25 May 2007
I was out walking the dog this morning and the early heat reminded me of Memorial Day holidays when I was a kid. We used to go to my uncle’s cottage in Green Harbor and somehow six families with 17 kids all fit into a three bed / one bath place! Those are some of my fondest memories.
I lament how today most American holidays have turned into shopping days. In my childhood, Memorial Day was a real holiday because everyone had the day off, including people working in retail. One of the things I miss about living in Ireland is that holidays there today are still like holidays were here when I was a kid; as noted in an earlier blog, in Ireland holidays are a day off for most everyone.
The forecast for much of the USA is for hot, true ‘first-weekend-of-summer’ Memorial Day type weather. Stay out of the mall and enjoy the heat.
Posted in A Better Way?, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Green Harbor, Holiday, Ireland, Memorial Day | 2 Comments »
4 May 2007
My post, “Three Cases When Interim Executive Management Make Sense” focuses on Interim Executive Management from the company’s point of view. An article published in the UK focus on Interim Management from the person’s point of view.
I’m still a little surprised when I find myself recommending that, under certain circumstances, companies should make interim appointments at the executive / C-level. “Short-term” is simply not my nature. But some of the comments in the article help explain why, for the last decade, I’ve enjoyed success in a handful of assignments both in the States and in Europe:
- Fixing Things Fast: Interim executives need to enjoy fixing / changing things in a defined period of time.
- High-Pressure Situations: Interim executives need to be passionate about the task at hand, with a strong ability to succeed under high-pressure situations.
- Hands-On Role: Interim executives need to become an integral part of the organization; most employees open up to them, providing key support for a rapid solution.
- Loyalty: Interim executives develop a keen sense of loyalty to the organization, particularly to the need to improve it.
- Prior Knowledge: Interim executives bring to each organization the learnings from many other enterprises, allowing for rapid improvement.
- Permanent Interim: The best interim managers are those “who do it for a living” and are not simply “between jobs.”
The article’s not particularly well written, but it’s a quick read if you are so inclined.
Posted in Business, C-Level, Change Agent, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Europe, Interim, Interim Management, The States, Turnaround, United Kingdom | 11 Comments »
30 April 2007
MIT Dean of Admissions Marilee Jones resigned after acknowledging fabricating her academic credentials when applying for an administrative assistant position in the seventies. Despite this, her advice on how the parents of high school juniors and seniors can reduce stress in the college admissions process is still spot on. Despite her resignation, every parent of a high school junior or senior should buy her book today.
I was lucky enough to receive Ms. Jones’s advice when she spoke to a standing-room-only crowd at our Boston area high school. For those not so lucky, you can obtain the advice in her book, Less Stress, More Success: A New Approach to Guiding Your Teen Through College Admissions and Beyond, coauthored with pediatrician Kenneth R. Ginsburg.
Parents – and their children – will benefit from Jones’s advice for two reasons: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in A Better Way?, Boston Globe, College Admissions, Dean of Admissions, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Kenneth R. Ginsburg, Less Stress More Success, Marilee Jones, MIT, Vietnam War | 3 Comments »
15 March 2007
For those who received the 40 Dublin Reports during our four years living in Dublin, much of this post is from my wife Jules’s 11th report.
“Everyone seems to want to know “How do the Irish celebrate St. Pat’s?” We didn’t really know because last March 17 we were in Prague. St. Pat’s is a very inexpensive time to leave Ireland, what with all the empty planes flying out after dropping off half of Europe in Dublin. This year we stayed and we are glad we did. The mood was great, largely due to a history-making string of gorgeous weather. It’s been sunny and warm for weeks on end.
“In Dublin there is a pretty big parade (not quite like an American one, but creative and fun nonetheless), accompanied by a four day festival (carnival rides, music, drama). The Irish are a bit amazed and slightly worried… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in American, Australian, Catholic Church, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Dublin, Europe, Holiday, Ireland, Irish, La Fheile Padraigh!, Prague, Spring, St. Patrick, St. Patrick's Day, Weather, Zalle | Leave a Comment »
12 March 2007
Taking the advice of Boston Globe columnist Eileen McNamara, I’m spending this day not joining my 15 year old son and his five friends on the slopes of Shawnee Peak in Maine. Rather, as Eileen suggests, I’m sitting by the fire in the lodge.
While my son, his friends, and I hang onto the last vestiges of winter at a cabin in Maine, my wife and my other sons are enjoying a springtime weekend in Dublin, where – as per a previous post – springtime arrives a full two months earlier than in Boston.
Though I’m thrilled to be back in the States after four+ years in Dublin, thinking of my wife Jules and the boys in Dublin reminds me of the many things I miss about Ireland, ranging from the significant to the trivial.
People: It was great to return to the States and our many friends. That said, we left so many friends behind in Dublin. I miss them dearly and I envy the reunions Jules is having this weekend. But I also miss the people in Ireland we did not get to know as friends, the proverbial ‘man in the street.’ Irish people really know how to enjoy life – maybe that’s because, according to The Economist, the Irish enjoy… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in 5. A Few Blogs I Like, A Better Way?, Boston Globe, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Diep Noodle Bar, Dublin, Eileen McNamara, Food and Wine Magazine, Guinness, Holiday, Ireland, Irish, Lansdowne, Maine, Monday Holiday, Prague, Quality of Life, Ranelagh, Saint Stephen's Green, Shawnee Peak, Spring, The Economist, Weather | Leave a Comment »
1 February 2007
Living in Boston after four years in Dublin, I really appreciate hot summer days. For reasons explained below, there never are hot summer days in Dublin. But as much as I appreciate New England summers, I miss springtime in Dublin, where spring arrives a full two months sooner than here.
Despite what the rest of the northern hemisphere thinks, in Ireland February first – not March 21st – is the official first day of spring. So today, while New Englanders continue to deal with winter, Dubliners are watching the daffodils popping up!
Why February First?
As every first grader is taught in Ireland… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in AerLingus, April in Paris, Boston, Catholic Church, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Dublin, Gulf Stream, Ireland, Pagan, Spring, St. Brigid, Weather | 5 Comments »
21 January 2007
I promised in my first post to write about areas where we Americans might consider doing things ‘the Irish way.’ Given The Economist has now reported that Ireland has the highest quality of life in the world – well ahead of our thirteenth place finish – I should get started!
One area where Ireland beats the USA hands down is on Monday holidays. Other than Memorial and Labor days, all other Monday American holidays (Martin Luther King, Presidents, Patriots, Columbus, Veterans, etc.) are not universally celebrated by government and business. Rather than making for a long weekend with family and friends, American Monday holidays have become juggling acts, where kids are out of school yet many parents are required to work. And for those Americans working in retail there never seems to be a holiday break.
In Ireland, Monday holiday weekends are true long weekends for virtually everyone in the country, including those working in retail. Six times a year Ireland has what is called a ‘Bank Holiday Weekend’ with Monday the holiday. These weekends are better than the ‘long holiday weekend’ in the States because… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in A Better Way?, American, Bank Holiday Weekend, Business, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Holiday, Ireland, Monday Holiday, Quality of Life, Retail, The Economist, United Kingdom, United States | 5 Comments »
2 January 2007
Wasn’t it great having Christmas on a Monday this year? Paraphrasing the last line of Van Morison’s song Coney Island from the Avalon Sunset album, “Wouldn’t it be great if it was like this every year?”
For both business and social reasons, making Christmas a Monday holiday makes sense. This year, the week before Christmas was a ‘clean’ full week at work. Other than an afternoon for a ‘Christmas lunch’ on Friday, the only people who missed work were those sneaking out a day or two early on international vacations. (When I heard one was stuck at the snow-bound Denver airport and another at the fog-bound London airport, I could almost hear my long departed Irish grandmother saying… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in A Better Way?, Change Agent, Christmas, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Holiday, Irish, Marshall University, Van Morison, We Are Marshall | Leave a Comment »
26 December 2006
In Ireland, 26 December is St. Stephen’s Day, probably the best day of the Christmas season because the focus is on being with your dearest friends.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas in Ireland, the focus of celebration is ‘associates’ –– coworkers, business associations, social groups, etc. Though events start in early November, the pace quickens in December and does not end until late Christmas Eve with ‘Christmas drinks’ with your office mates.
The focus of Christmas day itself is family. Having no family in Ireland, we spent our four Dublin Christmases at the homes of dear friends Tat and Eoin McVey or Fiona and Owen Murphy. Though we were not family members, their Irish hospitality made us feel as though we were. We will be forever grateful for these dear friends.
Stephen’s Day (the ‘Saint’ is usually dropped) is great because… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in 5. A Few Blogs I Like, Boxing Day, Change Agent, Christmas, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Dublin, Ireland, Stephen's Day | 1 Comment »
22 December 2006
“So you’re a change agent!” With those words – change agent – the CEO of a European company recently summed up 30+ years of experience on my resume.
Previously, the most succinct description I’ve come up with is this:
I specialize in three areas, startups, rapid expansions, or turnarounds. I either start things, grow things that others have started, or fix things that others have broken.
The “things” being “started / expanded / turned around” include products (from all sorts of industries), sales organizations, factories, divisions, or entire companies. And of course it’s not me who accomplishes all this; rather it’s the incredible people I’ve been fortunate enough to lead.
My boss, Omar Khudari, has been bugging me to start a blog to share… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in A Better Way?, Business, Change Agent, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Dublin, Helicopter Mom, Ireland, Omar Khudari, Startups, Turnaround | Leave a Comment »
I was out walking the dog this morning and the early heat reminded me of Memorial Day holidays when I was a kid. We used to go to my uncle’s cottage in Green Harbor and somehow six families with 17 kids all fit into a three bed / one bath place! Those are some of my fondest memories.
Change Agent 