You’re fired…

In recognition of the mass layoffs at Oracle, I thought I’d share my personal experience from 15 years ago.  For those impacted, it can be a difficult time.  But have no fear.  You are talented.  Things will work out.

In January of 2011, I was invited by InfoGroup to find new employment (aka I was fired).  I had the opportunity to join the traumatized, fearful ranks of the unemployed.  Fearing the worst comes easy.  

I had fear alright.  At my age back then, with the state of the US economy, and my wife’s four horses in our backyard eating while we slept, there were plenty of reasons to have fear.  But: 

Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.

German Proverb 

There I was; 8:30 Friday morning, losing the job I liked and facing a downward spiral of fear, the wolf right behind me.  What will I do now?  How will we get by? 

Turns out, by 5:00 p.m. on that same day I had a consulting gig lined up.  Three weeks later, I had two firm offers.  I took the higher paying one (because at my age it was all about the money) and joined NetSuite.  I worked for a terrific boss in a role that I was a perfect fit for.  Here’s to Seneca:          

Our fears are always more numerous than our dangers. 

Seneca 

I still had fear.  In fact, I almost didn’t take that job.  You see, I feared success.  Funny thing about fear in the business world; we can fear failure; we can fear losing our jobs; we can fear all of the bad things that may happen.  We can also fear success.  We can fear greatness.  I guess there’s no place to hide. 

We will just have to do our best to do the job we are hired to do and take our chances.  And you know what?  Maybe our hiring managers see the qualities we have even more clearly than we see ourselves.  Maybe they know what they’re doing when they hire us.  Maybe if we stopped fearing and looking over our shoulder for a moment, we can be the great contributor our companies think we will be.  Maybe… 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens most of us.  We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?”

Nelson Mandela 

OK, gorgeous and fabulous may be a stretch.  But maybe we really are brilliant and talented.  Maybe our companies; our clients; our manager; and our staff really are fortunate to have us.  Maybe there really aren’t any wolves chasing us. 

So fear not Oracle alumni.  Here’s to going out every day to be brilliant and talented (and maybe even a little gorgeous and fabulous, too!) in your next position.  Your gain.  Oracle’s loss. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

 

What’s your source?

I was thinking about what kind of thinker I am, as well as the kind I am not.  All that thinking made me think about the source of my intelligence. 

The setting was a book signing.  People often stop and take a cursory look at my book.  Sometimes we chat.  I’ve heard the usual excuses aka objections.  “I’ll be back.”  “Let me think about it.”  “Oh, I have so many books.” 

You’d think after 4+ decades in the sales profession I would be good at overcoming objections.  Truth is, at $15 a copy, I’m not interested in convincing the unwilling.  They don’t need an excuse not to buy my book.  It’s OK.  It’s just a book.

This time, a woman caused me to think.  She asked, “What’s the source of your peace and power?”  I knew it was a leading question.  I knew she wanted me to say “God” or “Jesus”.  When I didn’t immediately respond with the right answer, she told me she didn’t need my book because her source was God.

She caught me off guard.  I hadn’t fielded that particular question at a book signing before.  She was impatient for my answer.  Yes, I feel the Lord guiding me throughout my life but He is not the only source of my peace and power.  That’s what I was thinking about when she walked away. 

You see, I’m a contemplative thinker.  I’m not a quick-on-your-feet thinker.  Which led me to think about the connection between thinking and intelligence and the source of my intelligence.  As I looked into it further I found there is “Crystallized Intelligence” and “Fluid Intelligence”.  Among many definitions, these resonated with me: 

Fluid Intelligence    

Ability to think quickly and adapt to new situations without relying on prior knowledge

Crystallized Intelligence 

Knowledge and skills accumulated over time and comes from experience and practice

If I were fluid I would have responded to her quickly about my perpetual optimism perhaps with this quote: 

For myself I am an optimist – it does not seem to be much use being anything else. 

Winston Churchill

If I had crystallized intelligence, I would have said that my life’s trials and tribulations accumulated over time have crystallized my practice of believing both in the peace and the power of a positive perspective as well as in God.  Or, if I was a quick-on-your feet thinker, I could have just opened my book to the last quote on page 313 to answer her question: 

Thank you Lord. I may never have a lot; but I have always had enough. 

Gary A. Pokorn 

If she was a contemplative thinker, she might have stopped to read the introduction: 

This chapter is dedicated to you – the reader; and to the great memories that might have come to your mind when you read these quotes and short stories.  To a smile I hope you felt on your face, in your mind, and from your heart.  And to your ability to face daily stress and all that can be bad in our world with the steadfast peace and tremendous power that can be attained by maintaining a positive attitude. 

Everyone may not be able to do this for a living - but each of us has the personal choice and the absolute ability to do this for our life. 

What’s your source?

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

April 20, 1999 never forgotten…

Twenty-seven years ago today, Littleton experienced the terror that two teenagers, feeling a sense of desperation and isolation, can bring to their high school, their community and our nation.  It was considered a rare event back then – unfortunately, hunting our school children has become an almost daily event now:

Life is hard and can often seem hopeless for many young people: 

Giving up on somebody takes nothing.  Helping them change takes a tremendous amount of time, energy, and love.  In the end, it’s worth it. 

Urban Meyer 

If you have a son or daughter; grandchildren; nieces or nephews; or neighborhood kids; reach out to them today.  Tell them today that you love them and will support them as they try to make their way in the world.  If they’re struggling to make ends meet – give them a few bucks, reassure them.  Today, help them feel they belong.  Give them hope. 

Let’s address our society’s violence.  Let’s use our power of compassion to increase the sunlight for those heading towards darkness: 

It takes the sun to create a shadow – accept that the dark and the light live side by side in all of us. 

Chellie Campbell 

It’s not just a high school in the town of Littleton, Colorado where I once lived - We are all Columbine: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9Seqhcq23M 

May you feel peace - and share the power of peace with others - today - especially today - and then every day thereafter! 

GAP

 

Context…

Sometimes it can be hard to put things into proper context.  Yet, when we don’t we usually don’t like the results. 

Throughout my sales career I sought context.  In a sales cycle, prospects offer information to sellers; lots and lots of information. The challenge?  Not all information carries the same level of importance.  First I learned and then I enabled other sellers that: 

Context is a killer app. 

The common example I used back in the day to poke fun at marketing-created cliches at Oracle NetSuite regarded the real-time capability to close a company’s monthly financial statements vs. the typical delayed process of days or even weeks to get financial reports from older software NetSuite was designed to replace. 

If you are the company’s Controller or CFO that sounds good, right?  Real-time, month-end closing?  But… would you spend $100,000 for it?  That’s the context.  Buying and implementing NetSuite ERP is generally a $100k spend (maybe more). 

Sales (and marketing) pitches are like that.  They might sound great, but…context can (literally) bite: 

…a Peter Sellers movie.  Sellers, as Inspector Clouseau, is standing at a street corner with a dog at his side when a stranger approaches him.  The stranger asks, “Does your dog bite?”  The always forthright Clouseau responds, “No.”  Then the dog at Sellers' side promptly chomps on the leg of the bystander.  The astonished man replies with justifiable anger, “I thought you said your dog does not bite.”  Sellers calmly replies, “It's not my dog.” 

Phillip G. Clampitt 

I remember to this day one of my very first sales meetings as an ADP National Accounts Account Executive.  I was meeting with the VP of Data Processing at Schwinn Bicycle in Chicago.  My sales pitch included several references to ADP’s superior “service”.   After the third or fourth time I uttered the word “service’, he interrupted me, and I paraphrase from memory, “Gary, I grew up on a farm.  And we took our cows to an adjacent farm to have them serviced by that farmer’s bull.  I suggest you be more careful telling me how much ADP will service us.”

Context remains a key challenge today, true?  All the headlines; all the hype.  How can we tell whether our information sources (be they human or AI) are providing us with a “service”, or just “servicing” us? 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Self-Sufficient?

Throughout my sales career, I prided myself on being (mostly) self-sufficient.  I say mostly because there were specific elements in my selling cycle where I accepted help – lots of help. 

First, I had great teammates in the role called “Systems Consultant”, “SC”, or generally “Pre-Sales”.  They are product and technology experts.  When the prospect asked a capabilities questions, even when I knew the answer, I deferred.  I knew as the salesman, my credibility could be suspect. The prospect always preferred answers from Subject Matter Experts. 

At the other end of the sales cycle, I rarely “closed the deal”.  I was skilled at it but closing simply wasn’t the part I enjoyed.  I was an excellent “opener”, a prospector, a “hunter” and I enjoyed the “hunt” more than I enjoyed the “kill”.  I usually turned control of the closing cycle over to my sales managers or company executives.  Imploring them not to screw things up, I pursued the next deal.  The best part was the commissions paid were the same! 

The third element to my lack of total self-sufficiency was caused by my curiosity.  I asked my prospects, “Why?” throughout our interactions.  I genuinely wanted to understand.  They welcomed my approach.  It was refreshing vs. my competitors constantly trial closing. 

To show their appreciation, my prospects would, "put their arm around my shoulder” and say, “Gary, let me help you.”  Then, they would tell me exactly what they planned to buy; why; how much they would pay; who I was competing against; when they would sign; and who was involved in the approval process.  All a result of genuinely asking, “Why?” 

What I learned later in life is being 100% self-sufficient causes ill effects.  A close companion of self-sufficiency in our career, and in our life, is: 

            Success Addiction 

          The feeling of never enough 

                        Unknown Sage

Ever feel that “never enough” feeling?  Does it keep you continuously connected?  Are you never “away” from your cell phone?  Do you bring work on vacation?  (I know – just “checking in”, right?) 

Turns out if we’re not careful – and during the height of my sales career I wasn’t careful – success addiction can lead us back to our Sage: 

The burden of self-sufficiency: 

• We set punishing performance standards for ourselves

• We have a compulsive work ethic

• We carry sadness and failure alone

It’s that last element, … “carrying sadness and failure alone”, that has become increasingly visible to me as I age.  The weight gets heavier if we let it: 

Success has many fathers while failure is an orphan. 

Russian Proverb 

Today, I’m trying to put my pride aside and accept help.  I want to eliminate “punishing performance standards”.  It’s time to dial down my effort.  I don’t want to keep beating myself up over failure.  At this point, I’m (finally) trying to become less self-sufficient. 

There’s so much more to life, true? 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

We’re in!

My wife and I enjoyed the Winter Olympics so much, we’re joining the Denver Curling Club.  Their Spring “Intro to Curling” program is only $250 per person for 5 sessions. 

Can’t wait!  We’re not alone.  According to The Curling News: 

Curling’s popularity in the U.S. has risen exponentially, ignited by Team Shuster’s improbable gold medal performance at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics. New fans were captivated thanks to five-time Olympian John Shuster and his colorful cast of characters – Tyler George (now retired) and front-ender Matt Hamilton among them. 

Well, we’re hopping on the band wagon.  Truthfully, until the recent 2026 Winter Olympics, we didn’t know much about curling.  Didn’t care much either.  Just seems like a game of shuffle board on ice.  So, we started doing a little research.  According to WorldCurling.org: 

The first written evidence of ‘curling’ appeared in Latin, when in 1540, John McQuhin, a notary in Paisley, Scotland, recorded in his protocol book a challenge between John Sclater, a monk in Paisley Abbey and Gavin Hamilton, a representative of the Abbot. 

Who knew? 

We also discovered our new-found recreational interest is going to require a bit of an “investment” beyond the $500 for lessons.  We need the right gear: 

Goldline Fiberlite Impact Broom $149.99 x 2 = $ 299.98

Goldline Broom Head Cover $ 11.99 x 2 = $  23.98

Hardline Tru-Grip Gloves $ 44.99 x 2 = $  89.98

Men's Momentum Rush Gen 2 Curling Shoes $ 219.99

Women's Momentum Ultra Shoes $ 239.99

Scepter Curling Delivery Stabilizer $  76.50

Remanufactured Ailsa Craig Granite Curling Stones

from Canada Curling Stone Co. $7,200.00

Grand Total $8,073.92  (Plus tax and shipping)

Again - Who knew? 

Thankfully, we have a home equity line of credit so we can spread our investments out over 5 years.  It’s just $172.96 at our 10.75% interest.  We’ll be 78 when the loan is paid.  Not sure how many 78 year olds play curling, but we’ll find out. 

When we called Mom to share the exciting news, can you believe she didn’t believe us?  Something about someone named Penny: 

Captain Penny's Law 

You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool Mom. 

                   Unknown Sage 

And yes… April Fools! 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.