Who moved my country?

Of cheese, rodentia, and the wee people

Sean Cavendish — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:07:31 +0000

Early in 2003, just as my former employer was getting all excited about how many American technologists they could lay off in favor of hiring those who were reported to be better and smarter in almost every way over in that little part of the world to which Columbus thought he was heading, my manager “suggested” that I read a certain tome with which many in my field have undoubtedly become familiar, Who Moved My Cheese? Allow me to get one thing said at the outset: I get it. Or at least I think I do:

When life dumps a mess in your lap, don’t just sit and stare at it. Get up, change your trousers, and move on.

Perhaps that’s a bit simplistic, but I believe that it encapsulates the message accurately. There were the 2 mice, the 2 tiny men (how very imaginative, Dr. Johnson), the “maze”, the “cheese”, and the mysterious force that evidently held sway over the cheese’s whereabouts. Those were the major players, as I recall. The lesson to be learned? Don’t be like the little men — be like the mice, who, seeing their predicament, mindlessly trudged on in search of new cheese, never stopping to consider what may have become of the original cheese stores or what its disappearance might foretell about the state of the maze. (All right, I’m not altogether sure that the good doctor had that exact message in mind, but make no mistake — the mice are definitely the role models the wiser of the 2 little fellows decides to emulate.)

Did I mention that I get it? Most of us who are sharp enough to keep the wheels greased in a Fortune 500 company by managing (some actually architecting) its complex information systems probably have some clue that standing around waiting for situations to reverse themselves will accomplish nothing — which is only slightly more than upper management is often capable of accomplishing, incidentally. On a good day, that is. But a closer look at this cheesy volume reveals a mindset with which, perhaps, fewer clergymen and other humanitarian fans might have been so enamored — that those in the corner offices somehow have absolutely no responsibility to those in the cubicles.

Do I mean that it is unethical for a corporation’s executives to look after the bottom line? Absolutely not. Unless, that is, that’s all they’re looking after. Unless their lust for more and more profits cause them to forget all the happy-family, go-team, let’s-all-stick-together speeches they delivered when they wanted their employees to feel and show loyalty to the company, then turned them out as soon as it benefited them financially. Unless they enticed said employees with implications of rewards down the line for their long years of service. Unless, in other words, they are not completely devoid of humanity, of morality, of substance, and of soul. Of course, even if executives are all those things, it’s still not illegal in today’s America.

Dr. Johnson’s cheese, too, is evidently mysteriously just… provided. There is no mention, to my recollection, of how hard the characters — mice or men — worked, how much they sacrificed, how many nights they spent away from home while managing the “maze”. The cheese, according to the author, is simply an entitlement they all thought they were owed somehow. I wonder just how similar that is to how upper management sees its “little people”. I wonder whether, in their minds, nothing is actually earned by their employees — only provided to them by a benevolent few at the top, to whom is owed loyalty and trust no matter what havoc their decisions play.

Well, it’s no secret by now that I’m not a fan of the aforementioned book. That said, I did learn at least one lesson from reading it. Whatever your view of change — a recognition that it is unavoidable, a crippling dread of its impending effect on your life, or naive euphoria that views it as good no matter what — know this: If your manager, HR professional, or any other authority in your workplace ever hands you a copy of Who Moved My Cheese, prepare to print a few copies of your resume, and get a letter of recommendation while you can!

Potato Salad

Sean Cavendish — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:47:39 +0000

If you’ll remember (those of you who’ve bothered to read my “about” page), I mentioned that this ‘blog wouldn’t be completely about corporate greed and government corruption, and here’s an example.

My lovely wife, Josie (of Josie’s Bookshelf fame) recently happened onto a restaurant in downtown Fort Worth called Daddy Jack’s. The owner of the establishment is from one of our favorite necks of the proverbial wood, Nova Scotia, so we decided to give it a try on our anniversary this year.

Well, it was every bit as good as we’d hoped. I was in a soupy mood that day and couldn’t decide on clam chowder or lobster bisque, so I opted for a cup of both and was not disappointed. (Enjoyed the chowder the most, though, so no hard decisions next time.)

What was really peculiar — and I mean that in the best way — was the Italian potato salad that came with Josie’s grilled fish. I’ve never been a huge fan of “traditional” potato salad. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that I wouldn’t touch it with an 11-foot pole, since it’s typically prepared with some amount of mayonnaise.

But Italian potato salad, with its mix of olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and parsley, is a dish I can appreciate. Thanks, Daddy Jack!

Until next time…
SC

Onshoring: Outsourcing to Rural America

Sean Cavendish — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:20:00 +0000

I recently happened onto a topic about which I’d never heard before (ironically, while browsing through the context ads to the right of my first post on this blog): “onshoring”. Evidently, according to one source I found, anyway, it is also referred to as “nearshoring”, although I had always heard of the latter as offshoring to Canada and/or Mexico.

The idea behind the phenomenon is that companies (I’m guessing largely US companies) would be able to outsource their IT work to virtual workers within the US rather than in India, for example, while still cutting costs. One such company, whom you may have seen advertised by Google already, is Onshore Technology Services, based in Missouri.

Onshore’s Mission Statement:
Rural outsourcing offers a cost-effective yet risk-adverse alternative to offshore outsourcing. Using an innovative training program, Onshore is retooling Missouri’s rural workforce in advanced technology professions. Rural Outsourcing is America’s answer to globalization and the preferred method of containing software development costs, improving technology throughput, and creating American jobs.

Now that’s a company thinking about something other than just the bottom line! Don’t get me wrong — I wholeheartedly disagree with those (primarily on the left) who claim that increasing profit margins is somehow evil, in and of itself. However, when it means selling out one’s own countrymen, we have a problem. There was a day, of course, when the USA did right by its citizen workers through the use of tariffs on foreign goods. In fact, those tariffs went a long way toward funding the federal government, as well, before the infamous (and perhaps never truly ratified) 16th amendment passed and gave Congress permission to penalize the most industrious among us and reward the lazy, but that’s another rant for another day.

These days, however, “American” companies are able to import and/or hire from nations like India, Indonesia, and China; and that, of course, puts immense, Horton-the-elephant-like downward pressure on wages here in the States. Not to mention the fact that China, several times granted most-favored nation trading status going back as far as the Clinton administration, is well known for its human rights atrocities, including, but not limited to, sweat shops “employing” young children for whom the state has predetermined a career path.

I hope companies like Onshore can reverse the trend toward offshoring, at least for IT jobs. Perhaps a similar revolution can transpire in other arenas, as well, although how it would — apart from our throwing out the rotten apples in Congress (and the White House) that allow it today — I do not know. (By the way, “apples” is not the first term that came to mind, but I’d like to keep this a family-friendly forum.)

We still have the right (for now) and duty to vote every 2 years in America. Should we not vote out the beligerant, insubordinate representatives (our employees, after all) who ignore their constituents’ demands that the border be closed and offshoring be taxed appropriately? (Incidentally, didn’t President Obama promise the latter during his campaign? Now that would be a stimulus!)

OK, I’m done for now, but look for more on onshoring soon. I’m pretty psyched about it, and I’m hoping to learn and pass on more and more.

Until next time…
SC

Sorry, Gordon Gekko, but greed is… well, not good.

Sean Cavendish — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:11:00 +0000

I don’t know how to describe my mood as I “pen” this first of what will hopefully become a long series of “letters” to my friends, total strangers, myself — whoever chooses to read them. I’m ticked off. I’m saddened. I’m even a little hopeful — but not very.

I have been working these past 3 years for a large outsourcing company whose stated goal is to offshore 80% of its IT staff to India. The executives and their lackeys say they’re doing so “in order to survive”. Perhaps there’s some truth to that statement, but I suspect that unbridled greed is a more accurate description of the situation.

It’s not the first time I’ve worked for such a company. Indeed, I left (voluntarily) what was once a very enjoyable situation with a large telecom company that was also ditching Americans in favor of foreign workers at a (at that time) shocking pace. Their company line was that they were stripping away non-revenue functions and concentrating on their core competencies. (Yeah, you’ve likely heard that one before, too.)

Meanwhile, in my home state, Texas, I witness illegal immigrants displacing skilled workers, manual laborers, and service workers in record numbers. So, anyone thinking of leaving the technical, professional arena in order to, for example, learn a trade and start his own small business — one that can’t possibly be offshored — has to contend with that issue.

Then there’s our government. Republican, Democrat, or Independent, if you’re a fan of common sense, you can’t be happy with what’s going down today in terms of bail-outs, stimulus programs, and representatives and other officials constantly on the take. Oh, they are — you know they are.

So, how can I (or anyone who is chagrined by these matters) be hopeful? Well, it’s complicated. Part of it stems from my being a Christian. (I know how this story ends.) If that’s enough to offend you and cause you to stop reading this post, have a nice day.

Another stimulant for my hopefulness comes from the old adage that goes, “when you hit rock bottom, the only way to look is up”. I don’t know that we’ve hit rock bottom. There are unemployment rates in some states that break Great Depression era records. (Incidentally, I’ve recently begun to wonder what we’re going to call “The Great Depression” if our current economy continues to the point that it dwarfs that period in severity.)

But part of the hopefulness also stems from my belief that Americans, having been forced to do so by the greed of employers whose only god is their balance sheet, will return this country to an economic model based on the prevalence of small, even individually owned businesses. Perhaps we’ll learn to stand on our own feet now that corporate “America” (i.e., modern-day slave traders) are replacing us with those they say can do the work Americans do (or “won’t do”, as President Bush once claimed) for less than half the cost.

Still, unless our nation turns back to the God we once collectively served; unless we confess to and turn from the corruption that has infected our collective body, from our board rooms to our bedrooms, from our schools to our Senate; we, as a nation, are now and will continue to be totally and irreversibly lost. May God have mercy on us in whatever form it must take to avoid that!

Until next time…
SC