Growing up as a kid I was always enthralled with a book that sat in my Dad's office which he used when he taught probability and statistics entitled "How to Lie with Statistics". I can't even remember if I ever read the book but the premise was that depending on what you do with the numbers (sample sizes, variables, combinations, permutations and such) you could essentially "lie" with statistics. It is what they call "creative number crunching".

The video and the resulting discussions interest me a great deal. As a woman and a businessowner and someone who spent many years in Corporate America, the topic of revenues and earnings are often at the forefront of my mind. If you haven't seen the Obama video you can catch it here and listen to the "women earn only 77 cents on a dollar compared to men" statistic.

Not everyone agrees with the premise. Some are saying Obama's claim is outright dishonest.

The ad cites the statistic loved by liberals that women earn 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. This is such a phony statistic.

As Carrie Lukacs pointed out last year, this stat says nothing about women’s training and steady presence in the job force.

Yes, the Labor Department regularly issues new data comparing the median wage of women who work full time with the median wage of men who work full time, and women’s earnings bob at around three-quarters those of men. But this statistic says little about women’s compensation and the influence of discrimination on men’s and women’s earnings. All the relevant factors that affect pay - occupation, experience, seniority, education and hours worked - are ignored. This sound-bite statistic fails to take into account the different roles that work tends to play in men’s and women’s lives.

Perhaps there are many variables such as types of occupations, time spent in the workforce, skills, and training that get bantered around to explain away the difference. In the same article Betsy Newmark gives an example of why she believes the statistic is a phony:

So what happens if we examine the statistics and control for such factors? Do women still earn less? Well, no.

When these kinds of differences are taken into account and the comparison is truly between men and women in equivalent roles, the wage gap shrinks. In his book "Why Men Earn More," Warren Farrell - a former board member of the National Organization for Women in New York - identifies more than three dozen professions in which women out-earn men (including engineering management, aerospace engineering, radiation therapy and speech-language pathology). Farrell seeks to empower women with this information. Discrimination certainly plays a role in some workplaces, but individual preferences are the real root of the wage gap.

When women realize that it isn’t systemic bias but the choices they make that determine their earnings, they can make better-informed decisions. Many women may not want to follow the path toward higher pay - which often requires more time on the road, more hours in the office or less comfortable and less interesting work - but they’re better off not feeling like victims.

Oh, so now it is only because of choice?

Well, then explain some instances in which the profession is exactly the same (with less perks I might add) yet the pay is unfathomably different. Think 77 percent is bad, then how about making less than 1% of what your counterparts do as is the case in some professional sports.

Let's take this statistic as it relates to one of my favorites - professional basketball. As a women's basketball fan who is also a big WNBA fan, I almost fell off my chair when I read the facts and figures in the article "WNBA Enjoying Growth In Tough Economic Times". I knew they earned a fraction compared to the men, but this is pretty mindblowing:

There are still major challenges the league faces. Players’ salaries, for example, have been a source of contention since the league’s inception. The top four rookie selections in the 2008 draft made $44,064 this season. The maximum salary is $97,500.

Thanks to a new collective bargaining agreement, salaries will gradually increase over the next five years, with the high end salary maxing out at $107,500 in 2013. But that won’t be enough to prevent players from playing overseas in the winter.

Anyone who has been watching the league knows the 2008 rookies are some of the best women to play the game and all the WNBA players have a grueling schedule and face a great deal of physical play.

Now, consider the men's 2008 draft for the NBA. Crashing the Goalie has this to say about the #1 draft pick:

With one handshake, Derrick Rose becomes a $5 million man.

In a handy chart on the site, it shows the minimum range for a rookie (0 years in the NBA) is $442, 114 and the maximum salary is $13,758,000.

Call me crazy, but how does $44,000 compare to $5 million? Even if you adjust for whatever factors you like, it is still, well, an insane gap.

You can read the Equal Pay Act of 1963" all you like, but in the real world we all know that "management discretion" plays a HUGE factor in setting starting salaries.

Another recent study tries to account for the differences using gender roles and is discussed at "Knit Me A Sweater, Bake Me A Pie, Give Me A Raise".

It is the first time social scientists have produced evidence that large numbers of men might be victims of gender-related income disparities. The study raises the provocative possibility that a substantial part of the widely discussed gap in income between men and women who do the same work is really a gap between men with a traditional outlook and everyone else.

The differences found in the study were substantial. Men with traditional attitudes about gender roles earned $11,930 more a year than men with egalitarian views and $14,404 more than women with traditional attitudes. The comparisons were based on men and women working in the same kinds of jobs with the same levels of education and putting in the same number of hours per week.

Although men with a traditional outlook earned the most, women with a traditional outlook earned the least. The wage gap between working men and women with a traditional attitude was more than 10 times as large as the gap between men and women with egalitarian views. [...]

I don't know about you but it almost sounds like both sexes get punished for having a progressive or different attitude. So much for progress!

Regardless of your political or gender views, one thing is certain -- every woman needs to empower herself with choices, know that you can be as good or better than anyone else at your craft, and stand up for what you deserve leaving all thoughts of victim mentality behind. Beyond that, I suspect that unfortunately this debate will rage on for some time.

Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, works with women who are ready to create their lives and businesses in a way that fits who they are rather than how they were told they "should". Get the free 12 part eCourse "How to Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin" http://www.coaching4lesbians.com and start taking charge of your own success.

To get the latest word on personal finances from an LGBT perspective and Paula's practical coach approach to the topic check out Queercents http://www.queercents.com.

Are you a small or solo business owner who wants to be comfortable in their own skin online via a website that is a true reflection of who you are and what your business is about? Paula's signature down to earth and "plain English" approach to website design and consulting can help. Visit http://www.paulagwebdesign.com to download the free successful website planner which will make your web project a breeze.

Why so many of us wonder, one of our candidates in this historic election does not share the uncertainty of the majority of Americans. Pam's House Blend captures this quotable:

And the Dow dropped 450 points today -- $700 billion in investments vanished. ABC pummeled John "The fundamentals of the American economy are strong..." McCain:

Obama weighed in as well and McCain's counter-comments once again totally contradict what he just said.

Obama called it "the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression." McCain declared in a new TV ad that "our economy is in crisis" and that only he and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, could fix it. McCain also told voters in Jacksonville, Fla., "The fundamentals of our economy are strong."

Ah- so we are fundamentally in a crisis? Right on John! All of my personal sarcasm aside, we're dealing with historic and serious financial business here. At a time when the job market is already dicey with people losing jobs regularly, so many find themselves vascillating between making a real career for themselves and simply spending each day with their tail between their legs gripped with fear that the bottom could fallout at any moment. Unfortunately that is no way to live a fulfilling life. You create your own reality and it is up to you to put excuses about the economy, money, and other random things aside and focus on what matters most. Pam Slim who is knee deep in writing a book on how to help cubicle dwellers make the leap to entrepreneurship had this to say:

Yes, things feel quite bleak in the market today.

But, I would argue, if you are sitting back with your head between your knees gripping your corporate job like a favorite teddy bear, you are putting yourself at risk.

I learned from my martial art days that the safest thing to do when under attack is to keep your eyes wide open, ground yourself, leverage your strengths and let curiosity, not fear, be the emotion your opponent sees in your eyes.

Like in any crisis or economic downturn, some people are going to thrive and grow despite the chaos. These are the people who are not afraid to try new things, work on side projects, network like crazy outside of their day jobs, and maintain a balanced and positive outlook on life.

The unfortunate part of all this is that all these bailouts being made in big sums using taxpayers money isn't doing a damn thing to stem the stock slump and who knows what the long term impact of these massive expenditures will be.

Yet, perhaps this is the chaos before the truly creative solutions show themselves. Maybe the shakeup the economy really needs to get back to fundamentals. The Baglady had this to say on the matter:

First of all, I think most of us have had the experience of eating something horribly uncouth and falling ill. What usually happens is a bit of a stomach ache, and then full blown diarrhea, but once the last bit of toxin is out of your body you start to feel better. I think the financial markets is basically in the middle of a cathartic bowel movement right now. As many commentators have said, the debt and mortgage backed securities were "toxic" and these securities poisoned many firms and it is only natural that we’re seeing death and destruction. As a result, the more prudent firms are surviving and becoming stronger. For example, Bank of America has snapped up Countrywide and Merrill in the midst of this, and their position as a financial services company has been strengthened.

It's not often that you get to use the phrase bowel movement and financial markets in the same sentence, but I say - seize the moment!

What are your thoughts on the matter? Do the big stock market plummets have you nervous? Are you changing your spending, investing, or financial institution choices as a result of the recent chain of events? Do you grip your corporate job like a faux security blanket or are you out there creating opportunities for yourself regardless? Please share in the comments...

Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, works with women who are ready to create their lives and businesses in a way that fits who they are rather than how they were told they "should". Get the free 12 part eCourse "How to Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin" http://www.coaching4lesbians.com and start taking charge of your own success.

To get the latest word on personal finances from an LGBT perspective and Paula's practical coach approach to the topic check out Queercents http://www.queercents.com.

Are you a small or solo business owner who wants to be comfortable in their own skin online via a website that is a true reflection of who you are and what your business is about? Paula's signature down to earth and "plain English" approach to website design and consulting can help. Visit http://www.paulagwebdesign.com to download the free successful website planner which will make your web project a breeze.

What are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? They are called government-sponsored enterprises because they initially were formed by the federal government. Fannie Mae is a common name for Federal National Mortgage Association. in Washington, DC. Freddie Mac is a common name for Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. in McLean, Virginia.
What do Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do? Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buy mortgages from savings and loans, banks and other lenders to generate more cash for those lenders to make more home loans. Together they hold or guarantee $5.4 trillion of mortgages, about half of the US's outstanding home loans.

So what happened? Well as home prices fell, foreclosures went up, and lenders ran into trouble, so did Fannie and Freddie. Loans they backed went bad, capital became harder to come by and it was harder for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to sell their loan packages. Thus, like any desperate, compromising soul, they lowered their standards and backed riskier mortgages and all this came back to bite them. Whether you are Sally-Homeowner or a big financial institution, you can't hide from sound financial principles and the truth of the matter. "So What Did Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Do To Mortgage Rates?" That is what Quizzle asks:

Like many Americans having trouble selling their homes, ol’ Fannie and Freddie have been having trouble selling their packages of loans. The investors who typically buy from them have become much pickier about what they’ll buy - with good reason - they were worried about increased risk as mortgage defaults rose and home prices fell. Since the two companies own or insure about $5 trillion in mortgages (nearly half of the nation’s total), the world has been watching them very carefully. Especially the American government. In the opinion of the government leaders, Fannie & Freddie were headed toward failure. Since they’re so big, their failure would have dramatic (likely worldwide) consequences. So Uncle Sam worked the weekend and officially stepped in. So why are mortgage rates falling now? Think of it like this: Fannie and Freddie are kind of like big insurance companies. Before this announcement, investors worried that Fannie or Freddie might not be around to pay if mortgages they bought went sour. Worried investors = high mortgage rates for consumers. Now that Uncle Sam has stepped in, mortgage bond holders feel much safer. Happy investors = lower mortgage rates for consumers.

Wisebread has a superb post outlining the the winners and losers

American taxpayers - This bailout is not free. Noone knows the final damage this bailout will do to the Treasury, but most believe that the losses will be in the hundreds of billions. Considering that Fannie and Freddie holds approximately $5 trillion in home loans and currently more than 9% of loans are in the process of defaulting, then simple math tells us that these two companies could potentially lose $450 billion. Additionally, taxpayers will have to pay for the upkeep and operations of these companies so the costs will keep on increasing for years to come.

Some of the winners I never really thought of were interesting, particularly:

Banks that invested in Fannie and Freddie's debt - Fannie and Freddie sold trillions of dollars in mortgaged backed securities to central banks all around the world. For example, China's People's Bank owns more than $300 billion in Fannie and Freddie's mortgage backed securities. If both of these companies defaulted on all of these securites the Chinese national bank may have gone bankrupt

So in some respects the government is busy bailing out everyone at the expense of the taxpayers who DO manage to handle their finances responsibly. Nope, that group bears the brunt of every damn thing. In true political fashion, both Barack Obama and John McCain have issued their comments on the matter, including Sarah Palin misspeaking showing she doesn't even understand how these organizations work. Neither political candidate can wipe their hands of having no connection to the debacle as Muckety has a lovely chart and post at "Obama and McCain Both Have Ties to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac".

As you might imagine, this is a very hot topic. Some people are calling it "Socialism for the Rich"

I guess I see it as a parent who gets their delinquent kid out of jail every time they get into trouble....the kid keeps getting into trouble...and govt will have to keep on "fixing" everything and our children and grandchildren will inherit a country in financial ruin.

Wisebread gives us the real bottom line for us all:

Indeed, America is using public funds to take over more than 50% of the credit market. Whether this decision makes America stronger or weaker in the global economy is up for debate. As consumers, all we can do is be vigilant as to where our money is kept and be careful when we enter into important financial contracts. Finally, I hope that a positive effect that comes out of this giant mess is that Americans will learn to save again and realize that an economy held up by debt cannot be sustained.

Now that is one thing I know for sure -- this is certainly not a sustainable way to handle finances large or small. It will certainly be interesting to see the short and long term impact of this historic decision.

Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, works with women who are ready to create their lives and businesses in a way that fits who they are rather than how they were told they "should". Get the free 12 part eCourse "How to Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin" http://www.coaching4lesbians.com and start taking charge of your own success. To get the latest word on personal finances from an LGBT perspective and Paula's practical coach approach to the topic check out Queercents http://www.queercents.com. Are you a small or solo business owner who wants to be comfortable in their own skin online via a website that is a true reflection of who you are and what your business is about? Paula's signature down to earth and "plain English" approach to website design and consulting can help. Visit http://www.paulagwebdesign.com to download the free successful website planner which will make your web project a breeze.

I love traveling to Total Wine in Delaware when I want to purchase a varied selection of wine or restock the liquor cabinet. While it might take us months and months (at last count around 18 months) to work our way through what we buy because we don't drink that much or often, you cannot beat the prices and lack of sales tax on the finer bottles. Not to mention the selection gets the oenophile in me all riled up. Where else can you find an entire mega-aisle dedicated to one varietal and one wine region? Perhaps it is my attitude jaded by a lifetime held hostage with PA state controlled wine selections, but I find the place nirvana like.

What blew me away on this visit is that with all the nonstop media and person to person complaining about having no money, the economy tanking, and all that same old depressing fare, the place was packed with reams of people pushing carts filled to the brim with bottles. I mean big carts with lots of bottles and cases. I would love to know what the average per customer purchase is in that place.

Apparently my wondering was not an anomaly. Crossroads for Women cites some great statistics in "Drinking during a slow economy":

Despite lagging sales in other categories, alcohol sales seem to be up in many areas of the country. Connecticut reports that the taxes it collects on sales of alcoholic beverages are up 4.7% for the fiscal year that ended in June. Pennsylvania also reported that sales of wine and liquor are up 4.7% for the 11 months ending in May, to $1.63 billion.

Says Danny Brager of The Nielsen Company, "A lot of consumers would still consider alcoholic beverages as an affordable indulgence." According to Nielsen, more than 80% of people said they were spending the same amount on alcohol they were a year ago or more.

I get the indulgence factor rationale, but I have to believe there is also an increase in drowning one's sorrows in a bad economy going on as well. LSJ Blogs point out in "Where do you buy your wine?":

There's good news for the wine industry: Tough times can lead some consumers to drown their sorrows.

That was the general conclusion Tuesday when the world's biggest wine maker by volume, Constellation Brands Inc. of Fairport, N.Y., reported a 50% increase in fiscal first-quarter net income.

"People drink when the economy is good, and they drink more when the economy is not so good," said Mike Martin, a vice president at Constellation, a producer and marketer of wine, imported beer and spirits.

Some of the folks in the store with me were either having mega parties for the Labor Day Holiday or planning Katrina size drowning of their sorrows.

Let's say you're more like me. I am passionate about wine - every aspect of it. For 15+ years my partner and I have enjoyed touring wineries and educating ourselves on everything from tasting to viticulture. Should the economy put a crimp in our wine selections? Surely I can't go hog-wild with off the wall purchases, but does that mean I have to trade in my "mature" palette for Two Buck Chuck? Not according to Deb Harnkess at Serious Eats who has something to say about "Drinking Good Wines During Rough Economic Times" and her three golden rules:

Tightening your belt and cutting back on your wine budget during economic hard times doesn’t have to be a curse or an unpleasant chore-it can be a blessing and an adventure. There are three golden rules for drinking good wine regardless of the economy: don’t get sucked into the lemming-like hysteria surrounding wines awarded 90 points or more by big wine magazines; think twice before you buy wine from pricey appellations with big reputations; and look for grapes less traveled.

To me that is a great frugal tip for ANY economy. One where you don't have to sacrifice taste OR break the bank.

Perhaps wine and spirits is simply a recession proof industry. No matter how you slice it, though, it seems that folks are not willing to go frugal even in this economy when it comes to their alcoholic drinks.

Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, works with women who are ready to create their lives and businesses in a way that fits who they are rather than how they were told they "should". Get the free 12 part eCourse "How to Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin" http://www.coaching4lesbians.com and start taking charge of your own success.

To get the latest word on personal finances from an LGBT perspective and Paula's practical coach approach to the topic check out Queercents http://www.queercents.com.

Are you a small or solo business owner who wants to be comfortable in their own skin online via a website that is a true reflection of who you are and what your business is about? Paula's signature down to earth and "plain English" approach to website design and consulting can help. Visit http://www.paulagwebdesign.com to download the free successful website planner which will make your web project a breeze.

Travel Snippets and More who clearly travels more than I do, had this to say in "Airlines Add Fees and More Fees":

It is getting more and more difficult to know what you will actually be paying for your flight. Just like many ticketing sites display fares without the taxes and fees, many of the new airline fees are popping up after you get to the airport or even on the airplane. I bet a lot of people were surprised to find out they had to pay for a pillow and blanket. I know we were when we recently flew a US Airways red eye from Denver.

Oh goodie - a chance to pay money for a skeevy pillow. Just what I always wanted! A bargain at any price!

So how is the intrepid traveler supposed to wade through all this when it seems to change at least daily? And, because so much of it is absurd (are they REALLY going to charge to use the miniature and gross restrooms?) it is hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. Fortunately some folks are trying to make sense of it all for the rest of us.

Pocketmint has this to say in "Keeping up with airline fees":

Turns out someone else saved me the trouble! Travel search engine Kayak (of which I am very much a fan) has a chart that shows not only bag fees but also charges for food, pets, unaccompanied minors, seat assignment, and legroom. The chart appears to be regularly updated; as of this writing, none of the entries are more than a week old.

Another great roundup of fees and weight limits can be found at The Luggage Blog in their Current Airline Fees chart.

Southwest Airlines has truly set itself apart once again, this time in the fee department. A recent visit to their website shows they share my disgust about surprise fees:

No surprise fees

We despise fees as much as the other airlines seem to love them. So we'll just keep taking care of you, rather than charging fees for the stuff that should come with your fare in the first place. We believe in not asking you to pull out your wallet every few minutes.

It's not just a smart attitude, it is smart business. They have been able to set themselves apart in this way by locking in fuel prices. Imagine that - an airline with some business sense!

Things could get worst though. Grumpy Editor shares this little ditty about a editorial cartoon he recently saw:

Grumpy Editor, grumbling about "nickel and dime" airlines --- constantly flying at lower PR altitudes as they institute new fees almost weekly --- got a hearty laugh on seeing an editorial cartoon by Steve Benson of The Arizona Republic.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated cartoonist sketched a flight attendant demonstrating a life-saving device while informing passengers in a packed aircraft: "In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, an oxygen mask will drop from the compartment above your head. For $15.00 you can activate it!"

I laugh hard only because there is a good deal of truth to it! You want oxygen? Want to live long enough to land at your destination? Cough up the money, baby...

What have been your travel and added-fee survival tips? I'd love to hear your creative tips, unexpected surprises, and experiences in the comments.

Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, works with women who are ready to create their lives and businesses in a way that fits who they are rather than how they were told they "should". Get the free 12 part eCourse "How to Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin" http://www.coaching4lesbians.com and start taking charge of your own success.

To get the latest word on personal finances from an LGBT perspective and Paula's practical coach approach to the topic check out Queercents http://www.queercents.com.

Are you a small or solo business owner who wants to be comfortable in their own skin online via a website that is a true reflection of who you are and what your business is about? Paula's signature down to earth and "plain English" approach to website design and consulting can help. Visit http://www.paulagwebdesign.com to download the free successful website planner which will make your web project a breeze.

In my day I spent over 17 years in Corporate America stuck in a cubicle and being treated like I was a 6 year old. So much of the culture and environment made no sense to me, truly plugged me in, and had a negative effect on me and my life. I never thought I'd read a book that verbalized so candidly how I felt about so much of it. Trapped like an animal in a cage begging for release and knowing there had to be a better way to get results in the business environment.

While I have freed myself from the cubicle through self-employment, what is interesting is the question "why does work have to be done this way?" holds true whether you work for someone or yourself. The only difference is when you work for yourself the path to implementing a shift in mindset and change is much shorter. Either way it comes down to your beliefs about work. I loved this passage from the book because I SO felt this way when I made the shift to self-employed:

Even if someone waved a magic wand and said, You are no longer judged based on time, you would probably still judge yourself based on time. You ahve spent so many years with a "lunch hour" that even if someone said, Take as long a lunch as you like, you are still going to check your watch halfway through your sandwich to see if you're taking too long.

Let me just say that my first month or two of self-employment I ran to my home office so I wasn't "late", timed my lunch, and forced myself to "work hard". Beliefs and long standing survival habits take some time to crack.

Unfortunately for so many companies those beliefs amount to nothing but Sludge being thrown from person to person which ultimately drives down results and kills morale. Ressler and Thompson define Sludge as:

Any negative comment we make that serves to reinforce old ideas about how work gets done. Another way of looking at Sludge is as a kind of code for the status quo.

In organizations you've got many people reinforcing the status quo all the time. Questions abound around "acceptable" excuses for leaving early, missing work, etc. People are judged only by the "ass in the seat" rule versus real results. This reinforces "business as usual" no matter how many quality, change management, and other motivational culture change programs a company puts in place. Ever been to a rash of these trainings, "new ways of doing business" meetings, and team building events only to walk away and have everything be exactly the same? Me too. This book talks about a fundamental shift in beliefs and way of doing business.

What makes work so stressful for so many is the lack of control coupled with the high demands placed of today's business environment. When you at least have control over how you deliver results and live your life, even the most demanding situation can become manageable. The book is peppered with vignettes from real people working in a ROWE environment in Best Buy which demonstrate that very thing.

I started cruising the Internet to see what other people had to say about the book. I felt such an affinity to it and only wish that ROWE (Results Only Work Environment) would become the norm in all companies. Yet I didn't want to appear like some crazy woman who receives a review copy of a book and can't stop raving about it -- what were others saying? I'm finding others have a similar affinity.

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom has this to say about "Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It":

What at first started as an underground movement and later gained the wholehearted support of the CEO, ROWE increased Best Buy’s productivity by 41 percent and reduced turnover by 90 percent in some divisions. I’ve been a fan since I first wrote about it on Water Cooler Wisdom back in 2006!

In a ROWE company or department, employees can do whatever they want whenever they want, as long as business objectives are achieved. As Cali and Jody put it, there’s no more begging for permission to watch your kid play soccer. No more cramming errands into the weekend, or waiting until retirement to take up your hobbies again. You make the decisions about what you do and where you do it, every minute of every day.

Zen Personal Finance sums up the book in their review very succinctly:

Why does work suck? Because full-grown adults are made to feel like children, Slaveslinks to the clock, working by rules that are more fit to the 19th century then today. We work all week and then have to spend the weekend running errands until Sunday comes and that familiar dread creeps into the pits of our stomach. Even if our work life offers us some time flexibility, using that flexibility too religiously may lead to you being labeled as less than dedicated, which then leads to being passed over for promotions, while the guy who stays at work from 7AM to 6PM even though he does a lousy job and never gets his work done is ultimately rewarded purely on the basis of "face time."

Business Insight ZONE talks about the flip side of the coin as it relates to the book -- management and getting buy in.

Mind you, ROWE also implies huge changes for management - new routines, new areas of focus, and new ways of thinking about everything from staff meetings to "managing by walking around" to performance evaluations, raises, and promotions. Although they don’t spend very much time detailing these implications, the authors are candid and unapologetic about them. In their view, if a ROWE brings better business results while making life easier for workers, it ought to be followed, starting as soon as possible, by every company that can possibly follow it. Q.E.D.

Their assurance about this is not based in theory or abstractions, because they’ve spent the past few years implementing the ROWE method at a little outfit called Best Buy, where the entire corporate staff now adheres to ROWE principles. (Best Buy CEO Brad Anderson wrote the foreword for the book.)

Truly the ROWE "Guideposts" that Ressler and Thompson adhere to would make any status quo manager choke. Yet, the truth is they can and do work, Best Buy proved it. There are 13 of them, but here are a few of my personal favorites:

• "Employees have the freedom to work any way they want."
• "Arriving at the workplace at 2:00pm is not considered coming in late. Leaving the workplace at 2:00pm is not considered leaving early."
• "Every meeting is optional."
• There is no judgment about how you spend your time."

Sound liberating?

Work Happy Now! did an interview with the authors. I particularly liked this question and response:

You have been doing the book circuit and talking to companies about ROWE. What is their biggest opposition to it and what do you say to calm their fears?

The biggest opposition we run into is the shift from focusing on time/number of hours worked (or perceived to be worked) to results. Moving to a ROWE takes a complete paradigm shift. The culture of work needs to change and one of the things we can do to move in the right direction is stop implementing flexibility programs over the existing industrial model of work. Flexibility programs are all about time, and tracking when people are working. Just about every employer says they value output over face-time, but then they reinforce outdated rules and policies about when, where, and how long work should take. Ultimately, we’re serving two masters under the current system: time and results. Until we completely eradicate time from the equation, we will never be fully invested in results. Organizations are full of managers in their late 40s and early 50s who have clawed their way to the top within the industrial model. But they, too, want a better life. Generation Y will force the issue, and ROWE will be the vehicle of change that will allow all of us to achieve the lifestyle we want.

Not everyone believes ROWE is the end all panacea, though. Even though The Office Newb thinks it would be great for someone with her workstyle, she's not so sure it can work for the masses especially "When Employees Can't Be Trusted":

But what none of these articles, blog posts or podcasts seem to address is how exactly do you create an environment where everyone is productive, trustworthy and responsible?

"Results only" work environments are only successful if each employee is assigned an individual, measurable set of requirements that are assigned a specific due date. It’s been my experience that most companies can barely define each employee’s job (I once worked for a year in position that had no formal job description), nor set reasonable, measurable goals for each of them. The foundation of ROWE is a competent management team that is able to both see the big picture and quantify it into doable steps. How many people can say that their managers successfully accomplish both of those things?

Sounds to me like management needs to step up to the plate as much as if not more than the employees for ROWE to work.

Much like the paradigm shift with technology, I believe Gen Y will have a hand in shifting cultures. There will come a time when even the oldest people in an organization can't remember a life without computers and gadgets. The same will someday also hold true for a results only mindset.

To learn more about the book, ROWE, and the authors, you can check out their blog.

Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, works with women who are ready to create their lives and businesses in a way that fits who they are rather than how they were told they "should". Get the free 12 part eCourse "How to Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin" http://www.coaching4lesbians.com and start taking charge of your own success.

To get the latest word on personal finances from an LGBT perspective and Paula's practical coach approach to the topic check out Queercents http://www.queercents.com.

Are you a small or solo business owner who wants to be comfortable in their own skin online via a website that is a true reflection of who you are and what your business is about? Paula's signature down to earth and "plain English" approach to website design and consulting can help. Visit http://www.paulagwebdesign.com to download the free successful website planner which will make your web project a breeze.

The underlying theme with any Olympian is the sheer personal investment that goes into being able to compete at that level. The financial, personal, and professional demands and sacrifice are beyond what most of us would ever commit to. I was reading some article about an Australian swimmer who shared that it was over a year and a half since he has gone out with friends. Another swimmer commented on the hype surrounding the swimsuit technology by saying something to the effect that he's sure it helps, but the suit isn't getting up at 5am every day to train. Think about the focus and discipline required to sacrifce in that way. How many of you (myself included) would be willing to focus in this way day in and day out?

Yet success in any area of our lives requires that we tap into the Olympic mindset. Monika Mundell writes about the "8 Attributes Of an Olympic Mindset" as it relates to a career in writing. Here's what she had to say about Determination:

You don’t have to be a sports nut to desire the attribute of determination. This is as valuable to business owners, workers, or parents as it is to Olympians. Determination is showing, when you are 100% committed to your dream.

By showing commitment, opportunities will present themselves to you which you wouldn’t even know they existed otherwise. Iron tight commitment is what will eventually lead you to success.

Come hail, rain or sunshine, a committed athlete keeps training. That is the price he pays for the ultimate success.

Success is a distance run, not a sprint. Determination will keep you committed and on your desired path even when the going gets tough.

Pam Slim at Escape from Cubicle Nation wastes no time heeding the inspiration and lessons from the Olympians as she is "Channelling Olympic focus to finish The Book". Whether writing a book, sealing a business deal, or competing in the Olympics so much of life is a mental game:

I imagine that they have the following thoughts right before competing:

* I see gold.
* I am meant to do this.
* I am present. All that matters is now.
* Breathe in. Breathe out.

When the mind is calm, the body relaxes. And creativity flows.

What most (winning anyway) athletes would not be saying right before a race is:

* Why didn't I train more last month?
* This is an impossible task.
* My competition is better.
* Why did I have donuts instead of granola this morning?

Top athletes know that great performance is really a mental game. All the physical preparation in the world means nothing if your thoughts don't align with your desired outcomes.

So many of us live in the self-talk of Pam's second example. Second guessing and looping self-defeating and sabotaging thoughts over and over. No wonder we struggle so much! You need to look only as far as the current economy to see that some people are succeeding just fine and others are languishing. Is it all mental? Heck no...but I do know that what you think about you bring about which is why I still am a firm believer in recession proofing your mind. Sometimes you just have to "fake it until you make it" which sure beats sitting around counting the reasons why you can't do, be, or have what you want.

I'd be remiss if I didn't add that with all the talk of winning, it really is about the journey. Of the thousands of athletes only a small fraction of them will come home with a medal. That is a great reminder to focus on your unique accomplishments without comparing yourself to others. Take this bit of "Olympic Inspiration" from Debbie at "They're Making Me Blog":

For every Scott Hamilton or Janet Evans or Michael Phelps there are hundreds of others who train just as hard and sacrifice just as much, if not more, to work toward that dream of competing in the Olympics. Notice the word I used: competing. Not winning. Not even medaling. Just competing. There is a rule at the Olympic Committee. Well, there are lots of rules, but the one I'm thinking of is that you never refer to someone as "former Olympian." Once an Olympian, always an Olympian. Because just getting there is such a huge accomplishment that it cannot be taken away ever.

It's more than just about drive and success though. Show me someone who can't see the big picture and I'll show you someone who is miserable because they are lacking the very connection that makes us human and life worth living. Success without good relationships with people is hollow at best.

I was reading Laura Berman Fortgang's blog "A Meaningful Life" and really enjoyed her take on "The Opening Ceremonies":

It has nothing to do with competition and domination and yet everything to do with the shared wonder of what humans are capable of creating when using their best. In that collective inhale and exhale of awe we meet at a base level that everyone can understand. We meet in the place where solutions to our ills could be birthed.

What if we could step into that feeling of unity and connection as we approached our daily lives? How would you treat people differently, show up for yourself differently, or spend/save differently if you truly believed that we are more alike than we are different?

I was watching Team USA Women's Basketball the other night when a member of the opposing team literally ran back up the court to help an opponent's player up. Now that is beyond sportsmanship. While I wouldn't recommend such behavior in the last seconds of a tied game, who does it hurt when you stop what you're doing to show compassion to others? Sometimes it is these little basics that we forget about in our pursuit of success. Just another hidden lesson you and I can learn from the Olympic Athletes as we pursue the road to our own dreams.

Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, works with women who are ready to create their lives and businesses in a way that fits who they are rather than how they were told they "should". Get the free 12 part eCourse "How to Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin" http://www.coaching4lesbians.com and start taking charge of your own success.

To get the latest word on personal finances from an LGBT perspective and Paula's practical coach approach to the topic check out Queercents http://www.queercents.com.

Are you a small or solo business owner who wants to be comfortable in their own skin online via a website that is a true reflection of who you are and what your business is about? Paula's signature down to earth and "plain English" approach to website design and consulting can help. Visit http://www.paulagwebdesign.com to download the free successful website planner which will make your web project a breeze.

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. - Joseph Campbell

How willing are you?

I have written about this before in an article called "Are You Willing?" following a powerful retreat experience.

The difference between success and failure; happiness and misery can be found in our level of resistance and our willingness to be fully present, take action, make a change, shift our thinking, or take a risk. If you're not willing, you can be 100% certain of the results and your experience. It will look exactly as what you're experiencing right now. If you keep doing the same things you've always done; you'll always get what you've always got.

This holds true in so many areas of our life and in this economy and business climate willingness puts on a whole new face. The swirl of job eliminations, business start-ups, or changing careers can be a frustrating, confusing, and emotional affair. We all have ideas about how we want things to look or what we think it "should" look like. Yet at the heart of the matter is that you can only deal with what IS. In easy to explain terms that means you can only play the cards you're dealt (and I mean that in an expansive and creative way of many possibilities which includes things like changing the game, letting go of the cards, etc.)

Laurie Hayes wrote a great post called "How Willing Are You...Really?" It is spot on in terms of some of the very things I coach my own clients through.

If you’re willing to say ‘yes’ to those decisions that will move you in the direction of business success even though they cause butterflies in your stomach or shake you to your core, you create no option but to grow. And as you grow personally, your business grows and evolves with you.

To me asking the tough questions is a reality check. Many people fret over their finances yet never bother to stop and take stock of what the true picture is right now. If you're not even willing to ask the question "What is really true right now?" and then look at the answer, you cannot possibly make the changes necessary to create what you most want. That Albert Einstein quote is on the mark:

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

And when you are unwilling to do something different...well you can see where that leaves you. In a cycle of being stuck, experiencing the "same old, same old", and chasing your tail.

A while back Gracie Davis gave a great example of willingness in her post "Recovering from Debt by Blogging":

Of the million plus blogs on the net, the best bloggers may be those with the willingness and honesty to reveal their flaws to the world. These writers include the 'debt bloggers' who devote their bandwidth to disclosing their histories of compulsive credit card abuse, how they're changing their lifestyle so they can afford to pay these bills in full, and what they're doing to reform and spend responsibly. It's tough and brave stuff. Exposing and discussing debt and credit struggles flies in the face of what may be one of the great taboo subjects - money.

I might add here that when you are willing to face and speak the truth not only does your life change for the better, but it has a ripple effect if and when you are willing to share that truth with others - whether it is by sharing with one close friend or in a more public way.

Willingness takes two major forms as I see it -- a willingness to do what you need to do and a willingness to step back, let go, and allow serendipity to happen. Celeste at Heartsong Studio gives a great example of allowing in her post "Will one surprising success stop you in your tracks ? ":

Do you sneeze at serendipity ?

Sometimes when you’re least expecting it, a work will emerge unbidden, that seems curious, powerful, unlike any you’ve made before. Though you didn’t know you were looking for it, your willing innocence to find it changes everything that went before and comes after.

Maybe other scientists have had the same sort of ‘accident’ happen to them, but threw it out as a spoiled experiment. But not Fleming. Like you, he was willing to recognize the opportunity disguised as an inconvenience.

A willingness to be vulnerable, instead of intentionally trying to cause it, allowed you to recognize the serendipity for the amazing opportunities it held.

So you can see how willingness is a yin and yang between doing and allowing, at least at its most powerful. As you step back this summer and take stock of where you are and where you want to go - ask yourself - "Am I willing to take the action I most need to for success? Am I also willing to step back and just allow events to unfold when I find myself trying too hard with no results?" Your answers might surprise you.

Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, works with women who are ready to create their lives and businesses in a way that fits who they are rather than how they were told they "should". Get the free 12 part eCourse "How to Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin" http://www.coaching4lesbians.com and start taking charge of your own success.

To get the latest word on personal finances from an LGBT perspective and Paula's practical coach approach to the topic check out Queercents http://www.queercents.com.

Are you a small or solo business owner who wants to be comfortable in their own skin online via a website that is a true reflection of who you are and what your business is about? Paula's signature down to earth and "plain English" approach to website design and consulting can help. Visit http://www.paulagwebdesign.com to download the free successful website planner which will make your web project a breeze.