tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146247142024-10-07T00:48:39.347-04:00Six-Figure LearningsSince founding <a href="http://www.execunet.com/index.cfm?welcome=3567">ExecuNet</a> in 1988, Dave Opton has used his 40+ years of experience in Human Resources to develop the premier private business and career network for senior-level executives with salaries above $150,000.
Dave has worked with executive recruiters and six-figure leaders across all industries during his 20+ years as CEO and as a result, has learned about the most effective job search and career development strategies.Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.comBlogger335125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-56575476632493115372012-04-24T14:20:00.002-04:002012-04-24T14:23:28.453-04:00Perks Matter
I have no clue how many surveys have been run in the just the past 5-10 years on the subject of what happens as the employment market turns from one favoring the buyers vs. one where the sellers have the leverage.
While we are not there yet, "barring injury" as they say, overall we seem slowly but surely (thank goodness) to be headed in that direction. I know, I know, that could Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-1122413671151629662012-02-22T16:45:00.001-05:002012-02-26T11:20:05.108-05:00The Currency of Networking
When retained executive search finally emerged onto the scene in the U.S. the names that really became the face of the industry were those of Tom Neff at Spencer Stuart and Gerry Roche of Heidrick & Struggles. They were the mega stars of CEO searches.
Their names became so well known in part, because of the high profile competition between the two. They were in two of Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-84730234935254321742012-01-03T19:34:00.000-05:002012-01-03T19:34:00.449-05:00Six-Figure Learnings: I'll Take Networking for $1000 AlexSix-Figure Learnings: I'll Take Networking for $1000 AlexDave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-1121997718575550512012-01-03T14:15:00.000-05:002020-03-26T10:07:34.781-04:00I'll Take Networking for $1000 Alex
No matter how cynical we can sometimes become the fact is, at least for me (and I certainly have developed my fair share of cynicism over time) when it comes to a new year you can't help but reflect on what has been, what might be to come, and what has changed.
As we start a new year at ExecuNet, I can assure you, in between reading the crystal ball pieces written by all the bulls&Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-1121997058972353612011-12-20T12:40:00.000-05:002011-12-20T13:49:18.009-05:00The Law vs. The Real World
If you are anything like me, while you always knew there were laws against age discrimination on an intellectual level, it wasn't until you got out there in the real world looking to make a change at say 45+ that you came to internalize emotionally age discrimination was very real.
Not a great feeling to understate the case.
Given the make-up of ExecuNet membership (average age 52) we gets Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-46218275262759825372011-12-04T12:18:00.000-05:002011-12-04T12:22:30.560-05:00You Control More Than You Think
About a year or so ago in addition to the normal phone calls and emails that come on a daily basis I wanted to find a way to make sure that I was continually available and accessible to our members but also to do more in terms of sharing with them some of the lessons I had learned from my stumbling around the world of career management for the last 45+ years.
I don't mean to imply Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-77886092107726914152011-11-21T14:36:00.001-05:002011-11-21T15:54:15.687-05:00Maybe We're Not So Crazy
I actually can’t recall when I first met Pete Weddle which is either yet another sign of my senior citizenship status or simply evidence of the fact that I have known and respected him for a long time. I think I’ll opt for the latter.
Over the years, at ExecuNet, we have been fortunate to have had Pete as a speaker at our networking meetings in and around the NY metro area as well as being Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-75810391023182330722011-11-06T17:02:00.000-05:002011-11-06T17:02:33.006-05:00It's Always About Priorities
This is not a paid commercial in any way but I have to say that I am a fan of Bloomberg Businessweek, especially since they changed the format. Really like the way it is organized, but that is not what this post is about which I would guess comes as a relief to anyone who has read this far.
Along with millions of others, I am also a big fan of Charlie Rose. One of the best Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-56700510828427616812011-10-11T17:46:00.000-04:002020-03-25T16:24:00.097-04:00It's Still Personal
Okay, I admit it, I am a bit of a "machineophile" or maybe in the current era and vernacular a "gadget geek." I love the apps, the widgets, and the QR stuff. I have no idea what most of it does, worry to death about which ones come preloaded with a virus and then end up deleting the vast majority about every 6 months to make sure I still have disk space on Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-85817778912000141512011-09-14T11:20:00.001-04:002011-09-14T11:27:31.310-04:00The Zig Zag Theory of Organization
To be honest, I am not sure where the zig zag theory of organizations originated, but I do know that I have heard about it most of my professional work life, and I have been in enough settings, both large and small over the past 40+ years to know that there is much truth to the concept.
In case you are not familiar with the concept, it is pretty straight forward. The theory Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-1121997540275887262011-08-23T21:11:00.000-04:002011-08-23T21:11:14.763-04:00Negative Feedback LoopsFor sure, like the one Fortune ran for their cover story in the May 16th issue way back in 2005 (50 and Fired) are attention grabbers designed to sell the magazine, but I wonder if those who read that piece or others like it these days come away feeling anything like I did.
What a downer! After reading it back then and checking out the look on the faces of some of the folks they Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-7257479882417982562011-08-10T15:56:00.000-04:002011-08-10T15:56:46.325-04:00This Is Getting To Be A DragEver since I can remember, there has been a “factoid” making its way around the career management world about how long someone should plan their job search will take. What I can’t recall and never remember seeing is the source from which this “factoid” came.
In any event if you are in a job search, you have probably heard it too. It goes something like: You should plan your search to take about Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-70972587485214299452011-08-01T14:48:00.003-04:002011-08-01T15:43:04.348-04:00Let's Play Twenty OneWant something to take your mind off the mind-numbing noise coming out of DC? I said take your mind off it, not fix it (or them).
Okay, here's what you can do; think of any one of the several characters we have all been watching over the past several months irrespective of political persuasion. Got that picture?
Okay, now download the PDF summary (it's free) of John C. Maxwell's The 21 Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-89697108281164599372011-07-18T09:42:00.000-04:002011-07-18T09:42:10.165-04:00Defining What Effective MeansGerry Crispin and Mark Mehler are well known in the staffing world, and with good reason. Their consultancy called CareerXRoads has been adding value to the world of talent acquisition for quite a while now.
One of the things they do is to publish a (free) quarterly newsletter they call CareerXRoads Update. In the most recent edition, there was a piece called: Measuring the Right Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-25366540914633393052011-07-05T09:45:00.002-04:002020-03-26T10:09:49.937-04:00You Think You've Got Problems?
I am as I am sure you are, keenly aware of the magnitude of what Japan experienced. I am also equally sure that when the images of what the quake did to Japan it reminded us of events like Haiti, Joplin, Katrina, the flooding in the Midwest and any number of other catastrophes visited upon us by mother nature.
On the other hand, with what we are confronted with on and off the Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-70948206330071516742011-06-21T11:54:00.002-04:002011-08-08T11:41:30.202-04:00Start with WhyIt used to be tough enough to pick a few columnists to follow, but when blogging grew into a hydra it became impossible to pick "just a few."
Indeed, even if you wrote off the millions who when you saw what they were doing you wished for a universal block & report spam button, there was still so much "good" stuff that one could not begin with any organized approach, and even if Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-54610794752106433652011-06-05T14:02:00.000-04:002020-03-25T16:28:05.560-04:00One Story At A Time
The fact that an article that was written in June of 2009 has just found its way to my consciousness is probably as good an indicator as anything in terms of how unorganized and not on top of things I am.
I have no excuse, however, if I were to try to conjure one up it would be that I am not technologically proficient enough to get my information filters properly in place and as a result,Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-34258869003888939652011-05-20T16:48:00.000-04:002011-05-20T16:48:17.163-04:00One For The Old And Jaded
This is probably another case of "Dave, where the hell have you been" but I only recently got turned on to a site called 1.00 FTE whose tag line is Impressions of a Corporate Life, and man are they!
If you are looking for at least one smile a day from your current or fomer life, I suggest you check out the site here, and if some of what you see doesn't remind of places you've been (or are) Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-41526899368392634592011-05-15T14:42:00.001-04:002011-05-16T11:28:24.833-04:00If I Had A NickelEveryone knows the "If I only had a nickel..." phrase, and I know we all have dozens if not hundreds of situations where we have thought of those famouns words as we sat frustrated over one thing or another.
The most recent instance for me actually wasn't one of frustration but rather was much more positive, although it didn't necessarily start out that way. So why did the "If IDave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-72723006043898131312011-05-07T12:07:00.000-04:002011-05-07T12:07:47.618-04:00Work Life Balance: The Oxymoron of the 21st Century?A number of people, both on our staff and off, who have stopped by my office over the years have often remarked about the fact that I seem to have an awful lot of pictures for such a small office. Indeed, they say I have a lot of them even for a big office! I guess I never noticed or thought that it seemed like picture overkill, although now that I look around I guess I see what they mean. I justDave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-91632432661892872602011-04-24T14:20:00.000-04:002011-04-24T14:20:23.078-04:00Making Your Own LuckAs you might guess having been part of ExecuNet for 23 years during which time there have been at least three recessions and given the depth of the most recent one, we could probably say four and not get too much of an argument, I have talked with thousands of executives about more career related issues than I can remember.
Given the economic turmoil of recent times, it isn't surprising Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-12678030780679969732011-04-15T17:30:00.000-04:002011-04-15T17:30:51.599-04:00Captain May I?One of the blogs I follow is called Leadership Freak. Heck, I think the name is enough to warrent a connection, but as it turns out the content is consistently of interest, well said, and thought provoking.
A recent post by Dan Rockwell (the blogger behind Freak) was on a subject which, judging by how fast the comments were coming through the ether was of far more than just passing Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-41937326661936657192011-04-08T10:56:00.003-04:002011-04-08T16:24:59.221-04:00Where's Our Boy Donny Q. When We Need Him?I need some help! Probably not the best way to start this post as it begs the question of "so tell me something I don't know."
Anyone who knows me would probably say this isn't a question of Dave needing help, we have known him long enough to know that he is well beyond that at this stage!
As true as I know that is, at least at this point, that’s not the kind of help I had in mind.
My need Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-47664361284104448862011-03-24T20:26:00.000-04:002011-03-24T20:26:44.025-04:00This Just InBy now, I would guess that the article that was in the New York Times
a couple of weeks ago that went by the catchy and attention grabbing headline of Google's Quest to Build a Better Boss has probably been passed around every HR department in the continental U.S. along with as Walter Winchell used to say "...and all the ships at sea."
In addition to that, after they read it, Dave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624714.post-68173709747708607802011-03-16T21:29:00.000-04:002011-03-16T21:29:12.118-04:00Leadership FreakI wish I could come up with whatever it was over the past 45+ years that I have been running around the working world that has fueled my interest in leadership but the fact of the matter is I can't, or least haven't been able to so far.
And if the truth be known, if I am going to come up with, "the" reason then I had best get my act together because with 45+ years worth of running andDave Optonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06722943515892895803noreply@blogger.com2