Motherhood: A Woman's Choice

I was inspired by a conversation this morning on Twitter by some women who are in their 40's and have yet to marry and have children but long to be mothers.  They affectionately refer to each other as #PANK (Professional Aunts No Kids).  I could just tell by their tweets that these women definitely have the hearts of mothers and feel like maybe their time is up.

I can't pretend to understand because I've been a mother all of my adult life. I had my first child at the tender age of 21 and my second at 36. So I've been somebody's mama for almost 22 years now. But what I did sense from these women was a longing that is real to any woman especially a mother.  I empathize with their longing.

But there are options now.  I think as women, we need to update the conversation and change the paradigm.  We've updated our thinking in so many areas of life but we're still stuck in an outdated paradigm of motherhood. In other words, "I have to be married and I have to conceive the child biologically with my husband."  And while that may be the ideal, it's certainly not the only option.  Adoption and surrogates can also be options now and women should be open to exploring them.  I have many close friends and colleagues who either were adopted or adopted children themselves. And they would tell you that they feel extreme love from their adoptive parents or for their adopted children.

It's not impossible.  But often we want to dictate how God chooses to bless us. If it doesn't come in a certain package, then we might miss it.  Think about all of the women who are raising children without husbands right now. Fathers who were killed in wars or died from diseases or just walked away. Grandmothers, aunts and girlfriends who have stepped in and are raising someone else's children because maybe the biological mother can't.  These women are no less mothers because the fathers aren't in the picture.  So then "motherhood" is NOT defined by the presence or absence of the father.  Motherhood is a relationship between a nurturing woman and a child period.  A woman who has chosen that she wants to spend her life and resources helping this child find or make his or her place in the world. Chosen to love that child unconditionally.

So why aren't more women exploring single motherhood via adoption or surrogates? We are more educated and financially equipped now than ever before so why don't we feel we can do it?  I think that part of the reason some women don't explore the options of single adoption or surrogates is because over the years we've secretly and harshly judged single mothers and so the idea of "choosing" to be one forces us to look at that judgment for what it is.  We've secretly wondered "what did she do to run that man off?" We've judged her as irresponsible with her sexuality never thinking that "her" is "us".  And I can tell you that as a single mother, I've judged myself that way.  I've wondered the same things about myself earlier in my life.  I've beat myself up about how my choices may negatively impact the lives of my children.  But rather than being a victim of my circumstances and choices, I do the best that I can and just love them and myself.  And let's be honest, it's hard. Raising kids will tap into every issue, insecurity, fear and pain you can experience.  But nothing in my life has brought me greater joy either so I wish it for every woman who desires to experience it.

So to all of those moms-to-be, I don't believe that God would plant a desire for motherhood in you so deeply only to deny you the blessing. It may take a while (Sara and Abraham in the Bible) or it may come by different means but it IS possible.  God is faithful.

Blessings to all the mothers and mothers to-be.

The People Strategist: Education Nation Tour Rolls Through Atlanta

The People Strategist: Education Nation Tour Rolls Through Atlanta: I was fortunate to be able to attend the Job One: Preparing America to Compete in the 21st Century event at the Georgia Aquarium on May...

Education Nation Tour Rolls Through Atlanta

I was fortunate to be able to attend the Job One: Preparing America to Compete in the 21st Century event at the Georgia Aquarium on May 7, 2012.  The session was part of the Atlanta leg of the Education Nation Tour 2012 and was sponsored by NBC News and the University of Phoenix.  There was a gathering of public officials, educators, parents, community leaders and business executives all there to discuss education reform in the State of Georgia.  In attendance were:

• Governor Nathan Deal
• Senator Johnny Isakson
• Mayor of Atlanta Kasim Reed
• Paul Bowers, President & CEO of Georgia Power
• Shan Cooper, VP & GM Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
• Ken Cornelius, President & CEO Siemens One
• John Patterson, Chairman JCB North America
• Val Rahmani, CEO Damballa

David Gregory of Meet the Press was the moderator for the program along with audience correspondent and 11Alive News education reporter Donna Lowry.  It was a very informative event and I was invited to cover it given my role as a Georgia business owner and someone very passionate about closing the skills gap for new entrants to the workplace.

Below is my recap of the event. What are you thoughts about what Georgia and the country can and should do regarding serious education reform?  Feel free to share this with others who care about this important issue.

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Trellis Usher (www.TRE-Group.com) offers her thoughts on what makes a great leader

"The function of leadership is to produce more leaders not more followers."  Ralph Nader

Great leaders beget other great leaders.  One of the core competencies that you will find in most leadership competency models has something to do with developing other leaders as well as creating high performing teams.  All too often, when things aren't going in that direction, it becomes easier to look for subordinates to throw under the proverbial "bus" rather than step up ones' leadership game.  I can't tell you how many organizations I've been apart of that reward this very behavior.  Now I'm all for employee's taking accountability for their own performance or lack of performance but as a person who has worked most of my career helping to uncover barriers to peak performance, I know that it's rarely just one thing.

The question begging to be addressed is how can an employee who was once a star performer (under one leader) now be fledgling under another leader?  I hear your defenses going up! The first thing most of us want to say, especially if we feel slightly convicted because we know that our own leadership may be questionable, is that "my expectations are higher.  That other person didn't really know what they were doing."  That could be partly true.  But I'd suggest that being a great leader is less about technical competence in a particular discipline and more about how you motivate, inspire, coach and develop others to be their best.  Even if a former leader was not as smart as you are but he or she was able to inspire commitment and hard work from members of the team then you could stand to learn a few things.

As hard as we try, we can't separate the effectiveness of a leader from the performance of those he leads.  They are interwoven.  The measuring stick for what defines a good leader has to include his or her ability to successfully develop the next group of leaders.  Throwing people under the bus or off the boat is rarely the answer.  Not only might it be a missed opportunity for you as a leader but those that remain will find it difficult to be loyal to a leader who holds this philosophy.  Those that we find most difficult to lead probably are offering us the greatest gift in our leadership journey.  Don't miss the gift!

As a leader what lessons have you learned from employees that you found difficult to lead or manage?

Corporate Functions Need Strong Business Partnering Skills

As I consult with leaders of corporate or enabling business functions, there continue to be a few recurring themes -- "we want and need a seat and a voice at the table and for our operational peers to see us as strong business partners and not just a pair of hands." The other thing I consistently hear from CIO's, CHRO's and CFO's is that their leaders need to see themselves as "business" leaders who happen to also have deep specialization in IT, HR or Finance.

This is the age-old question of generalist or specialist. The answer depends on what's going on in your organization. For example you might decide to build broad internal expertise around functional domains and outsource or insource the highly specialized areas (leadership programs, instructional design, payroll and benefits administration, contract/legal reviews, annual report creation, etc.).

As a person who has spent most of my career as a specialist, I'm hired specifically for my subject-matter expertise. The clients that I work with count on my ability to quickly understand their unique challenges and apply highly specialized practices and processes to help them achieve their goals. Those interactions helped me realize that I was learning as much as I was teaching. I set a goal to ensure that I learned at least two new facts about their specific area of the business. I scheduled "ride-alongs" or shadow days so that I could get a sense of what the leaders typical day involved and ask questions.

My point is that functional specialists have to be first in line with a desire to broaden their skills. We must see each interaction with our business partners as an opportunity to learn and build business acumen. As you do, you'll find that your seat at the table becomes "Reserved".

Trellis Hears a Who!

I've often felt like an anomaly whether with friends or family or even in my profession. Sometimes I have this nagging sense of not feeling quite like "a part of". Not in a bad or creepy way but like my contentment has an itch in the center of it's back that I can't quite reach. There's often this voice in my head telling me to try and reach for things that at first glance seem impossible or maybe just impractical. Is the voice torturing me or merely trying to get me to pay attention to something that's really there.

So Trellis, what does that have to do with the title of this blog. Well if you have children, you're undoubtedly familiar with the Dr. Seuss book and movie "Horton Hears a Who". The plot of this story is that there is an entire community (Who-Ville) living on a speck that lands on a flower. The Whos are going about their lives oblivious to the fact that there's an entire other community outside of the speck which is where Horton lives until one day the communities collide because Horton (a very large elephant) hears a faint, small voice coming from the speck. Of course Horton initially thinks he's crazy and that he's hearing things. Horton tries to ignore the voices but eventually realizes they are real.

Well, you can imagine what happens when Horton tries to convince his friends that there is an entire microscopic planet on a speck, that they are speaking to him and asking for his help. You guessed it.. he is ridiculed and forced into a cage by the other animals in the jungle for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear.

I think all of us at times feel like Horton. We hear or see or aspire to achieve something that seems so impossible that at first we don't even believe it. It can take us a lifetime to finally submit to that voice, even if only for ourselves -- but that's not where the real work begins. The real work is then being brave enough to live out what's real for you in the face of many people around you telling you you're crazy.

So for the rest of you "Hortons" out there, here are some tips that have helped me on my journey:

1. Stop beating yourself up for not "getting it" sooner.
   


2. Create margin in your life. If the "practical' stuff takes up all of the space, energy, resources and creativity, you won't have much left for the possibilities.

1. Expect opposition even from yourself.
   


2. Find and cultivate relationships with people who believe in you.
   


3. Realize there's nothing wrong with you.
   


4. Realize there's nothing wrong with other people either.
   
   


5. LISTEN! This means you have to be still and focus on that faint voice.
   


6. ACT on what you hear!
   


7. Find someone to help keep you accountable to your action plan.

Just remember, the voices won't go away because the "Whos" really are there. They're not figments of your imagination.


"even though you can’t see or hear them at all, a person’s a person, no matter how small" -- Horton - Dr. Suess

Nobody is going to do it for you!

There are certain junctures in life where we're all called upon to really walk out what we say we believe. It usually comes at the most inconvenient time. A time where we are not feeling particularly courageous or equipped. I can't recall who said it but there's a quote that says " if it was easy everybody would do it". Well, it's not easy and nobody's going to do it for you!

Whatever the hurdle or decision is that you've been avoiding because it seems too hard, just know that you can do it. You HAVE to do it. You're the only one who CAN do it which means you have all that you need. There are huge risks involved in living our values and making the tough decisions but there are also great rewards. So...get to it!!

We are all capable of greatness.

I was talking to a friend and colleague yesterday about life in general and how both life and circumstance seem to be conspiring to keep us all locked in our "boxes". We talked about our hesitation and in some cases downright unwillingness to question the ideas and beliefs that we've held on to for much if not most of our lives. But how do you REALLY "know" a thing if you've never, on some level, asked the question??? A favorite quote of mine (and I can't recall where I first heard it--either inside our out of my head) is that "untested faith (in anyone or anything) is unreliable". In other words, I can say I have faith in my desk chairs' ability to hold me but until I plop my butt down in it, I'm not acting on my faith. I'm not "testing" the chairs' ability to deliver the goods. I'm looking at it and it's looking back at me as it were...but neither never really KNOWS, right?

The "box" represents everything we know, believe, have experienced, have been told or taught. Those beliefs, experiences, stories and lessons have shaped who we are. They provide the "backstory" to our lives. Interestingly, the box both informs and reinforces every decision we make or don't make and every action we take or don't take and even our secret thoughts. So in essence, if you never think or venture outside of the box it will do what it's designed to do which is keep you "in" and keep everything else "out". That's what boxes are for. Some people's arrogance would have them believe that they aren't boxed in but if you look closer, they really just have a bigger box. At first glance they may seem to be more free...more money, more prestige, more self-actualized, more educated...but those things can also be boxes.

I don't typically do well in boxes long-term even when it's of my own making. I'm an emotional, spiritual claustrophobic! I don't like being in tight, closed spaces. I don't like having limits placed on me nor should I place them on myself and others. I have no idea what another person is capable of and so shouldn't project my own insecurities and limitations on them. We're all capable if greatness.

So whatever your box is, it's worth it to venture outside. Do something different. Face your fears head-on. No one ever became a better version by taking the safe route. As we all reflect on the greatest of now deceased Apple CEO Steve Jobs, he is being celebrated for deciding that he was not going to waste his life living someone else's. We should all be so brave.

"Wonder Twins...Activate!!"

I had an ephiphany of sorts while talking to a friend today. Reaching out, asking for help or leaning on a trusted friend is not a sign of weakness. It's actually a necessary part of our journey. And I think women are notorius for this! Having been a female all of my life, a mother about half of it and a busy executive about a third of it--I can testify that women have a terrible time asking for help. Somewhere in our DNA is this idea that I have to be all things to all people at all times and do it wearing a smile, lipstick and a sharp pair of 5-inch heels! Now, don't get me wrong, a woman in a pair of 5-inch heels is definitely a force to be reckoned with but if she's disconnected, it's only a matter of time before she comes tumbling down.

So, what does this have to do with the Wonder Twins?? Well, even though they both possessed supernatural powers and abilities, it was their connection (the pre-Obama fist bump) that activated those powers. What am I saying? Connection is the trigger on the gun that propels you to your greatest potential! Can you accomplish things on your own? Yes and some things you must. But don't be afraid to simply reach out and touch somebody's hand and make this world a better place, if you can...lol...okay now that's a bit corny but you get my meaning.

Thanks Coach Kev :)

Get your mind right!!! Rising Up!

During a time when unemployment is at an historic high, it's hard to resist the temptation to be very reactive when it comes to searching for that next opportunity. Most people have a tendency to just start "doing" things (i.e. revising their resume, going through their address book, stalking the online job boards, etc.). While all of these activites are certainly part of an effective job/opportunity search, there's a preliminary activity that I assert is more important than all the others combined. My grandmother called it "getting your mind right". By that she meant take some time to assess and adjust how you are thinking BEFORE you DO anything. The simple wisdom of elders is so profound!

Without taking time to identify how you THINK about work, the marketplace and your place in it, the job or opportunity search becomes a meaningless activity. As Coach Kevin Johnson admonished our listeners, you need to put your job/opportunity search in the context of your personal and professional purpose. For some, getting a pink slip could be just the needed nudge to move them into a more purposeful life and career.

So if you're currently unemployed, think you might be the next recipient of a pink slip or are voluntarily making a career transition, this show can help!! Check out the podcast for the Rising Up! show titled Laid Off: Strategies for the Unemployed to hear more!

Also thanks to our caller Victoria from Chicago, IL. We wish you luck with your upcoming career fair. For those of you in the Chicagoland area, here's the information:

VJS Enterprises Career Fair & Expo
May 30, 2009
www.vjsenterprises.net

PLAY NICE !!! Some ground rules for networking

I've been recently struck by the emergence of so many new networking groups....online, off-line, cyber, social, cyber-social. Everyone it seems is hitching their car to the networking train. And while I'm a big proponent of networking in all of its forms, it does require a few ground rules. So in the spirit of the "Top 10" from most late night shows, here's my Top 5:

#5. Focus. Don't join networking groups that are in no way related to your career, goals, passions or hobbies. You can easily become overwhelmed and distracted by joining too may groups.

#4. Develop a professional email account. After all, who wants to network with LadyNred@hotmail.com or TeddyBear69@yahoo.com. There are other types of "networking" sites for that. Nuff said.

#3. Stay engaged. Dead weight is no fun even in cyber space. The group only works if everyone participates.

#2. Know your stuff. Only comment and provide information and expertise on subjects that you know about. This also helps the group determine its strenghts and where there might be opportunities to invite other people.

#1. Give as good as you get. Networking is about seeking help and guidance when you need it and providing it when someone else needs it. Don't only think of your needs. For every person that you solicit help from find one person who you can help.


This is all really basic stuff but as a colleague of mine often reminds me "common knowledge isn't always common practice".

You "must" join the conversation

It occurred to me while on a SHRM-Atlanta webinar today that HR professionals are and can be very instrumental in helping their organizations embrace and exploit social media to their company's best interest. Steve Cadley and Chuck Zdrojowy conducted a webinar for SHRM-Atlanta's membership on the topic of social media and some of its implications for the internal HR practitioner as well as the external HR Consultant. Whether the issue is social media policy, employee morale, productivity, defining new job roles, communication, culture, or increased revenue, HR professionals have a hand in how social media is viewed and implemented in corporations.

Steve admonished us to "join the conversation" that is happening all around us and in some cases in spite of us. HR has always had to balance the needs of the firm with the needs of the employees and that is even more the case in this new, virtual, geographically dispersed marketplace. The webinar was very informative but also provoked more questions for me as I try to figure out how to help organizations shift how they think about social media.

I can see clearly now that the money is gone!

As organizations continue to face massive challenges, more budget cuts and layoffs are inevitable. The WSJ reported today that Liz Claiborne CEO William McComb is flying commercial these days to cut costs. The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) reported on a Watson Wyatt study that U.S compensation committees are continuing to adjust CEO pay plans. And a recent survey from Expertus reveals that roughly 48% of learning executives expect to see decreases rather than increases to their budgets in 2009.

As I've talked and interviewed with colleagues and journalists over the past few weeks, I've given them the typical learning executive mantra that now more than ever "training must be aligned to the business objectives". And almost 100% of the time their retort is "well shouldn't it have been that way all along?". I chuckle now even thinking about their logical but naive question. Of course the obvious answer is "YES!" So what have we been doing? Well not unlike Wall Street, Main Street, GE, Ford, Chrysler, the U.S Government and a host of others, we ignored our better judgment in some cases and thought that it would always be springtime. The sky would always be blue. Flowers would always be in bloom and everything that we touch would prosper and grow. But for those who've been living in a cave, Winter has officially arrived.

As we've seen recently, corporations can be somewhat short-sighted in their pursuit of market share, profit and competitive advantage. This doesn't exclude the training function. During the times of plenty, we implemented programs that had some intrinsic quality of goodness and our gut told us that the organization would realize some benefits from it but we couldn't quite articulate or better yet credibly correlate those benefits to desired business outcomes. Well, those days are over. With limited budgets and resources, learning executives and their teams must now take a step back and assess their portfolio of learning assets and make tough decisions on what stays, what goes and what can be repackaged and repurposed. There needs to be a clear and credible "line of sight" between the programs we deliver and the desired business outcomes. While training cannot claim 100% of the credit for positive results, we certainly aren't in any position to give away any credit that rightly belongs to us. For more information on isolating the effects of training programs, Jack and Patti Phillips of the ROI Institute have done some outstanding work.

So as we settle into winter, can we expect a bailout for corporate training fuctions? Um, probably not. While training departments certainly shouldn't hold their breath waiting for a bailout from the C-Suite, I'm hopeful that we will come out of this better focused and positioned to drive positive performance for decades to come.

I sat down and discussed this topic with journalist Scott Wescott a few weeks ago. Check out his recent article for HR Executive Online.

533,000 jobs lost in Nov 08: I see opportunity!

Today, several news outlets including CNN and the Wall Street Journal reported that an additional 533,000 jobs were lost in November alone which is the highest in over 30 years. The unemployment rate is at 6.7% it's highest level in about 15 years. I think we all agree that most of us have never seen numbers like this in our lifetimes. While attending a Women's Leadership Exchange event last month, the group of women executives was reminded that the Chinese symbol for crisis and opportunity is the same. I remembered hearing it somewhere before but at this time it was particularly relevant. On a national economic level 6.7% unemployment is definitely a crisis that needs to be addressed at the national level by creation of new jobs, restructuring of the financial markets and other things that the government should and can help facilitate. But for the individual, these tough times can represent a new beginning for some.

So, what do you do if you're one of the over 1.5 million people who have lost a job this year? Here's my list of some things that can help turn your personal crisis into a potential opportunity:

1. Research emerging and recession-proof industries. Some industries still manage to do well in a down economy. Research those industries and skill needs in those industries to determine if you have transferable skills. It's important to stay current with what's going on in the overall economy and workforce not just on your former employer and industry.
   Re-skill. Essentially if you're in an industry that has been hit hard and isn't like to recover in the next five years or so, look closely at other industries where your skills may now be in-demand. Where you lack the industry specific skills, get them! Your state's Department of Labor has several great resources to help you with research and your job search.
2. Develop a "career portfolio". If the perfect opportunity presented itself tomorrow, would you be prepared to take advantage of it? If you were with a company for several years and your resume hasn't been updated, it's time to give it an upgrade. The standard resume format and content that was popular 10-12 years ago, won't cut it today. Companies and recruiters want to know less about what you've done and more about the results or outcomes of all your work. You need to have that work documented and compiled in one place. A Career Portfolio should include a brief summary of your professional experience including industries you've worked in, highlights of 4-5 major career accomplishments, work experience with results (not just a list of activities or duties) and sample work products (things you actually produced - widgets, processes, training, improvements, revenue, expense reduction, etc.). Some candidates opt to create their portfolio's as password-protected web pages. This makes it easier to submit to prospective employers and/or clients.
3. Go back to school. If you don't possess some of the critical skills to become or remain viable in a time when the search for jobs is highly competitive, you may need to return to school to obtain new skills. Think carefully about the industry and function you will pursue. It should be something that compliments or builds on existing skillsets and will broaden your level of expertise. At 40 or 50 years old, you don't necessarily want to start over. Also some retirement plans allow for non-penalty withdrawals if you use them to take college-level courses at an accredited institution.
4. Work as an independent contractor. Even though some companies don't have funding for headcount, they do have budgets to hire consultants. Corporate executives know that in times like this, the work still has to get done. So even if they can't afford a permanent full-time resource (fully loaded for benefits and bonuses), they may be willing to outsource the work to an independent consultant. In some cases, you can consult with the employer that just laid you off. Make sure you are up to date on any legal implications and IRS requirements of working as a contract employee.

So, there are lots of opportunities out there for people affected by these massive layoffs. So once you're done crying and panicking and being angry remember, you're not a victim. Your career is yours to control. It always has been!

PeopleBuilders Podcast

The criticality of vision and execution

I, like many others, am struck at the coming together of President-Elect Barack Obama's cabinet members. I start each day reading the latest blogs, vlogs and online articles to find out who he has named and for which post. The observation that many pundits have made regarding his decision to select very experienced "insiders" for key positions is one that bears further investigation.

Since most of my time is spent in the world of leadership development and helping organizations establish high performing teams, I'm all over these cabinet appointments! Obama is doing exactly what I advise organizations and executives to do..."staff your weaknesses". As a leader not only do you have to have a clue about your strengths, you also need to be keenly aware of your weaknesses. It's ridiculous to think that Barack Obama possesses all of the intelligence, insight, temperance, fight, good judgment and wisdom to run this country alone. It's just as ridiculous to assume that our corporate leaders can do their jobs alone. What President-Elect Obama and successful executives have figured out is that you need to put competent people around you with diverse perspectives and who are committed to execute your vision. A cold, hard fact of establishing a team like this also means that sometimes the most qualified person to serve beside you may not be your biggest fan. Great leaders have to be willing to check their egos at the door for the sake of getting the job done. Even if your "rivals" occassionally make your job a bit frustrating, that's the price of sitting in the big chair. You're the leader....LEAD!

In an interview that aired on CNN over the weekend, Obama was asked if he was concerned that appointing so many Washington insiders after he campaigned and won on a platform of change might be seen as hypocritical? He replied that he chose experienced people who he believes will be able to execute but that the changes in vision and the direction the company must go in will come from him. In leadership both vision and the ability to execute are critically important. This is sure to be an interesting study in contemporary leadership principles. I can't wait to see how the next four years unfold!

"He that thinks himself a leader but has no one following him is simply taking a long walk." John C. Maxwell

Innovate without people? Impossible!!!

There's not a company out there that doesn't have growth or innovation as part of its corporate strategy. Despite the global economic challenges we face, most corporate executives remain hopeful that they can develop and implement strategies that will enable them (at some point) to dig themselves and their companies out of this self-made hole in our financial markets. Some of these same executives are under tremendous pressure to cut expenses and some have opted for the "across the board layoffs" that we've seen reported in the news in the past couple of months. As I sat in my banker's office last week, we discussed the pending 53,000 employee layoff announced at Citigroup. In comparison, she mentioned that would be more than the equivalent of my banks entire Southeast region...gone. Erased. Deleted.

So what's my point? People still drive the bus...make the donuts..and are the only real source of competitive advantage a company has. After my more than a decade of experience working with some of this countries top corporations, I know this to be true. Now before you jaded realists delete my blog never to return again, let me assure you that I certainly know that there are times when companies have to make difficult decisions to eliminate jobs and that some of those roles may in fact be critical ones. However, I also know that these decisions are usually made and executed in less time than most companies spend picking out executive office decor. There is no growth without people. There is no innovation without the individual and collective wisdom of talented and skilled people working to execute on forward-moving strategies.

So while it's certain that jobs will be lost, companies need to take care to ensure they aren't losing talented people. Companies must implement and continuously improve processes to assess and develop their talent pools. It's less about an employee's role or title and more about the critical skills, knowledge, abilities and attributes they bring to an organization. It's a matter of value. A critical question that every manager must ask and answer about each member of their team is "would I want Joe The Employee working for our top competitor?" If the answer is "No", then it's obvious that "the company" can't afford to lose him. There's an adage in the Human Resources arena that must be kept in mind -- "tough times don't last but talented people do".

Just think about it...every million dollar idea for a new product or innovative way to capitalize on a market need started as just that...an idea. And last time I checked, people still hold the exclusive patent on those!