Am I the (pregnant) fall guy?

Snake removal failed

I wrote to you last year, “Snake Handling Not in Job Description”. You tendered good advice. Since then, the agency has ruptured. Tragically, one Animal Control Officer committed suicide as a result of the toxic culture, gossip and loose lips at work. Last August, the Field Supervisor resigned. Six weeks ago, the Division Manager (my boss) resigned after having a mental and physical meltdown. I’m next. The “snake” is still there…

Looking For A Job? Go Green Collar

Students preparing to enter or return to the nation’s colleges and universities in the coming weeks would be well advised to consider educational paths that lead to careers in burgeoning fields related to the environment, ecology and alternative energy.

These areas are expected to fuel significant economic growth and job creation over the next decade, rivaling that of the late 1990s dot.com boom and the housing boom of the early 2000s.
As $4.00-per-gallon gasoline and growing concern over global warming spark calls for short-term and long-term solutions, more and more companies are going “green,” not only with their products but also with operations. The movement is creating increased demand for workers in so-called “green-collar” jobs in the form of engineers, architects, project managers, and consultants. As this trend continues, more workers will be needed to implement designs and build projects, potentially creating thousands of jobs.

The Active Go-Giver

Wouldn’t it be great if the more you gave, the more you got back in return? If that were true, imagine how it would transform your workplace, your career, and even your family life. All of a sudden there’d be an upsurge in people wanting to give, give, give, instead of always taking (from you)!

Well, that little scenario is the seemingly implausible idea behind a recently published book, The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg and John David Mann. It’s written in the business parable style popularized by the bestsellers Who Moved My Cheese, the One Minute Manager – and more recently, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko.

After reading it, I agreed that the underlying message was worthwhile and good… But somehow, I was skeptical. Sure, I can believe it. But will other people buy the ‘Go-Giver’ message’? Does it have any ‘new’ or fresh insights that would persuade people who are not ‘natural givers’ to adopt a giving mindset? Could it convince those people who routinely put their own interests ahead of everybody else’s to change their ways?

So, I put the book aside and mulled. I decided to put it to a test. I would observe people I come in contact with to see if I could spot any true Go-Givers.