The HR Team April 2008 Newsletter

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It's April. Hard to believe that it's April and I am still writing 2007 on documents (come on admit it, you do it too!). Of course, with April, it means tax time, and tax time reminds me of the game of Life. For those unfamiliar with the game, you start off, and choose paths for your life, college or not (along with the college debt), and then you get a career. You don't actually get to pick the career; one is randomly selected based on whether you went to college.

One day, I played the game of Life with my son, and he ended up selecting the career card "Accountant", my son was upset, he told me that being an accountant was boring. He wanted to be the salesperson. "Salespeople are fun", he said," they get money all the time for nothing; the accountant only gets money at tax time."

Book Review

Check out these dead CEOs and how they operated. War heroes, long after they pass on, live on in the movies. The life and exploits of sports heroes are retold in books. Sixty years after his death, we still know Babe Ruth.

Stars of the business world may be less well-remembered, but their daring feats qualify them as heroes just the same. Dead CEOs still have a lot to teach. In New Ideas From Dead CEOs, author Todd G. Buchholtz dramatically brings their business stories back to us.

Take A.P. Giannini, founder of Bank of America. He cared so much for his customers that he reopened his bank four days after the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. It was a Sunday. Giannini went down to the wharf, put a plank across two wooden barrels and declared himself open for business.

Some of Buchholz's heroes started their empires from scratch. Walt Disney first supported himself by taking baby pictures. His career got a boost when he received $500 for a film on dental hygiene.

Sam Walton wasn't shy about scoping out the competition. At one point, he sneaked around competitor's stores and looked under the display racks to check inventory. Walton was a proud skinflint. He was so tight with a dollar that he once shared a hotel room with eight staffers. Those were the early days. By the time he became a retailing legend, he only shared his room with one staff member.

Book reviewer Paul Carroll says the author recounts fascinating stories of early beginnings of mega businessmen, showing how his subjects transformed business.

In addition to the dramas of Wal-Mart and Disney, Buchholz tells the adventures of Tom Watson Sr. and Tom Watson Jr. of IBM, Mary Kay Ash and Estee Lauder, David Sarnoff of RCA, Ray Kroc of McDonald's, and Akio Morita, founder of Sony.

New Ideas From Dead CEOs by Todd G. Buchholz, Collins, 300 pages, $26.95

DC Breastfeeding Law

In February, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty signed into law the "Child's Right to Nurse Human Rights Amendment Act of 2007" (Bill B17-0133) that unanimously passed in City Council. This law amends the DC Human Rights Act of 1977, as amended, to change the definition of discrimination on the basis of sex, and ensures a woman's right to breastfeed in any location where she has the right to be with her child, public or private. The law requires employers to provide reasonable daily unpaid break periods and a sanitary location so that breastfeeding mothers are able to express breast milk for their children. This law also requires the Department of Health (DOH) to monitor breastfeeding rates in DC and the number of and nature of complaints regarding violations of this law received by the Office of Human Rights (OHR).

The HR Team Is Hiring

Ideal candidates will have a minimum of 5 years of HR Generalist experience in dynamic and preferably fast growing and/or changing organizations. Experience in a privately held small business is a must; non profit experience is a plus. Exceptional skills and knowledge in employee relations, HR compliance, performance management, strategic HR, training, and organizational development are required. Excellent communications, teamwork, customer service, and interpersonal skills are a must. BA/BS is required (no exceptions), and a Master's Degree is a plus

If you know anyone, please have him/her contact me directly. Also, please be aware that we will not consider applicants who are presently employed or being considered for positions with our clients

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