Category Archives: Michigan

It’s Halftime America! Imported from the D

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Being in Michigan Chrysler’s last two Superbowl Ads have been big news in our part of the world (check out last year’s ad with Eminem- here).  In case you didn’t see the most recent one, starring Clint Eastwood – here it is:

Super cool right! Make you feel good about America.  If you’re from Michigan and/or Detroit – makes you feel good about that fact – which believe me isn’t an easy task, recently!   It is branding at it’s best.  No one actually likes Chrysler – well not if you’re from Michigan.  Chrysler is like the Big 3’s ugly redheaded step brother.  Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, etc. would be considered a better car buying option by most.  It’s arguable that Chrysler wouldn’t be in the top 7 car buying choices of the majority of Americans. Yet, with branding like this, they probably will be fairly soon!

The concept is almost perfect – classic American actor from a time gone by,  focus on a growing economy and jobs, America’s best known industry – Automotive, and an American city rising from the ashes – heck you don’t even know it’s a Chrysler commercial until the last 10 seconds!   It’s marketing the way it should be.  It’s not thrown in your face – look at our cars, looks at our cars, look at our cars…it connects with an emotion inside of you, a willingness to want to be a part of something bigger, pride in country, pride to be the best – then BAM – Chrysler.  The last connection – the hook – you’re going to go out and buy a Chrysler.  Don’t say you won’t – they already have your subconscious wired to buy.  There isn’t anything you can do at this point, you’re just an unwilling participant in something much bigger than yourself.

Does your employment brand invoke this type of emotion?  Probably not – let’s face it – this isn’t easy to do.  Millions of dollars were spent to get Chrysler to come up with this concept.  You don’t have millions – you have hundreds.  So, how can you get here?  Do the same thing using your own people.  Every company has those leaders and employees who have bought in – they wear the company logo jacket, have the company tattoo and are willing to get into an argument with a fellow employee is dares to bad mouth the company.  These are your brand messengers, these are your Clint Eastwoods.  Let them sell your company.  Get your iPhone – shoot a video – put it up on your employment page of your website (just ask the 22 year old kid in IT, he’ll know how to do it).

It’s hard for HR folks because we always want to control the message. We want to clean it up and make it perfect.  Stop that. It’s alright if it’s a bit dirty, a bit unpolished.  It’s alright that the person might use some language or words you wouldn’t use – this is you – your company – your brand.  Embrace it and others will to.

I’m proud to be from Michigan, and I’m proud of The D (Detroit for all you non-Michiganders) – thanks Chrysler for helping remind us of this.  I probably won’t buy your cars, but many will and you did good regardless.

How To Really Get an Entry Level Job

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I get asked a lot by all kinds of people about the “secrets” to landing a job – students, parents of students, experienced professionals, not so experienced professionals, etc. – it doesn’t matter – everyone has this belief that because I run a recruiting company and have worked in HR for going on 20 years I have the inside. Well, I do!

The cool thing is, most people already know what they need to do to land a job – they just refuse to do it.   It’s the same with losing weight.  Move more, eat less.  It’s really that simple – but that takes work, that takes discipline – what we all want is that drink as much beer as you want and eat fried foods diet – but we know that won’t work! (BTW – if you have a good Beer and Fried Foods Diet Plan please send it my way!)

Finding a job (especially an entry level professional level job) takes work, it takes networking, it takes picking up the phone and having conversations, it takes asking for help, it takes asking people to do things for you – and many of us just aren’t comfortable doing all of these things.

This past week I received a message through LinkedIn from Christina Hart.  Christina is an entry level college grad from the University of Michigan, looking for an entry level professional level position in New York City.  She is looking for a Social Media, PR, Marketing type position, is willing to grunt work.  Christina was reaching out to me, asking to for a few minutes to talk, network and see how I might be able to assist her in her job search.  After telling her I refuse to help UofM grads and ribbing about her school choice – we scheduled some time to talk.  Here was my advice to her:

1. Keep doing what you’re doing. (Let’s face it – reaching out to random HR people you have no connection to and asking for help – takes guts! She has them.)

2. Use your University of Michigan (wait, I just threw up in my mouth) alumni status.  She needs to LinkIn, email, call every single NYC UofM alumni that she can find and share her plight. Here’s one tip I think most people miss – start at the top first!  Director, VP level and above – the more experienced the more willing they are to help, because they don’t fear you’ll take their job!  If you want a Social Media job, don’t contact the Social Media person – they won’t help – they’ll think you’re after their spot.

3.  Be Specific. Entry levels always want to open themselves up to as many possibilities as possible, but when HR folks and Hiring Managers see these resumes they feel like the person doesn’t know what they want.  If you want a social media position, say you want a social media position and go after it.  Specific people get hired before the all-things-to-all-people People.

4. Ask for help.  Inherently, people want to help someone who asks for help – it’s in a normal person’s DNA.  Entry levels tend not to want to “burden” people, and they make it too easy for people to turn them down.  Don’t do this.  Beg for help, plead for help – you’ll be amazed at what people will do to help you!

5. Commit.  Christina is originally from the D (that’s Detroit for you none Michigan people), but she wants to live in NYC.  She just signed a 4 month lease in NYC – she is committed.  She is not waiting to get a job, then moving.  She’s on the ground – will start tomorrow – ready!  To few are willing to do this – it says a ton about her.

This is really hard for me to do, because I usually get paid a bunch of money for referring someone – but – got an entry level position you’re trying to fill? –  give Christina a call, she is going to make some company very happy (even with that UofM degree)!

And don’t get use to this – I’m not giving away free talent everyday!

Why Detroit Losing 25% of its Population is a Good Thing

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The recent census numbers are out and it would seem like the city of Detroit is a big loser – to the tune of over 200,000 people in the last 10 years.  The number drops the current population of Detroit to it’s lowest population since – 1910! (read more here)

I know I don’t usually think like most people, but I don’t see this as a negative.  Let’s face it, Michigan has been hit hard the past few years – it’s caused a ton of people to move out of state, move out of Detroit to find work.  One major way to bring an area back, is this unique type of transition that takes place within an economic environment that is almost “natural-selection-ish”.

With 250,000 fewer people to employ – it gives those who are in the area, better odds at finding a well paying  job.  Historically low property values, gives those who couldn’t afford it before a chance at ownership.  Empty buildings being torn down, gives the city a chance to start a new.  In a major way you get the feeling that history is giving Detroit another shot to start again.  It’s allowing us to spray off the dirt on the sidewalk out front of the shop in the morning, and begin a new day.

The numbers are extreme – the numbers tell a devastating story of a city – but they don’t tell it’s current, they don’t tell it’s future. If you were to come to Detroit today, you wouldn’t see a thriving city, but if you take a minute to really look, you see unlimited opportunity for someone who has vision.  A company with 10,000 employee could come into Detroit right now and set up it’s headquarters, and literally own the city.  Could you do that in New York, LA, Boston, Houston, Chicago, D.C.,Phoenix?  I’m not exaggerating – literally own the city.  Who’s your competition? GM? Ford? Chrysler?  Not really anymore – their workforces are shadows of what they were – and while they are all much more healthy now – they will never be the powers that they were.

Fast Company had a great article on Detroit last year: Demolishing Density in Detroit: Can Farming Save the Motor City? That looks at the concept of taking the city back to green spaces, back to it’s “roots” – literally – and starting all over.  Can you imagine a 10 square mile radius of farm land in Downtown Detroit? What would happen? Crime would disappear, small developments of housing would come back, small shops and eateries would slowly make it’s way back, little by little the city would start again.  Neat concept – that probably won’t happen, but a great vision of how to really turn around Detroit in a purposeful way.

Losing population isn’t always a bad thing – and it certainly isn’t a bad thing for Detroit at this point in the cities evolution.  Let’s get smaller, let’s get more competitive, let’s get back to being a city/state on the rise.

Two Sides To Every Tale

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Being in Michigan – I’ve been hearing from everyone about the ESPN documentary “The Fab Five” that aired this past Sunday, regarding the 91-93 University of Michigan Basketball team. Mostly the people I’ve heard from loved it, thought it was great – I didn’t watch it – why? Michigan sucks!  I’m a State fan – I don’t like U of M – and I really could care less about the “Fab Five”.  That being said I loved Grant Hill’s reply in The New York Times to comments made about himself, his family and Duke basketball by Jalen Rose in the documentary. I can’t possibly paraphrase what Grant said any better, so from the article:

It was a sad and somewhat pathetic turn of events, therefore, to see friends narrating this interesting documentary about their moment in time and calling me a bitch and worse, calling all black players at Duke “Uncle Toms” and, to some degree, disparaging my parents for their education, work ethic and commitment to each other and to me. I should have guessed there was something regrettable in the documentary when I received a Twitter apology from Jalen before its premiere. I am aware Jalen has gone to some length to explain his remarks about my family in numerous interviews, so I believe he has some admiration for them.

In his garbled but sweeping comment that Duke recruits only “black players that were ‘Uncle Toms,’ ” Jalen seems to change the usual meaning of those very vitriolic words into his own meaning, i.e., blacks from two-parent, middle-class families. He leaves us all guessing exactly what he believes today.

I am beyond fortunate to have two parents who are still working well into their 60s. They received great educations and use them every day. My parents taught me a personal ethic I try to live by and pass on to my children.

I come from a strong legacy of black Americans. My namesake, Henry Hill, my father’s father, was a day laborer in Baltimore. He could not read or write until he was taught to do so by my grandmother. His first present to my dad was a set of encyclopedias, which I now have. He wanted his only child, my father, to have a good education, so he made numerous sacrifices to see that he got an education, including attending Yale…

…I caution my fabulous five friends to avoid stereotyping me and others they do not know in much the same way so many people stereotyped them back then for their appearance and swagger. I wish for you the restoration of the bond that made you friends, brothers and icons.

I am proud of my family. I am proud of my Duke championships and all my Duke teammates. And, I am proud I never lost a game against the Fab Five.

Class.  Unlike the Fab Five, Grant Hill, has always been extremely classy, and when thrown completely under the bus, he reacted with, class.   There is a huge lessons here my friends:

1. People tend to see the same situation in very different ways – it’s a fact of life.

2. You chose how you respond and react to those situations.

3. U of M sucks.

See – I’m just like Grant – Classy!

Unionize Everyone!

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Like most HR folks I’ve been keeping a close eye on Wisconsin’s budget issues and their battles with state employee unions.  Here in Michigan, and really every state in America, is facing almost the exact same issue.  Public employee unions have done so well in negotiating over the years (or I could say, the state HR folks and our elected politicians have done such a bad job manging to the “business” of running our states), that they’ve bankrupt most states.  From a recent article on this issue: “Public Unions: A Bad Deal for the Public“:

“Wisconsin is nearly bankrupt. There is a $137 million shortfall in the fiscal year that ends June 30 and a projected deficit of $3.6 billion for the two years after that.

The deficit cannot be closed without trimming the pay and benefits of public employees. In 2008, these accounted for half of all state and local government spending, according to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. If government workers were paid the same as equivalent private sector workers, no state would have a budget deficit, calculated blogger George Noga, a certified public accountant.

Gov. Walker wants public employees in Wisconsin to contribute roughly half as much, proportionately, to their health plans and pensions as do workers in the private sector. The governor also wants to restrict public employee unions to bargaining for wages only, leaving the health and benefit packages and work rules up to elected officials to decide. And he wants the state to stop collecting dues for the unions, and to require them to win recertification elections each year.”

I guess as an HR Pro, I’m looking for someone to blame – so here it is – I blame my Grandparents.  You should to – what the heck, their old or dead, they can take the blame.  Plus, it’s really their fault – they were the one’s who made us believe – you can work 30 years (sometimes with little or no education) can paid a good enough wage to have a 3 bedroom/2 bath house, a summer cottage on Lake Unionskilledusslowly, then upon retirement at that old age of 50 – the company or public organization you worked for would keep paying you a pension for the next 30 years – or maybe even longer with that great medical insurance they were paying for as well.  Damn you Grandma!

So clearly, we are collectively, as a society too stupid, to understand this issue.  But I think I can help educate everyone with one simple solution – let’s Unionize everyone – I mean everyone – every single occupation from CEO to the Janitor – every single person will get a great wage, great benefits and full retirement after 30 years.  Sounds great doesn’t it!  Oh, you know the UAW, et al. are ready to make me President right now (wait a minute – no I’ll answer that call later).  One Question, I have – how long until we go bankrupt as a society?  What do you think?  I’ll give it 13 seconds.  We can all enjoy the same pay benefits and pensions as the unions for 13 seconds – hope you liked it!

I know how we got here – I’ve gone though my labor relations courses, I know the history – the issue is that what we faced 50, 60, 70 years ago, is not what we face now.  We created a system that is unsustainable, not only in the private sector (hello GM), but also in the public sector (hello Teachers, government workers, guys making $42K a year holding the sign on the highway to “Slow Down”).  We’re done.   And Damn It Grandma it’s your fault!

5 Minutes is Changing the World

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I went to a really cool event this past Friday – called Ignite Lansing 4.0.   Ignite is like a local TED event – except that made some small changes to move it along – since locally you probably aren’t going to have the same talent level as you would see at TED.   Ignite isn’t special to Lansing, although Lansing does have one of the bigger events in the world, there are Ignite events happening in hundreds of communities all over the world.

So, what is it? (that’s what my wife kept asking me, when I told her we were going)

  • 5 minute presentation on anything you want. This event had preso’s on The Lost Art of Mac & Cheese, Roller Derby, hiring individuals with Disabilities, 52 Cups of Coffee (about meeting a new person each week for a year), From Daily Chai to Apple Pies: The Immigrant Experience, Failing, etc.
  • 20 PowerPoint slides, that automatically change every 20 seconds – lose your place – too bad – it’s moving forward without you!  
  • A rock star like stage  and atomosphere (lights, music and fake smoke), this one was held in an Airport Hanger, just a few yards from the actual runway – including an audience with access to alcohol, and a live twitter stream on the screen – so don’t suck!
  • A very supporting audience – because at the heart of it all, it was about community – it was about a group of people coming together to say “hey, this is why I think it’s cool to be in Lansing, MI.” This is why it’s cool to be a part of a dynamic community – and how can we all connect.

Not everyone who came up wanted to change the world – but when I left Ignite – I got the impression that many around me felt like this was certainly a step towards changing our environment, changing perceptions of those from the outside of Lansing and Michigan.  I coupled this with the recentChrysler SuperBowl Emeniem commercial about Detroit and really for the first time in a long time – I get the sense that Michigan reached it’s bottom and we got our legs under us again, a sense that we are slowly but surely coming out of a recession that arguably hit Michigan harder than any other state by far.

Will 5 minute presentations change our world?  Every change needs a fire-starter, and I think events like Ignite, like TED, are really just that. They plant ideas, not everyone will go away with the same ideas – but someone will take an idea and run with it, and just maybe one of those ideas changes our world a little, or a lot.  The whole thing reminded me of an idea I heard about Detroit – about why Detroit/Michigan is probably considered one of the best places to start a new business right now – why you ask? The reality that the recession has put us in: super low commercial real estate prices, high unemployment = low wages, local and state governments giving away crazy tax incentives, new Republican governor, etc.  Right environment, Right Time, Right Energy…

5 minutes might not change the world – but I sure think it’s helping to change my world.