Jane Genova: Speechwriter - Ghostwriter

Oprah-Stedman: Joined until the tabloids lose interest

Jane Genova — 2008-07-19T23:22:34-04:00

This week the cover story on bigfoot tabloid NATIONAL ENQUIRER is again about Oprah and Stedman. The two are joined together until the more sensationalistic media lose interest. For the July 28th edition of NE, the story is that Oprah is possibly cheating on Stedman and the latter "couldn't take it."

Conflict makes for juicy copy and so we can expect this cheating angle to be milked until something else between Oprah and Stedman emerges. This couple can't afford to go their separate ways. Both careers are at stake.

Downturns - Don't dare plan to "wait it out"

Jane Genova — 2008-07-18T19:38:01-04:00

Those sidelined in downturns, especially the over-40 executive, figure they can "wait it out." They settle into their outplacement routine and carefully spending their severance, then any unemployment. Terrible idea. Although they're out of the game, their competition isn't. The rest of us - as a freelancer I can't get laid off - are keeping up with changing trends, new technologies and emerging power brokers. Anyone sitting it out won't get back in. Many stay-at-homes Moms, MBAs to Harvard Law JDs, learned that.

What's the alternative to waiting?

Get a job, any job. It keeps us alert, accountable, in a reality. That reality might not be to our liking but it prevents us from turning inward to a fantasy world that our comeback is right around the corner. Those too self-conscious to be seen in-public doing just-any job can get one hidden away on the third shift at FEDEX unloading boxes or selling on the phone.

Ask yourself that worst-scenario question: What if I can't get back in? Some industries change so much or tilt to new skills or younger mindsets that, no, there's no going home. That means trying out other options. Getting a $10.50 an hour security guard job will open up the world of loss prevention. If the company likes you, it might pop for a Master's in the field. Another option would be to attempt leveraging the know-how, skills and contacts you already have to another industry. For example, a print journalist might apply at a public affairs agency that specializes in media relations.

Avoid those in your same boat. Aim to build a new network of those who manage to be earning a living. They range from the owner of the deli down the street to the chief executive officer who belongs to your church. Research shows opportunities and fresh ideas about your employment situation more and more often comes from out of your usual comfort zone.

And take off one day a week from all this. That's imperative. Your life is bigger than the need to make a decent living.

Power of the Fist Pump

Jane Genova — 2008-07-17T14:26:15-04:00

Even aging Baby Boomer Al Gore is using the fist pump. And since it's becoming the trademark of Michelle Obama I guess this is the signal of our times. Anyone flashing the 1970s V sign will be shrugged off as yesterday, totally irrelevant.

Sweet Caroline - Life May Not Be So Sweet

Jane Genova — 2008-07-17T13:40:43-04:00

The tabloids have it that Caroline Kennedy is seriously considering re-locating to Washington D.C. from Manhattan if Obama wins the White House. That would mean also re-locating her three children. According to the tabs, hubby won't be coming, though. What's going down that might not be so sweet in Sweet Caroline's life?

According to Jeff Samuels in the July 28th edition of THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER, Caroline's marriage is just about over, at least in spirit. A devout Roman Catholic, she's not apt to get a divorce. Also, she's about to lose Uncle Ted to cancer, who has been a surrogate father to her since her own father's murder. Could be that she is chasing some kind of safe idea of the past or a father figure in associating herself so closely with Obama. Just like her father, he's a phenom - youthful, dashing, and with an attractive refined wife.

But taking a "geographic," as 12-step programs label this attempt to use a re-location to solve problems, may not work for Caroline. Who knows how the Obama Administration will welcome this vestige from Camelot? The Obama handlers may be just using her to get their candidate elected and then dump her. The Kennedy aura could distract from the iconic presence which Obama's team is attempting to create for him. Sweet Caroline, just like the Clintons and Oprah, is a relic of another time.

Fear - That's what keeps old media, politicians, corporate America et al. boring

Jane Genova — 2008-07-16T20:48:22-04:00

No wonder THE NEW YORK TIMES is losing circulation, advertisers, and the value of its stock. It's boring. So, is John McCain, as is much of what corporate America says to employees, shareholders, the media, and even consumers. And, I figured out why they're boring. It's fear: Fear of being inacurrate, misunderstood, transparent, or human.

Take Richard Wagoner on national TV, explaining GM's second reorganization. That Chief Executive Officer's remarks were totally scripted, disembodied. The only reason the stock went up after the announcement was that it indicated lots of cost reductions. But to all the rest of the world, e.g. non Wall Street, it communicated nothing that would cause us to believe that this old-line company could and would survive. There was none of the FDR Fireside Chat quality.

As a result, no, we're not going to run out and buy a GM car or truck. Soon enough, if the company files for Chapter 11, those will be orphan vehicles. Incidentally, Lee Iacocca, who certainly wasn't boring, encouraged a nation to go buy a Chrysler, even though they weren't quite sure the company would be around to service it or even honor the warranty.

Working-Class Values - We First Gen College Kids Are Finally On-Top

Jane Genova — 2008-07-16T00:01:55-04:00

Now that credentials, contacts, and pedigree don't insulate from job loss or a business tanking, working-class values are getting new respect - even admiration. As Alfred Lubrano discusses in his 2004 book "Limbo: Blue-Collar Roots, White-Collar Dreams," those values are about hard hard work, honesty including how we present ourselves, decision-making based on intuition/experience not primarily books, and caring about others in the loop, not just ourselves. However, those values have not until recently been of much value in the traditional work world. That competitive arena functioned on smoke and mirrors and individualism, along with smoothness at playing the game.

Now through my communications boutiques I see those from the middle- and upper-middle class dropping like flies. They get laid off, pushed out, or fired from that white-shoe law firm, public relations agency, Fortune 100 corporation, or bank. They are clueless what to do next. Their background groomed them for slots that were already there and would be there. They just had to do the expected things to fill them - e.g. the right schools, the right persona, the right sports and clubs.

That was the script. Currently, that script has gotten tossed. It doesn't create profits. It doesn't give any enterprise the edge. It doesn't make any group pull together for a common goal.

We First Generation College kids from the Working Class had no script. We had to play it as we lived this new life. Those of us who made it through that brutal rite of passage - yeah, work at IBM or GM when you are a bit rough around the edges - have it made right now. We only know jumping into what is and trying to make it work out for everybody. And it usually does. We also pull up our people with us. We could care less about title and status and everything about getting the job done right.

Unemployed and underemployed professionals from that Other World of all the right moves come to me for presentation coaching. They think they are asking for help. What they are asking for, though, is to get them back into slots which no longer exist. Either they can't or won't change. They may never work again. Yes, some have had breakdowns and gone on disability.

On the other hand, folks from the working class who have lost their gigs in media or a management consulting firm come to me and tell me: How do I get in the next game?

Doing Lunch - So Old Economy

Jane Genova — 2008-07-15T00:40:47-04:00

How do you tip your hand that you're old economy? You invite someone out to lunch. Today THE WALL STREET JOURNAL's Dana Mattioli tells us how the new order of emerging power brokers bag it. In this new era of high risk-taking and scorn of excess materialism, being seen eating lunch in a restaurant could be a red flag that one is, well, just too fat and deluded. Where should we be eating lunch?

The ideal location is on our feet or on a park bench. We can take our neatly packed turkey sandwich to the street, eat and walk. Or we can catch some rays on a park bench as we eat.

Less ideal because it doesn't provide a break is bagging it by our laptop. IT people report that is the reason for many computer malfunctions: Crumbs caught in keyboards - and even worse.

A third option is not to eat lunch at all. Lunch can make us sleepy at a time when we have to be alert. For us self-employed, this is the best option. At the close of the official business day, I take an earned break and home-make a big salad. Somehow, unlike a repast at noon, this one doesn't make me sleepy.

LOL: Mediabistro.com still carries news of who's spotted with whom at lunch. How yesterday of Mediabistro.com.

The New Freelancer - How Google Juice Brings Biz

Jane Genova — 2008-07-14T22:46:45-04:00

The interviewer becomes the interviewed. Today, public relations diva from Silicon Valley Marsha Keeffer interviewed me. She wanted to help other freelancers - in all professions - develop new biz w/o schlepping to 200 pricey professional-meeting luncheons or ponying up mucho dinero for advertising. Here is her interview with me posted on her hot blog on tone - Http://tonehall.typepad.com.

I hope it can help other freelancers stay freelancing. As I mention in the interview, being a free agent can be the softer, more secure way to earning a living.

New

Talking with Molly Mittens & Other Dead Pets - $20 for 15 minutes

Jane Genova — 2008-07-13T16:29:35-04:00

Don't ask me if there's anything to it. I went to the Psychic Fair, which had pet psychics, at the Holiday Inn in North Haven, Connecticut Saturday to find relief from pet grief. Not truth. In fact, I have come to view any and all truths are over-valued. Who cares about truth when we humans - and animals - in America are in so much pain. Anyway, it only cost $20 for 15 minutes.

The medium was Sharon Warner, who was nestled with her large dog, lit candle and small bag of granola way back in the room. The dog, whether a gimmick or a healer, sold me. I ponied up my $20 and marched to the table. On the verge of tears, I asked Warner [smeowarner@gmail.com, 203-877-3613]] if she could reach Molly Mittens. I explained that Molly Mittens had passed over more than two years ago but I still wasn't okay with that.

Through Warner, Molly Mittens and I had a good conversation. Actually it was so productive that I asked to also reach my dead cats Callie and Sarah. All seemed well there. Callie was out of pain - she was put down in late 2007 because of cancer. Sarah had already been reincarnated as another gray long-haired cat.

I was all set to ask how Nicole, my dog who had to be put down because of congestive heart failure in 2002, was faring. But time was up. I felt better, had cried some and that's as good as I expected.

Will I check in with Warner again? You bet. The most important relationships in my life have been with animals, domestic and feral. In my complex in New Haven, CT I do stealth feeding of the abandoned cats. Of course, many residents would object to that. But outdoor cats live only about two years. I can help them through those two years - or less.

Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline - Let the backlash begin

Jane Genova — 2008-07-13T16:13:42-04:00

Global do-gooder Angelina just gave birth to twins: Knox Leon and Vivienne Macheline. This is at a time when there are shortages of everything, ranging from food and clean drinking water to energy and decent jobs. Yet, Angelina the world's designated guardian angel chose to add two more human beings to this mess on planet earth.

A backlash can begin. Instead of us grabbing up celeb tabloids to have our very own photos of Knox and Vivienne, we might castigate Angelina and Brad for inflicting even more misery on the human race. Adopting critters who are already here, human and animal, is one thing. Adding is another.