How they blew it by Jamie Oliver and Tony Goodwin

Reach back into your memories of your high school English class and remember hubris, that overwhelming, overblown feeling of pride and self-confidences, that the gods enjoy punishing, usually with maiming, sometimes with thunderbolts. How They Blew It: The CEOs and Entrepreneurs Behind Some of the World's Most Catastrophic Business Failures catalogs some of the most astonishing business failures of the past decade and hubris seems to be the principal cause of many of these failures. That and losing track of what business, exactly, their companies were in.

From entrepreneurs that ran afoul of their former business/government allies (Khodorkovsky, Berezovsky and Zhengyi) to CEOs who were eaten for lunch when the banks tanked (Johannesson, Fuld and Cayne), and including the tragic ends of two CEOs (Merckle and Foster) who took their lives--and the lives of his family, in the case of Foster--when their investments fell apart, How They Blew It is an international rogues' gallery of business leaders whose investments just seemed to implode. One of the conclusions that the book reaches is that the failed business leaders were too smart for their own good and tended to overlook what their delegates were doing or to keep their eye on the business bottom line. As a statement about how to stay focused on the core business, How They Blew It lays out a case for looking to the future while also concentrating on the present.

Though most of the cases are laid out in a lurid, breathless fashion, and most of the sources cited are business periodicals with no references to books written about the events, the book does also remind the reader that entrepreneurs can be very successful, and even if they don't achieve dazzling fortunes, entrepreneurs account for a significant number of jobs and create wealth, even on a small scale. This book would be useful to librarians who are trying to get a handle on some of the biggest business scandals and debacles of the past decade but it would also provide a starry-eyed entrepreneur with a warning about reaching too far with one hand while failing to hold on to a firm base with the other. Which is the point about stories about hubris--confidence based in actual achievement is good, but excessive pride is punished. Thankfully only in stories is it punished with thunderbolts.

Ummm, has this guy met any real dogs?

As I was reading the article, Things You Can Learn From a Dog That Will Help Your Career, I wondered, has this guy met any real dogs? Is this Descartes' dog? I have lived with and cared for many dogs and I can tell you, they don't act like this.

A dog doesn't mind when you wake him. This actually refers to another article that the author wrote which espouses some of the virtues that Bill Bennett wanted us to learn through sanctimonious fairy tales--and yeah, we remember how that turned out. Dogs, though not as ornery as cats about disturbed naps, like sleep too; apparently they like to sleep 13 hours a day which puts them on par with most teenagers--and we know where most of them work, don't we?

This is an example of people not knowing how well the dog has trained them. A lesson to us all: teach your employer your schedule so you can spend most of the day outside.

Dogs are not inconvenienced by having to move. I don't know about that--is there a rawhide on the pillow? I have had dogs almost take my hand off to stay in a desired spot, enjoying a cherished activity. And, yes, they have the weapons to make good on that threat. We consider that bad form in the work place.

"He only cares what you say to him, not about him." This depends on relevance and tone. Why do people with dogs constantly spell certain words, coming up with phrases like, "Let's W-A-L-K to the store." Yell at the TV over a particularly bad call during the game and the dog will run for cover. Dogs are probably more aware of our language and behavior than we think--just like we think we are being oh so sly when we close doors to have conversations at work. Posture and tone also convey disdain and condescension in humans, even if our words say something else. I learned that one by watching Lie to Me, because TV is another place to get sound business advice.

Your dog doesn't care what you wear. Bearded men, approach a dog that lives with a woman and see what happens. I would go with option d: mayhem. Wear a ball cap like the kid that tormented the dog through the fence, but when the dog charges, remove the cap quickly to protect your genitals. Dogs are just as fussy about appearances as humans are and they depend on a uniform shape to give them information about what or who is approaching them. They, too, make snap decisions about appearance based on types they have encountered in the past. They may care less about piercings though and many of them have tattoos.

"He’s there for you - not for you to help him self-actualize." Your dog is there because you feed him. Sorta like a salary, but paid in chow. Yes, a dog will feel loyal and do many things for love, usually based on your good behavior in the past, but some dogs, like some employees, will run away if we fail to keep our side of the bargain.

Dogs rely on their senses to make stunningly accurate evaluations and we should use a smell test to evaluate a scenario. Dogs, like humans, can be overstimulated by their senses and information. Have you ever seen a dog luxuriate in a scent, rubbing her whole body in it, only for the unfortunate owner to discover that it is something rancid or decaying? Sort of the like the person who is is approached with a plumy deal that smells like money, only to find it is not as ideal as they had hoped. Dogs will throw themselves enthusiastically into one scent, even if it stinks.

However, his first sentence was accurate, when he wrote, "It seems we’ll go to any lengths these days to find inspiration and guidance, particularly when it comes to the subject of how to behave at work."

NACE Job Outlook 2011

According to the NACE Job Outlook for 2011, the prospects for the graduating class of 2011 is improved, with approximately half of the respondents stating that the job market was "good". This survey focuses on the entry into the job market for undergraduates, so it doesn't have much to say for professional librarians, unless you were looking for a position with a NACE member.

And an increase in GPA screening? What can I say but I wish that you dudes would read Moneyball.