of a good manager or leader is a bit like being a parent. |
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