I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth.

For any of you few that hit this blog from time to time, I apologize for not keeping current with my writing. Between school, work, long hours in the hot steel mill, my kids home for the summer, and various other distractions, I have neglected my blog and my handful of fans.

from www.thewashingtonfancy.com

Please forgive me, I am working on some new articles that should be posted by week's end.

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Outlaw Management: My Anger and Disappointment With the Sons of Anarchy, Jax Teller, and Kurt Sutter

I have always enjoyed quality drama in books, television, and movies. It is so admirable the creative ways that authors use to conjure believable characters out of nothing but pure inspiration. The use of the word “conjure” is pivotal in its importance with this article since fictional characters are created, not born and raised from birth. All too often, people fall into the “Star Trek Character Trap” (I just made that up) where they over analyze the consistency and depth of fictional scripts. Back in 1986, a memorable skit on SNL, starring Bill Shatner at a Star Trek convention poked fun at the fans for over-analyzing the show into minutia. Shatner’s stabbing lines including “Get a Life!”, and “ . . .move out of your parent’s basement . .” coupled with the players’ characters reactions (Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, and Kevin Nealon) were priceless. Forget all of the controversy and upset fans, the truth is that the show, like so many other iconic creations was 100% conjur

The Mentor of a Middle Manager - Joel Bussell

I have been writing this article for almost a month; bits and pieces at a time. I wanted to finish it before December 26 th, on what would have been my father’s 84 th birthday. Joel Bussell was the most important mentor in my life. I have had many people who have influenced me during my journey into middle management. Supervisors, department managers, coworkers, and even direct supports have helped guide me through numerous challenges. However, my father was the first and most significant mentor of my entire life. An engineer, and later an attorney, he was not ever a C-suite executive or a world-renowned leader. To those he taught in his classes or hired and developed in his 40-year manufacturing career, and 15 years as an educator, he was an invaluable mentor. As I look back on my life, I can visualize many of the times my father advised me. It was his idea for me to spend my summer mornings as 14-year-old, selling donuts door to door in office building

Smart, Capable, and Competent People Get Fired Everyday

Over six months ago I experienced something that I haven't been through since my very first job renting prom tuxedos; I was fired. Don't get any gossipy ideas, I wasn't let go because of anything immoral, illegal, or unethical. My employment was terminated for "not achieving the goals of my position". This is a very nebulous statement, and one that is very common when you are in upper management or on the upper end of middle management. There is a strata in middle management where as long as you are doing your job, and business conditions aren't disastrous, you are pretty secure in your position. You will notice that your manager or boss doesn't enjoy the same flavor of stability. In my 25 years in heavy industry, I have seen countless regime changes that have resulted in a purging of the upper management. Are these managers incompetent? Not always. Are they insolent and stubborn? Sometimes. Most often, they don't have the trust of th

Manager Sandwich: The Middle Manager's Survival Blog

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