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And the Ignorant Buffoons Continue To Abound

5/20/2015

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Here is another example of how people just don't get it.

I will sum up for those who do not want to read the whole thing…a female comedian was hired for a corporate gig, a BUSINESS event. She was heckled with sexual remarks from some ignorant pig in the audience. As she put it, if she had been in a comedy club, it may have been different and she would have handled it differently. However, this was a corporate gig, and her instructions were no dirty, or sex laden jokes. Yet, somehow, this cement head in the audience decided it was okay to go on about having sex with her in front of her audience.

Sigh…seriously…how can we still be dealing with this in this day and age?

There is a wide spread media campaign going on about sexual harassment and it is helping highlight the issue. This can only be a good thing, but sometimes it feels like an uphill battle. I think there are more women who are not saying anything than those who are brave enough to come forward. Because I will tell you, it takes guts to do what this comedian, Jen Grant ,did. There will be those people saying she gets up and makes jokes for a living so it comes with the territory…it does NOT come with the territory. Explain to me how choosing to make people laugh for a living should result in people shouting out to you about how they are going to have their way with you, have sex with you - and by the way, unwanted sex...yeah that is rape - so let's think again about what transpired here. There will be other people saying she should have been stronger, less “sensitive” to what happened, like she should just suck it up, put on her big girl panties and let some jackass shout at her about what he would like to do to her.

My faith in the human race shatters a little bit more when I see or hear comments like that. So bravo to Jen Grant, and Shauna Hunt and the untold numbers of other women and men who have come forward and shed the light on this. And to the other members of the audience who stood up to this ignoramus at the event, bravo to you too…every time someone has the courage to stand up to sexual harassment in any of its insidious forms, we take a tiny step closer to making all workplaces a safer place to work.

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Favoritism...A sound business decision or sheer stupidity?

4/27/2015

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The CBC report on the Jian Ghomesi affair has come out. And d'uh, they have identified that they handled it incorrectly and this issue of favoritism is now front page news. Everyone is weighing in on it, and now I shall as well.

Favoritism is everywhere. And it is unlikely to go away, well, not unlikely, it is NOT going to go away. We display favoritism with most of our decisions, whether it be choosing Granny Smiths over McIntosh apples or deciding to ignore bad behavior from a favourite employee when we may have terminated a less favoured employee over the same behavior.

Some would argue that the favoritism is a business decision that CBC employed, and let’s face it, it served them well, at least until it blew up in their face, but really...how much has CBC really suffered? It is not like they are a private company, and we can show our displeasure through our spending habits. A few people have lost their jobs, so I suppose that is a good message. Ghomesi was a very popular figure for the CBC, and yes, maybe they made a conscious decision to look the other way. However, there are far better ways to reward a favoured employee without allowing the individual to circumvent common decency and break laws.

Most of us are not running high profile, national and international organizations, but we are dealing with favoritism. We are humans; we have favourites. Just because you are a manager or an executive, you do not suddenly become a blank slate with no feelings or deeply held perceptions about what you like and do not like. And what happens when someone who is a favourite becomes more of a liability than an asset?

I am not saying anything new or exciting here, just weighing in on the issue. We cannot eradicate favoritism but we can manage it.


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Look out, Ottawa Networking Events...

9/8/2014

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I attended a seminar today at Invest Ottawa, it was called Networking for People who Hate Networking. I signed up at the last minute because the thought of even going to such a thing caused me to have mild panic attacks.

I know I have to network, I realize that getting the word out there about my fabulous business is crucial to being able to maintain the business. I hate networking; I have trouble even getting out of the car to walk into a building where such events are taking place. Given the number of people at this seminar, I am hardly alone in this sentiment.

I learned a number of very useful things, including getting into the mindset of “How can I help YOU?” so in that spirit, here is a shout out to the guy who was presenting: Majeed Mogharreban, his website is http://www.99networkingtips.com. You are welcome, Majeed, see I was listening!  In all seriousness, I was hesitant and possibly a bit cynical walking into the seminar but I left with a renewed commitment to get out there and network.

Does it seem odd that an individual who had a (I like to think) successful career working with people and subsequently built a business out of working with people should absolutely hate social events where one has to schmooze? I am that person at any event that will glom onto one person and find out every detail about them over the course of the event, but do not ask me to mingle with people. I like to think that I am more of a relationship builder than a social butterfly. Apparently this will serve me well as I get out there with my new attitude and networking tips.

So I am setting goals for networking (2 events a month), for meeting new people (5 people per event), and yes, you will see me coming. I will be the one checking my notes for my talking points, muttering to myself so to remind myself of all the handy tips I have learned...and likely the one who, if you are ever so fortunate, will delve deeply into your psyche because that seems easier than moving on to the next new person.

See you at the next networking event!

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    For more information about the author, go to About Carolyn, and read more about me and about my philosophy, or don't and just read my musings...they may provide all you want to know about me.

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