Run, little fishes, run

If you live in a western big city like New York or Paris, chances are you commute to work and back. And more often than not that commute is done via public transport, assuming your city has a public transport system. European cities are pretty good about that - their public transport is second to none. Such is the case with Madrid where I live.

I commute to work and back daily. The morning journey to my work station, in particular, is a source of amazement and wonderment. At 8:30 every morning I see all sorts of people rushing about racing to make their trains or buses on time. "Run little fishes. Run!" I always seem to be silently yelling at all these minnows. I mean, let's face it, what's the point? Who in their right mind is so eager to get to work on time? My guess is only those who are making the big bucks. And if you're making the big bucks then you don't have to commute, you get chauffered around. If you're not making the big bucks, then you're just a low paid nobody and work is just a means to an end. In other words, the 95 percent of us.

So, if you're rushing to make your bus or train, it means you're already late. All your running around like a chicken without a head will not get you to work any sooner. If you're trying to get to work early to impress your boss, forget it. By the time you get to the office, you'll probably be a sweating, breathless mass of jelly from all that running around. Chances are you won't be smelling none too sweet, either.

Trust me, your boss is not going to be impressed with your show of feigned dedication. The fact that you arrive a disheveled mess every morning will tell him you are highly disorganized and have no notion of time management. Far from being impressed, he'll probably think you're trying too hard and have nothing to show for it. Result: you'll get passed over on the next job evaluation.

If you really want to impress your boss, arrive late! Yes, that's right - arrive late. Relax and take it easy on your morning commute. Don't get all flustered because you're running late, enjoy it. This will tell your boss a couple of things. First, you're boss will think you have balls, big heavy balls. Second, it'll show you have confidence and self-assurance. If you strut into the office with an easy swagger 30 minutes late every morning with your head held high while everybody else is scrambling about trying to look busy, your boss will think, "That's the kind of person I want working here. Someone with dogged self-assuredness; a self-starter who doesn't care what anybody else thinks and who doesn't take crap from anyone." Going against the flow shows you are your own person, an individual who thinks outside the box.

So remember, if you want to impress your boss and get that raise or promotion, arrive late and enjoy watching the little fishes run.

Spanish cars don't need airbags

If you ask any Spaniard about San Miguel Beer, he or she will tell you it's a great Spanish beer. If you ask any Spaniard about Walt Disney, he or she will tell you he was of Spanish descent. Of course, we know both answers are wrong. San Miguel is a Filipino beer and Walt Disney's ancestry traces back to Ireland.

But now comes the kicker: Who was responsible for the Allied victory in Europe during WWII? Why, Juan Pujol, a Spanish spy of course. Thanks to Pujol, the story goes, he convinced Hitler the Allies would never land at Normandy, and thus, the area needed no further reinforcements. So, as far as Spain is concerned, Europe owes its freedom to Spain. Forget the fact Franco was Hitler's pawn.

The Spanish believe they are the best at everything. And if they're not, then it's not worth mentioning or watching.

Last November, after the final race of the season at Dubai, a news anchor at the government controlled TV station said, "So ends the most boring season in Formula 1 racing we've ever seen." If memory serves me right, last season was anything BUT boring. We had a Cinderella team beating the big guns, we had controversy surrounding the diffusers, an impending breakup of the FIA, race fixing and the lifetime ban of Favio Briatore. That's boring? The reason the season was "boring" for Spanish newscasters is because Fernando Alonso didn't do jackshit all season long. Fernando Alonso, the greatest driver Formula 1 has ever produced. Michael who?

Until 2008, Wimbledon was never seen on TV. Why? Because Rafa Nadal always crashed out in the early rounds. For the Spanish, the French Open was the most important tournament on the tennis calendar. Needless to say, Nadal won at Roland Garros five consecutive times.

And let's not even get started on Pau Gasol. The reason the Lakers are so good is thanks to Pau. Forget Kobe. He (and the team) would be nothing without Pau. The Lakers may be NBA champions, but Spain is World and European Champion.

However, this hubris is not limited to sports. In politics, president Zapatero kept saying the Spanish economy was in the Champion's League of world economies. Never mind that we were headed to financial ruin with a 20% unemployment rate, increased public spending and an ever-increasing budget deficit. We're Spain and we're the best. Thanks to the Spanish economy, the euro is down against the dollar. OK, to be honest, Greece also played a part in that.

So, my premise remians. With so much hot air in this country, who the hell needs airbags?

Does privilege preclude decency?

You've seen it, you've heard about it, you've read about it: the "haves" taking advantage of the "have nots". It's one of the basic precepts of capitalism. The industrialized world would not have flourished without it.

The world has changed since our early feudal beginnings. The Global Village is much more connected enabling greater mobility of the work force. However, the current economic crisis reminds us once again that, in many ways, our socio-economic conditions still adhere to the concept of survival of the fittest. Equality, however you choose to define it, is still an ideal and not the norm.

In many places, the situation is worse than in others. Spain, for example, has the worst fiscal record of any of the industrialized nations. Unemployment is at a staggering 4 million, almost 20% of the work force. To make matters worse, companies have used the economic crisis as an excuse to purge their ranks.

This leaves the survivors in an unenviable position when it comes to hiring personnel. It's a buyer's market. For every position available there are hundreds of applicants and it is not uncommon for companies to barter down wages. Knowing they have the upper edge, companies treat applicants with disdain and contempt. Reduced overhead cost has become the mantra by which all companies now measure themselves.

Which brings me to the question: Does power or privilege preclude decency?

I've received emails and comments from people complaning about their shabby treatment at job interviews. One complained of being on the short list (5) for a certain position and after being called in for a second interview, never heard from the company again. Another complained that he was asked to perform a certain task for the company as part of the screening process. Afer completing the task and handing over his work, the company used the results obtained by the applicant and promptly discarded him as a candidate without so much as an explanation or apology. A third stated that the HR manager never bothered to inform him that the job had been given to someone else. This despite the fact that the applicant had gone through two preliminay interviews, performed various freelance jobs for the company and was personally acquainted with the HR manager. His question to me was: What does it say about the company if, after having performed all the tasks required of me, I am treated this way?

Companies in pure comptetion, whether they like it or not, survive difficult times because of their favorable public image and not necessarily because the have a better product or service than their competitors. They spend millions of dollars on public relations campaigns, customer service and support and "no questiosn asked" return or refund policies.

For some reason, many companies still see their personnel not as an asset but as a nagging cost that must be tamed. Perhaps it's high time to rethink this mind set. A favorable public image starts from within the ranks of the company. Those that continue to see people as necessary pitfalls to conduct business are doomed to fail. After all, if it weren't for their personnel, they'd have no business to speak of.