A Road Less Traveled

While I only live thirty-two miles from my work, every work day I climb into my gray 2005 Honda Accord and prepare for a commute that typically takes an hour and a half. The congested freeways mark the only path into the city where Broadbean USA resides. There have been slick roads, hundreds of accidents to pass, rain, fog, crazy drivers, slammed-on brakes, traffic sometimes dead stopped, and a couple of traffic tickets along the way. Mostly, there has been a significant amount of talk time on my beloved mobile device. I cannot say I have never texted or never emailed or never facebooked while driving – I confess to these crimes.

My phone has been my constant companion during my commute and one hand always on the wheel.

My drive time has given me endless hours to think, numerous topics to write about, and opportunity to speak with my mom and friends often. I usually have one or two business calls while driving and have even reviewed documents when two mile per hour traffic has allowed. I wish I could say I have hated this drive but the fact of the matter is, I have not. I have seen incredible sunrises, seemingly impossible sunsets, driven through fires, and seen things that have changed my life and way of thinking.

In just over two weeks, my drive will be reduced to only fifteen minutes and I will no longer move along at a snail’s pace on packed, over crowded highways wishing I could cheat and sneak into the car pool lane (I have tried and while I didn’t get caught, I felt guilty for weeks.) I will now be driving along the ocean on the popular PCH (Highway One, Pacific Coast Highway.) The added time with my family (15 more hours a week), the reduced wear and tear on my car, diminished fuel costs, and eliminated stress will serve me well.

But I must admit, I will miss my time. I will miss the opportunity to really focus on issues that need solutions. I will miss my phone calls. I will miss the way I could get lost in music or a good audio book. And I will miss the further discovery of self. I guess I will find it in my morning walks that I will now have the time to resume. 😉

What I have gained almost outweighs the time lost. Almost. This drive has been a part of who I am since February of 2007. Like any trial, what didn’t kill me, made me stronger. And while I may miss it, at first, I look forward to it being in my past, to it being less about who I am and more about how I became who I am today. My Honda with 120,000 miles may die of heartbreak but freeways 91 and 55 will have one less traveler. Me.

by rayannethorn

You Gotta Have Heart

The roar of the crowd was almost deafening. The floor of the freshly-waxed gymnasium shone brightly as six young volleyballers jumped up and down, joyous in their victory. They were eighth graders new to the sport, thirteen and fourteen years old. The last several weeks have been difficult. Soreness plagues a young body unfamiliar with lunges and squats. But practice and pursuit of excellence pay off when heart meets effort.

There had been much discussion between coach and the regarding building a core desire to do well. You can have all the amenities of an athlete. The right shoes. The right sport bag. The right shorts. The right location and coach. The right back-up support, parental units, family and friends. But unless your heart is there, unless your desire to excel and be all that you can be, the opportunity for greatness knocks on a locked door. Desire to do well drives and motivates even the weakest player, the most inexperienced player, to levels previously not approached.

These six girls knew the basics, they knew how to pass, set, and some were able to spike. There was one that rarely made a serve over the net. But they got a little taste of victory in an earlier game and they were hooked. The seed had been planted in their “heart.” A seed that grew and blossomed to become an incentive to play their absolute best, to dig into a sport they knew very little about just a few short weeks ago.

You’ve gotta have heart
All you really need is heart
When the odds are sayin’ you’ll never win
That’s when the grin should start -Damn Yankees

I guess the thing is…, you can win with skill and experience, but will it really matter without “heart?” Without skill and experience, you do not have a shot at winning if you don’t “heart.” How many recruiters are left in the game right now that don’t have heart? That don’t love this sport? That aren’t driven by love of making placements or connecting good people? That impetus, the desire to succeed in this industry can be driven by many factors, money being one. Those driven by money have probably struggled quite a bit over the last two years. Those driven by their hearts have probably fared better.

Skill and experience in recruiting go a long way. Having the wisdom to use both, properly, can be a difficult, but not impossible. But if you don’t like to recruit, if you don’t like talking to people, if you have difficulty with rejection, if you don’t like checks and balances, how can your heart fall in love the talent management industry? It cannot. It’s called engagement. It’s called heart.

by rayannethorn