Mar 22 2014
4 Comments
Financial Success, Successful Kids

Enabling Our Kids

My number one goal in life is to “Launch 4 enabled, well-adjusted young men into the world.”

During a recent gathering on our street I mentioned to a neighbor that we “helped” each of our kids get a car. He responded with, “We don’t want to spoil them, too much.” I agree with that 1,000%. We did this for 2 reasons:

  1. I know what I did to my Dad’s vehicles (sorry Dad) and there was NO WAY I was about to provide an opportunity for my kids to do the same to mine 🙂
  2. More importantly, we wanted to enable them, providing opportunities to learn and grow

First, how did we “help” them get a car. The deal was, the better the grades the more “help” they got. The result; each has a stake in the acquisition of their (used) car.

How does this enable them? It provides a TON of freedom. And, they have to feed and care for their car.  Not to mention the benefits that we as a family realize: we aren’t competing for the use of a vehicle or managing the complex logistics of each other’s comings and goings.

So, if they want to “maintain” their sense of freedom, they need to work a job and perform other simple time and financial management tasks, such as making sure they have:

  • Gas in the tank in advance of “rushing off” to school
  • Enough pocket change to pay the toll (soon realizing the benefits of getting their own EZ-Pass to simplify matters)
  • Enough funding in their checking account to pay for gas when they arrive at the pump, when EZ-Pass makes the withdrawal to replenish the account or the auto insurance company takes their monthly payment
  • Enough funding (in reserve) to pay for the unanticipated repair bill as well as the annual inspection and registration fees
  • Shoveled their car out of the snowbank (especially this year!) and still make it to school, work or Tae Kwon Do on time

And, when (not if) there are infractions or accidents (both of which cause insurance rates to go up) guess who pays? They do! On the flip side, upon demonstrating continued good grades they can realize a discount on auto insurance!

This (car ownership) also provides the opportunity to learn self-sufficiency and some basic “mechanics.” For example, when the car doesn’t pass inspection because of a bad taillight and cover, they learn where the nearest junkyard is, pay $12 for the part and install it themselves vs. paying the exorbitant fees at an auto service center (or worse, at a dealership).

Yes, the above are basics. The alternative is that we (parents) worry about/pay for these things for our kids, vs. providing them the opportunity to figure it out. Our opinion is that if they are old enough to drive they are old enough to be taking care of these things. And, finally, it significantly reduces the “sucking sound” coming from our bank account 🙂

The object of teaching a child is to help him get along without his teacher. ~ Elbert Hubbard

One might think: “Geez, if they have their own car and ONLY a part time job while going to school they must be working simply to keep their car on the road.” Wrong. These guys each have more cash in the bank (that they earned, and more importantly, saved) than some adults I know. A note for the young ladies in town 😉

If you’d like other ideas on how to raise enabled and well-adjusted kids, check out the recommended readings on this subject. And, feel free to reply with approaches you’ve used to accomplish the same.

Mar 21 2014
1 Comment
Personal Success, Successful Kids

Employability and the First Impression

In a prior post I wrote about being secure in our “employability” vs. the notion of job security (which simply doesn’t exist). After reading this, one of my long time business associates encouraged me to write on the topic of today’s post…So, blame him 🙂

We all have to start our working career somewhere. For many of us this involves a service-oriented job. These jobs happen to provide EXCELLENT experience by working with the public and interacting with a diverse set of people (even an occasional whack-o 🙂 ). All of which prepares us for the future.

These jobs could be in retail (bagging groceries, stocking shelves, serving customers). Or, we may perform as a mason’s helper (mixing cement and lugging cinder blocks as we traipse in and out of the customer’s house). That was my start, at least…

Now, let’s put ourselves in the hiring manager’s / business owner’s position. We are looking for someone to best represent us in our business, to our customers. We have 2 candidates sitting in front of us. Both seem to be healthy, highly capable individuals. One is “fairly” clean cut and smiling. The other sports a grimace, face piercing(s) and/or (visible) tattoos.

First, to be clear, we have experienced all of the above in my own family. I love them each dearly, and always will. And, this isn’t a conversation about someone’s worth to humanity. The 2nd person in our example may very well may be the nicest and hardest working person on the planet!

The unfortunate reality is, people DO judge a book by its cover. And, first impressions matter!

“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” ~ Will Rogers

The goal of this topic is to improve the odds for our employability (now and in the future).

Yes, the second person in our example will be able to get a job. But, for the typical job (read, the most frequently available positions) it may be a “little” harder to do so for him/her than the first person in our example. And, it may be harder for them to excel in their future career. This would be an example of “self-imposing” a glass ceiling.

Don’t we want the odds stacked in our favor? As such, when considering “permanently” changing one’s body it is important to think beyond the “coolness of today” and consider life 10-20 years down the road assuming we’d like the odds in our favor to be hugely successful and financially secure. This doesn’t mean we can’t get a tattoo. What we can do is be discrete. For example, a “sleeve” tattoo can be covered (if/when necessary) by wearing a long sleeve shirt.

Yes, it is possible to achieve great things despite the odds. And, I will always encourage this (going for it, regardless of the odds). The question to ask ourselves is: Am I making it easier to attract opportunities, or am I setting up obstacles that may slow me down both now and in my important future?

If you’d like to learn more about creating a great first impression, check-out the following book.

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Yeah, I just may get that tattoo one day. You just won’t be able to see it unless you catch me on the beach, somewhere in the world…

If you have an idea or suggestion for future topics to be covered, feel free to reply or leave a comment on this post.

Mar 19 2014
3 Comments
Personal Success

Job Security?

The first thing to realize about job security: there is no such thing!

No company owes anyone a job. The only thing owed are the wages we agreed to for the work we “previously performed.” It is our responsibility, not a company (or government, a previous post) to ensure our income remains stable and grows over time.

Since there is no such thing as job security what we can do is strive for security in our “employability.” And, if/when we realize our current role / job isn’t cutting it (now and/or for the long term) we can either move up or move out! That is, we have options.

When the dot-com bubble burst companies in this space were forced to downsize (some of which vanished from the economic scene). The company I worked for was an example of this. We were in the painful position of having to slash headcount (repeatedly, month-over-month). In fact, the company no longer exists. One day in which layoffs were occurring I entered the elevator, joining another gentleman on his ride to the next floor. He asked: “Are the layoffs over?” I replied: “As far as I know.” His response, as he wiped his brow: “Phew. I NEVER make it through layoffs.”

Now, I really do have a heart. And, I absolutely HATE layoffs. Hopefully, this guy has looked in the mirror and realized he is the common denominator. It is no company’s fault that he “never makes it through layoffs.”

If a ship is sinking, what is thrown overboard? Any and all cargo not absolutely essential to the safety of the crew and passage of the vessel. And, as the ship continues to sink the captain must dig deeper and deeper for cargo to toss.

In business when there is a downturn requiring the unfortunate situation of performing layoffs, a common approach taken by management is the ranking of employees into categories:

  • A – An absolute high performer / keeper until the very last
  • B – A reasonable performer / keeper for this round
  • C – Persons the firm can get along without

Our goal, if we want a stable and growing income, is to be an “A” or at least a “B” player. If we fall into the “C” category then we can expect to be jettisoned first, during a downturn…

Yes, there may be examples of dirt-bag managers, favoritism, even scandalous situations. I’m in no way condoning or making excuses for these “exceptions.”

As individuals, what we can do is improve (take full ownership of) our own situation. It simply takes hard work, ongoing growth, self-discipline, maintaining a positive attitude, doing the best job possible regardless of pay and determination. And, if the current company or department within the company we work for doesn’t offer more promising prospects we can move up or move out.

To continuously secure our “employability” (with our current company and/or to become highly attractive to would-be employers) we can put ourselves through / remain in our own continuous improvement process.

It starts with a decision.

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

And, for those considering the decision to seek new frontiers (job hunting and/or career change), the following book offers outstanding insight, guidance and advice.

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By taking action we can enjoy the process and security of “employability!”

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