“The Network!” Newsletter Issue # 187

Good Morning!

Thought you might enjoy this management story, submitted by Network newsletter subscriber Mark Silva, Principal & Founder at RealBranding.com.

The Parrot, a Management Story

John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird’s mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird’s attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to “clean up” the bird’s vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot.

The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even more rude. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he’d hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John’s outstretched arms and said,

“I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I’m sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior.”

John was stunned at the change in the bird’s attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, “May I ask what the turkey did?”

——-

Mark’s take-away: Sometimes you have to allow things to cool off; Sometimes you have to flip the bird; And sometimes you have put your turkeys on the chopping block. But treating rude behavior with weakness and good intentions will never get the job done.

This issue’s featured retained searches:

We have 5 new retained searches and would appreciate your referrals for:

  • Director of Worldwide Revenue Operations – For a large and very successful software company
  • Assistant Controller – For stable San Francisco employer near BART
  • Accounting Manager – Wine Industry
  • SEC Manager or Director – San Mateo
  • Headquarters Payroll Manager – San Francisco

Also needed:

  • Timberline Administrator in San Diego

Resumes to Ftreadwell@josephmichaels.com

And you thought my fees were high…

Google paid the executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles in stock options, 1.2 million of them, to find CEO Eric Schmidt. The net, $129 Million, for one search. Good work if you can get it.

The funny thing is, in retrospect wouldn’t you have to say that Google got much more than their money’s worth!

Call us if you’re hiring, 800-786-1099.

Warm Regards,
Joe Pelayo

Joe Pelayo, C.P.C.
Joseph Michaels International
Global Recruiting Solutions
800-786-1099
Email: jpelayo@josephmichaels.com
Website: http://josephmichaels.wpengine.com
One of the top 75 Recruiters in the United States ~ Recruiter Life Magazine