Business is Brutal; but, what is the alternative?

The Milton Report

Business is Brutal: But, what is the alternative?

November 18, 2009

Volume 13: issue 6

According to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, brutal is defined as grossly ruthless or unfeeling.

Is there any better way to describe the state of business and the behavior of corporations in America today? If there is, I’d like to know.

I was informed a former colleague of mine, whom I’ll refer to as John, was laid off yesterday. When I heard the news, I was not surprised. It had nothing to do with my personal perception of my former colleague’s work or the motives and ability of his management. I have been involved in enough business relationships to know that the quality of an individual’s work is not always at issue. The motives and abilities of management are another story. Management serves the interests of the corporation first with consideration also given to personal motives and goals. I don’t know the specifics of John’s circumstance. However, what I do know is that today’s marketplace suggests that when you get hired into a new position, the corporation’s internal clock starts ticking on your career. Similar to what happens regularly in professional sports with coaches, the only thing you can be certain of when you get the job, is that one day you will have to leave. You will either get fired (i.e., “laid off”) or you will take the initiative and find another job or career endeavor. Coaches get fired all of the time. Employees do too. O.J. Simpson was once vilified because he made a comment that suggested that “people die everyday”, which suggested that he had no remorse or feeling about his “alleged” double murder. His comments were taken as brutal and callous. I believe the collective mindset of corporations in America today is that people get hired and fired everyday. It is part of the cycle of business. Therefore, one should not be surprised when it happens. You will find another place in the maze to practice your craft. Will you actually be able to navigate the maze to its magical end of retirement? It’s possible, but the odds are against you.

Business is brutal, but what is the alternative?

John now joins the ranks of millions as another statistic in a business climate that will always favor profits over people. That’s just the way it is. The late Milton Friedman, an acclaimed scholar in the world of economics, spoke of corporations not being socially responsible to provide jobs. Corporations are guided by the goal to produce profits and appease their shareholders. They are not in the business of providing jobs as a social service. I heard that many years ago. I have often repeated those words in a manner that would make one think I was a capitalist robot towing the party line. The reality was that I repeated those words as a means of recognizing that the job I held at the time was not really mine and I could become a statistic at any time. The job belonged to the corporation. I simply filled a spot out of a need – either real or perceived. When the need no longer exists, again either real or perceived, the corporation will sever the relationship. You will get fired. It will not be personal. It will just be business and it may even come across a bit brutal.

I have been involved in some aspect of corporate America since I was 17 years old. I was 18 years old when I experienced my first true “layoff”. The difference then was that working for an automobile manufacturer in Michigan meant I was protected by a labor union relationship that spilled over into the ranks of the salaried employees and I was given the option to actually get re-employed with the company in another capacity. Layoff meant laid off as a temporary condition. It did not mean you were fired. Times were different then and America had a different place in the global marketplace. One could argue that in the late 70’s and early 80’s, America was the global market. Change was on the horizon, however.

I grew up during a time when the possibility of working for a corporation until retirement was still a reality, albeit a remote one. Then, the notion that companies were not designed to provide jobs was a foreign concept to me. When I first was exposed and considered the discourse of Milton Friedman, I can honestly state that companies not being in the business of providing jobs did not make sense to me. Many jobs, over twenty years in corporate America, and several layoffs later, I think I understand of what Mr. Friedman spoke. This is why I am currently struggling with the notion that the government will provide jobs. Don’t people in government study economics?

If business provides jobs and that is considered part of the model of capitalism, then what is it when the government provides jobs?

I had grown up thinking that companies needed to provide jobs to ensure their flow of goods and/or services to the marketplace. America is different now. Companies still don’t offer jobs as a social service. I don’t expect companies will ever do that; but, in the interest of profits and satisfying their shareholders (i.e., make the stock price rise), companies are doing whatever it takes to reduce costs. Exporting jobs overseas is part of that equation. The global market that was once America is now truly on a world scale. The job that was exclusively an American job is now a “World” job. If you don’t believe that, research the number of companies that have offices in Bangalore. Trace the phone call you make to obtain assistance for upgrading your software, or programming your remote control, or extending your warranty. When I consider some of these things, layoffs don’t come as a surprise to me anymore. It is part of the cycle of business in America, where capitalism is king and anything that hints of social welfare is looked upon as a watered-down form of socialism or communism. This may begin to sound like a very anti-capitalist, pro liberal rant. That is not my intent. I have never received a job offer from someone with no money. I don’t expect to in the future, unless it is possibly the government. There is, however, a certain brutality to business that must be addressed. I don’t think you have to be anti-capitalism to note that.

I don’t know if there is an alternative. The cliché, “It is what it is” comes to mind. The economic system in America will likely not change in my lifetime, unless the next generation truly believes wealth redistribution is a viable economic system. I am still looking for someone to explain to me how taking money from someone who works for it and giving it to someone who does not, is a system that makes sense. Is that considered economic justice? Business may appear to be brutal, but at least I have the façade of upward mobility. I have an opportunity to develop my personal brand, improve my skills, and make them available to the market place. I don’t have to use them to get a job. I could go into business for myself. That is possible. But, if I get a job from the government through the magic formula of wealth redistribution, what is possible then?

Business may be brutal, but what is the alternative?

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“It is calming to know that when the final trumpet sounds,

My life will not have ended in vain.

I will run out of time before I run out of words. God has given me the gift of my thoughts.

He has given me the gift of the pen.

I need to use them both to show His will does win….” 1

(1) Excerpt from the poem “ The Things That Matter” –

Included in Voices Inside My Head – Poetry Inspired By God To Heal Pain

Copyright © 2009 Milton A. Brown

How to escape "the realm of the pathetic"?

The Milton Report

Milton A. Brown

How to escape the “realm of the pathetic”?

November 15, 2009

Volume 13: issue 5

The words struck my funny bone when I first heard them. At first the words were comical; it was as if I was listening to a comedian joking about someone else. My initial reaction was to laugh immediately. But then in another sense, it was like a cold slap in the face. I was jolted into my reality. It was funny, but funnier when you are not part of the story. Nevertheless, I promised myself that I would use the words in a future piece of writing. I did not consider stealing the line as an act of plagiarism. We are in the realm of wealth redistribution (Thank you President Obama! I am still waiting for mine). I figured I would draw upon the creative genius of my career counselor. She assured me it was okay. I wish I had thought of the line myself, but as with a lot of genius, it is simply joining together two concepts previously not related. I don’t claim genius status, but I do know a good line when I hear…err steal one. This time was no exception. I would take the words of my career counselor and try to make something positive for my benefit out of them.

“He took himself out of the realm of the pathetic.”

Let me backtrack for a moment. During a recent session with my career counselor, which is worthy of another story at another time, she related a story to me about one of her clients who had a very creative way of getting his friends to help him find a job. Part of his creative genius involved offering a referral bonus to the person who gave him the lead that resulted in him landing a position. By offering an incentive, she said, “he took himself out of the realm of the pathetic.” I thought, “How funny is that?” Are people in need of jobs today really looked upon by their friends as being part of “the realm of the pathetic”? I thought there was a difference between being “in need” and being “needy”. This is where searching for a job can be very tricky. Employers expect you to be enthusiastic about the prospects of future employment. In other words, employers KNOW you need the job or else you would not be seeking employment. Yet, during the interview process and activities that may lead to an interview, you are supposed to conduct yourself as if you don’t really need the job. In other words, don’t appear needy. The look of need and desperation is frowned upon. It’s true in job hunting and it’s true in personal relationships. Ask any single man who has ever asked a woman out on a date and he will tell you that the pathetic look of desperation is not generally what made her say, “Yes.” Think about this.

How often have you approached an intersection, saw a person holding a sign asking for something, namely money, and immediately thought to yourself, “How pathetic is that?”

This is not intended to be a commentary on people asking for money. Panhandling is a legitimate form of income diversification for some folks. I am guessing most working people don’t see it that way. But, when a person is unemployed and honestly seeking work is it possible that he or she may be looked upon by some people in the same light as the panhandler? I don’t really know. I have never stood at an intersection with a sign asking for anything. I do know what it is like to be looking for work. I am beginning to wonder if there is really a difference. When millions of other people are unemployed at the same time, it is difficult to imagine being stigmatized as “pathetic”. How do you avoid looking as if you have a large, block-letter size “P” stuck on your forehead or chest indicating you are a “pathetic” soul looking for a job?

Let’s explore some things that may be beneficial.

1. Do not isolate yourself from friends, family, or other associations that may help you in your job search.

One of the key buzzwords bantered around today is “networking”. I am finding that networking is simply a means of communicating to people in various methods and platforms to provide or obtain information. You can do this in social circles through networking groups, clubs, activities, church, school, etc. You can take advantage of social network technology like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or various Internet forums. Or, you can do it the old fashioned way and get out in the public in places like libraries, public parks, coffee shops, or bookstores, and approach people.

When you proactively network, you provide yourself an opportunity to maintain your image. You give yourself a reason to be at your best most of the time.

2. Change your mindset from one of “looking for another job” to “seeking an opportunity where I can best utilize my talents and skills.”

Looking for a job does not mean you relinquish all self-esteem and value. You have value to add otherwise you would not have been previously employed. The key to finding another situation that is right for you is in recognizing your value and developing confidence in your personal brand. I have often found myself believing that I need to replace my income rather than finding another job. Replacing my income suggests that if I could find something that I enjoy doing and also get paid for doing it, then that is truly an opportunity where I can use my talents and skills. The exchange of energy and expertise for money is on a balanced scale. This is contrary to the typical exchange where you perform any job solely for the sake of money. Replacing my income is one goal, but finding work that is fulfilling is the primary goal.

If you change the way you think about the job search, you will open up your mind to new possibilities. This will enable you to take a new look at your talents, skills, and virtues. If you are not in a job where you are utilizing the best things you have to offer, then it is probably time to start looking for a new job, unemployed or not.

3. Maintain your physical health and appearance.

If I go back to the same intersection, more often than not I see someone who is tattered and torn. There may be a good reason for that. Living on the streets is not easy. But, whatever your situation, you want to make sure you look your best. This would seem especially true if you are asking for a job or money. Proper hygiene, clean clothes, and a smile are all components of looking your best. If you are in: 1) poor health, 2) beaten down physically and emotionally, and 3) standing at an intersection with a sign, you probably need a doctor first, then a job. Hope and change promises healthcare for all of us. You get the point. A sound mind and body and a reasonable portion of health and strength is crucial. Before going out on the job search, make sure you are in the best health and your appearance is up to par. The future client, employer or business associate will find it difficult to characterize you as “pathetic” when you look your best.

When you are in the proper frame of mind, you surround yourself with positive people who are goal-oriented and invested in your future, and you maintain a healthy appearance and outlook on life, it is difficult to stay in the realm of the pathetic. Even if you only pass through, it is not intended for you to stay there. Change your reality today!

I am working on staying out of the realm of the pathetic. I hope you are too!

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“It is calming to know that when the final trumpet sounds,

My life will not have ended in vain.

I will run out of time before I run out of words. God has given me the gift of my thoughts.

He has given me the gift of the pen.

I need to use them both to show His will does win….” 1

(1) Excerpt from the poem “ The Things That Matter” –

Included in Voices Inside My Head – Poetry Inspired By God To Heal Pain

Copyright © 2009 Milton A. Brown

Laid Off: Was it due to "race"?

The Milton Report

Milton A. Brown

Laid Off: Was it due to “race”?

November 7, 2009

Volume 13: issue 4

“…there is no biological basis for separation of human beings into races and…the idea of race is a relatively recent social and political construction.” (2002, The Emperor’s new clothes: biological theories of race at the millennium, Joseph L. Graves, Jr., p.1.)

I am really trying to eliminate “race” as a factor in my thinking during the course of my interactions with others. I am discovering, similar to the murder that is reported on the nightly news, if I mind my own business and don’t turn on the television or read the newspapers, someone will tell me anyway.

I was awakened out of a dead sleep by the thoughts of a conversation I had earlier that day. It was like an epiphany thrust upon me with the vigor and vitality of the person who says, “Duh?” when you fail to see the obvious. The terror I experienced as I attempted to process the thought was not necessarily because I was the object of the “Duh” experience. I have had those before and it is embarrassing when you fail to see what is clearly in front of you. This time, however, it was due to the question I had to ask myself as a result of the conversation. The question of race was raised as a potential factor in determining my recent employment status.

Five months ago I was laid off in another company downsizing effort that is so typical of American business these days that people don’t really flinch when you tell them you are “between jobs.” They know that “laid off” is a euphemism for indicating you have been fired. The company decides to save money and cut costs and that means your job is typically part of that plan. At the core of the rationale behind layoffs is cost savings. It is simply a numbers game and your number gets called. Your salary and benefits are subtracted from the operating expenses of the organization, and theoretically, cost savings are the result.

Basically, you get fired to save money.

Five months ago I was fired…err, “laid off” and I never really questioned if it had anything to do with my race until today.

Did I get laid off because of my race?

I did not ask myself this question when I was hired. In other words, I did not have any reason to believe that my race was a component of getting hired. When I got hired, it was my understanding that my employment was due to my credentials, experience, willingness to exchange my energy and expertise for money, and the employer’s need. No discussion took place indicating that my race was an advantage for the position, nor was my race a factor in helping me perform the duties of the position.

Nearly one year after the election of the first African-American President of the United States and over thirty years after the question of affirmative action as a constitutionally acceptable means of eliminating workforce discrimination and promoting fairness, and over forty years since Dr. Martin Luther King eloquently spoke of people being judged by the content of their character, race is still a factor in the employment process (hiring and firing).

Why must I still think about race in 2009? Things have changed since 1964 - right?

It may be due to the notion that things have not really changed since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Or, the dream Dr. King discusses in his “I Have a Dream” speech is still more of a dream than reality. Or, now that the United States has elected an African-American president, we can all sit back and truly believe that our society is color blind and race does not matter anymore. That is, because race is not supposed to be a factor, it simply means I am compelled to think about it even more.

During the course of this conversation I had with my friend, I was told: 1) “the last one hired is the first one fired.” 2) “you have to be twice as good”, and 3) “you know how they do.” The implication being that I was laid off because I was the wrong race. Somehow it was suggested that if I were white (i.e., “they”), I would still be employed. Frankly, I don’t know that. I could allow myself to believe that and really become bitter. I choose not to do that. I personally know people from many different ethnic groups and “races” who are looking for work these days, including those who are part of the “they” “race.” I guess I never really thought about the question of race in my situation. Am I naïve? No. Am I in denial? No. Do I think Dr. King’s dream has been made manifest? No.

I do know this. The question of race will always exist. I don’t believe it should be the first question, but it is certainly one of the questions. I have personally tried to live the dream Dr. King made famous in his eloquence. I suppose that is why I did not think about race initially in my personal circumstance. Unfortunately, I had someone who felt compelled to remind me.

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“It is calming to know that when the final trumpet sounds,

My life will not have ended in vain.

I will run out of time before I run out of words. God has given me the gift of my thoughts.

He has given me the gift of the pen.

I need to use them both to show His will does win….” 1

(1) Excerpt from the poem “ The Things That Matter” –

Included in Voices Inside My Head – Poetry Inspired By God To Heal Pain

Copyright © 2009 Milton A. Brown

I thought you'd never ask...

The Milton Report
I thought you’d never ask…
September 28, 2009: Volume 13: issue 1

A funny thing happened to me the other day. I was talking with a very good friend and I was taken back to a time when my dreams were still real and life was still full of possibility. The temporary euphoria I experienced was not rooted in my present day circumstance, but in the reflection of a time when possibility seemed closer to reality than impossibility. We talked about the child-like enthusiasm exhibited in our approach to life in general, work, personal relationships, and our social endeavors. We discussed today’s youth and how many of them operate with a similar reckless abandon. At the core of our discussion was the notion that when we were younger, we did not mind taking risks. Time passed. Relationships were formed and lost. Money was made and squandered. We worked hard and we played harder. We lived, loved and learned. Through it all, however, we did not lose our sense of possibility. Then one day, seemingly overnight, we were no longer 22 years old. We had gained knowledge and wisdom. We acquired experience. We had a greater sense of what we should and should not do. We realized that we had become very risk averse as compared to the mindset in our youth. A certain aspect of our lives had made manifest the notion that “Knowledge breeds cynicism”. As we reminisced about the past—good times and times that could have been bad but were not, I realized there was something missing in my life today.

What happened to the passion for living, learning, and loving? What happened to the dreams?

Several years ago, unbeknownst at the time, I think I attempted to answer the questions through the expression of my thoughts through “The Milton Report”. I used my writings to chronicle my post-Enron journey – a sort of blog before “blog” became popular in the American lexicon. The other day my friend suggested I start a blog. My response was lukewarm, but after thinking about it, I realized what he meant. The dream only dies if you kill it. As long as I have breath, and in this case, as long as I can write, the dream will live. I had killed my dream because I stopped talking (writing) about it.

The dreams that once occupied the road I was on had now been replaced by a detour I created by my own inaction.

Several years ago “The Milton Report” was born out of a time when I needed to express myself. It was a time before blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. Cell phones did not have Internet access and the English language had not been reduced to LOL, LMAO, BRB and WTF. People were still hanging on to meaningful conversations and no one got mad at me if I did not immediately respond to a text message. Things were quite different and that was only five years ago! I stopped producing “The Milton Report” because I really believed at that time that God did not want me to focus my writing where I was the central character. In other words, it could not be just about me. I had to learn that the world did not stop because I was experiencing pain and difficulty in my life. I am thankful for those individuals who took the time to read “The Milton Report” and “traveled” with me during the first journey, as I wrote about my foibles describing unemployment, soul-searching, the grind of daily living, and essentially what it was like to be inside my head on occasion. I doubt that I can repeat the tone of those writings and those days. Today is truly a new day, but I am inspired by the future and I hope you can get inspired too by this new journey. I am merely the instrument to record. This time, however, the journey is not about me. I am simply a part of it. I feel like I am in the same place as I was seven years ago, but this time the inspiration is different. Where will this journey take us? I thought you’d never ask…


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“It is calming to know that when the final trumpet sounds,
My life will not have ended in vain.
I will run out of time before I run out of words. God has given me the gift of my thoughts.
He has given me the gift of the pen.
I need to use them both to show His will does win….” 1

(1) Excerpt from the poem “ The Things That Matter” –
Included in Voices Inside My Head – Poetry Inspired By God To Heal Pain
Copyright © 2009 Milton A. Brown