It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. Have you worked out lately? this next manager would certainly hope that you did.

MOTW: Health Nut Manager

Health-Nut Manager’s theory is that the secret to having a productive office is everyone should be in shape. Healthy body, healthy mind, healthy office posters and campaigns adorn his/her office and he/she is continually referring to his/her latest workout routines. These references tend to become metaphors for management strategy.

Weekend Haiku

A field of mustard,
no whale in sight,
the sea darkening.

Buson (1716 - 1783)

Hard Pan Di Drums

Hard Pan Di Drums from Dr. Alban's album Look Who's Talking. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Is a high IQ enough?

Not according to Forbes. Sure, a high IQ helps you succeed, but it is not nearly enough. We all have heard about EQ (Emotional Intelligence), but what about MQ and BQ? According to this article you need to be aware of - and strive to develop - the other three quotients to help you be more effective in your daily dealings.

New world record throw

David Wiggins Jr., 16 years old, breaks the previous world record of 820 feet held by Christian Sandström. He launched a 134-gram Blizzard Champion Boss for a new record throw of  836 feet (255m). Christian Sandström achieved his then record throw with an Innova DX Valkyrie. The Valkyrie is my primary driver. Now the record stands at 836 feet. Wow! Maybe it is time to purchase a Boss.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. This next offering is a sneaky, bad news type of manager that you should have absolutely no business getting mixed up with.

MOTW: Cover Up Manager

This manager thrives by ensuring that all screw-ups, mistakes and failures are kept hidden from Senior Management. Cover-Up Manager tends to hold a lot of clandestine meetings where sinister cabals plan covert and intricate damage control operations. If invited to one of these meetings call in sick and do not attend. Above all, do not get involved in any swearing in ceremonies or blood tie rituals with this manager as history has proven that these cover up approaches are eventually destined to fail, taking everyone who participated in them down with the ship.

Weekend Haiku

A crow
has settled on a bare branch-
autumn evening.

Basho (1644 - 1694)

Softroom

The video of Softroom from Stakka Bo. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Citi dealt another blow

Specifically Citi's senior management has been dealt the blow that is. The whole theory behind the concept of pay for performance is you have to perform well in order to be paid well. Yesterday, at its annual meeting, shareholders voted no to the pay packages executives at Citi are extending themselves. Citi has not performed well since the 2008 financial meltdown (it really wasn't performing that great before it either) and shareholders do not believe that the management of the firm should be rewarded for the underwhelming results the company has repeatedly posted quarter after quarter.

It has been a long time since shareholders have seen any significant dividend checks and they are not happy. Uncle Vik was trying to change that but got shot down by the Fed when Citi failed the most recent stress test. Citi reported its first quarter profits for 2012 were down 2.3%. These results were better than analysts' expectations, but the vote yesterday is a signal to Citi's management that better performance is expected.

The man IS clutch

For all those people who say Lebron James is overrated, or that he doesn't want the ball at the end of the game, or that he is not clutch, I give you last night's performance against the New Jersey Nets. With Wade sitting out the game, all Lebron did was score the Heat's last 17 points to provide Miami with a 3 point win over the Nets. James finished with 35 points.

Dominance in Sports

Is it a good thing? Is it a necessary thing? Jason Gay of the WSJ seems to thinks so.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. Ah yes, we all have seen the glib type. This next manager is the guy at parties that never shuts up, but is just credible enough to have a crowd around him/her most of the night. The substance just isn't there though when you rigorously analyze what he/she has said.

MOTW: Smooth Talking Manager

Smooth Talking Manager has the ability to expound effortlessly on any topic in what appears to be the latest, most informed corporate vocabulary. This manager relies on his/her verbal skills to carry the day and mostly succeeds. However, when the rare failure happens, due to going to the well once too often, it is usually a spectacular flame-out that is talked about for many years. As a general rule Smooth Talking Managers have little or no execution skills.

Weekend Haiku

Autumn evening-
there's joy also
in loneliness.

Buson (1716 - 1783)

The Good Die Young

The Scorpions perform The Good Die Young live with a special visit from Tarja Turunen, formerly of Nightwish. Tarja and Klaus sound phenomenal together. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Caine's Arcade

This is the coolest story you will have seen in a long, long time. From East L.A. comes the story of Caine and his cardboard arcade. Watch to see the kid's ingenuity at work in the way he devised his security system for the arcade's "fun passes." If you want to restore your faith in humanity watch this video. You will NOT be disappointed.

New stadium, new players, new name, same old Ozzie

Ozzie, Ozzie, Ozzie, what hast thou wrought? The big league manager with no filter who hails from Hugo Chavez land has stepped in it again, this time sparking a controversy in Miami at the worst possible time. When all focus should be on the new look Miami Marlins, instead the outcry over Ozzie's comments praising Fidel Castro have reached fever pitch, with some Miami-based Cuban-Americans calling for him to be fired. Instead the Marlins organization has suspended / benched him for 5 games. When will he learn?

The "Tiny House"

Check out this couple's answer to the vicissitudes of the recession. A house they built themselves with a 168 sq. ft. footprint for a family of four.

Mr. Bad Taste

John Jurgensen of the WSJ interviews and writes an article about the original enigmatic fruitcake of successfully articulated bad taste, John Waters.

It's Monday

This next manager usually hangs around long enough to be a candidate for mummification. You can do worse in terms of a supervisor though and if you listen to this manager enough you may just learn something.

MOTW: Seasoned Manager

No, this is not about herbs and spices. Seasoned Manager has a long, storied career that began very low on the totem pole. He/she usually joined the company as a messenger or in some similar position and has laboriously worked his/her way up through the ranks, having been at the company for a long time. Seasoned Manager spends a lot of time reminiscing about what “the good old days” were like and can be slow to adapt to change. He/she has a lot of experience which can be a good or bad thing depending on the circumstances.

Weekend Haiku

It once happened
that a child was spared punishment
through earnest solicitation.

Issa (1763 - 1827)

Gethsemane

Here is a video slide-show to the tune of Nightwish's Gethsemane. The lyrics are in English and Spanish and the Spanish subtitle at the beginning reads "Nightwish's best song." I have to say that I agree. I think this is by far Nightwish's best tune out of the many they have produced. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Head of GSA resigns

Martha Johnson, the head of the General Services Administration, an agency supposed to take care of federal buildings and provide logistical support for federal agencies, has resigned after a report came out finding that her agency spent over $820,000.00 of taxpayer money for a training seminar at the lavish "M" Resort Spa and Casino outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Among other things the agency paid $75,000.00 for a team-building exercise during the seminar.

Of course, when you are going to run an event like this you have to make several trips to "scout" the location and this is exactly what happened, to the tune of over $100,000.00. It is disturbing to say the least, to know that while we are all struggling to make ends meet and pay our taxes, the government is running around partying on our dime.

Mr. Las Vegas

Love him or hate him, campy crooner Wayne Newton turns 70 today. Happy Birthday Wayne.

Pairing wine with pasta

Want to move beyond the simple out of drinking Chianti whenever you go have an Italian meal? Here is a very quick guide to pairing wine with pasta from CNN.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. The advent of computers and specifically the Control C and Control V commands in a very popular word processing package were like manna from heaven for this next manager.

MOTW: Cut and Paste Manager

A penchant for plagiarism and above average skills with a mouse are this manager’s calling card. By recurring to every fount of information available and rearranging others ruminations, pithy comments and innovative thoughts into emails and written communiqués, Cut and Paste Manager survives and flourishes by consistently producing what seem to be well researched and thought out position papers on any conceivable topic. Careful scrutiny of this manager’s output can tend to be his/her undoing as it will eventually demonstrate that not one iota of original thought or production has ever emanated from him/her. Even worse, Cut and Paste Manager has never bothered to credit or cite his/her sources.