Your Last Day?

Posted on May 17, 2013 by John G. Self

It seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in front of my Western Union teletype in the police press room, a man in his mid-20s trying to make sense of something that made no sense at all – the death of five children in an apartment fire caused by adult carelessness, a mind-numbing indifference to responsibility and accountability.

I was drinking coffee as I wrote – I would have preferred something a little stronger at this point, but at 7:45 PM, it was a little too early in the day. So I had to focus and tell a gruesome story for the 375,000 plus readers who would deal with this horror with unhesitating conviction that a tragedy like this could never happen to them.

There were a lot of these dreadful days if you were a crime reporter in one of the fastest growing major cities in America. In my newspaper career, I probably saw more than 250 dead bodies, men, women and children; someone’s uncle, a bride and groom, an estranged husband who turned around his life, a mom, or someone’s children. They all died suddenly, frequently without much warning. Certainly with no time to say goodbye or I’m sorry.

At the scene of a tragedy, there is no greater cry of anguish than from a mother who learns that her 10-year-old son, who was going to be everything her drug-dealing husband wasn’t, was lying dead in the living room, the unintended victim of a narcotics deal gone bad. Or the poor working mom who returns home to smoldering ruins and the sudden realization that everything she cared about, her children, were now gone. Or the mother and father who learn in an early morning call from a stranger that their beloved only child, a daughter and her new husband died in an accident after only one day as man and wife.

These experiences happened a long time ago. But today they continue to happen across the nation, around the world. There is no question that my newspaper experience, those events, shaped my life. I still enjoy being in the know, telling stories – sharing information with others, a requisite for a reporter. Now I enjoy the challenge, and the reward, of digging into a candidate’s background to understand what makes them tick as a leader and as a person. The aggregate of my experiences helps me do my job better, to appreciate life and to overcome adversity.

Those early days in the newspaper business also helped me understand the importance of appreciating each day we have on earth. The suddenness of a traumatic death is both stunning and shocking. For the survivors, the immediate horror gives way to a sense of loss that is so deep that it is hard to comprehend.

Many people talk about how much they appreciate life, that they live one day at a time. Nice, but for most it is just talk. Our lives are so busy they blend from one day to another. And then they are gone.

Would you scream at your kids, disrespect your wife, or publicly disparage your colleagues or your employees if you knew that this day would be your last?

It could be.

Serving the Barking Dogs

Posted on May 15, 2013 by John G. Self

When an airline treats their dog passengers – the barking, tail-wagging, four-legged variety – with enormous care and concern for their well-being, there is hope for the passengers as the post-merger cultural transformation evolves.

puppy in crate

When an airline, or any business for that matter, treats it customers as mere talking widgets necessary to drive profits to justify consolidation of two mediocre businesses then that is a bad sign for the passengers and the future of the enterprise.

How we treat our customers, regardless of whether they are dependent and barking or not, defines who we are as people and as a company. It is easy to tell the dogs to shut up in a moment of frustration, but will do no good.

Self Employment Offers Great Rewards

Posted on May 1, 2013 by John G. Self

In the 1980s, when my long-time job as a Senior Vice President with a health system ended, I faced a tough career management transition.

People did not want the skills I offered, nor did I have the all-important master’s degree – it was a double whammy in a tight job market. I went from being incredibly successful to the depths of despair, trying to figure out how to pay my bills. I never thought this would happen to me.

In the ensuing 25 years I have had just one “employed” tenure with a regional health system in the town where I grew up. It was a great experience. I ran a home infusion pharmacy, then the state’s largest EMS system and, finally, their international recruiting company. Little did I know at the time that this last “employed” gig would provide me with the experience – some of it painful – the skills, the courage, and the determination to launch my own corporate brand, JohnGSelf Associates, Inc.

It was a tough slog at first, and there have been more than a few bumps along the way, including a disastrous failed business partnership, but today, looking back, I know I made the right decision to trust my own instincts and abilities. In the end, it proved to be a home run.

I have had a great career – from working as a crime writer and investigative reporter for a major Texas newspaper, to being the first director of Hermann Hospital’s famed Life Flight program and then serving as national marketing manager for their aircraft company consulting with hospitals across the nation.

Now, working as an executive recruiter, advising candidates and clients in seven countries on four continents, the rewards of managing my own brand are enormous.

There are many in this land who cannot be an independent contractor because they have built a career comfort zone surrounded by reinforced steel bar concrete. Intellectually they may want to touch the third rail of career exploration, but they have no clue how to overcome their fears to take the leap of faith, so they don’t, and that is probably the right choice.

There are others who need to break free, should break free and join the free agent nation, but they cannot see a way forward because they cannot overcome their fears and reluctance to do those things that will ensure incredible success.

Somehow I overcame all of those barriers and found a pathway to success. It was painful at times. I had to battle my fears of rejection and my reluctance to put my name, my brand on the line. Being a salary-man is secure but you are always depending on someone or something else. But being a successful entrepreneur is one of the most satisfying accomplishments in the world because where danger lurks, you, and only you, have the power to do something about it.