YouandTheTarot

 Ambition is total Americana. That dates back to Puritan times. Lack it and you will be labeled a loser. We don't want your kids playing with out kids. The sickness could be contagious. Now that belief system is collapsing. The Guardian reports that ambition has gone out of style. Part of that had been triggered by the reflections on work during the life-and-death times of COVID. And, part was simply an undertow as we watched those who had given it all to work laid off or, if over-50, put out to pasture.  All that death-of-ambition sounds quite pat. The message supposedly is: You can pay lots more attention to work-life balance now.  Sure, get a full seven-hours sleep instead of answering all those emails.  Do you really need to pile on another professional degree such as the M.B.A.  This weekend I took it in. Sort of.  During the afternoon I "should have" been sending out marketing material. Instead I washed the car, jaw-jawed with neighors, and got caugh...

Like all cards in the Tarot, the Five of Cups is multi-layered in meaning. At first glance the message might seem to be: Crying over spilled milk is a waste of your now. Shake off the emotion and you will probably be able to spot other possibilities. That is one interpretation. Add on to that the meme of self-forgiveness. That’s the biggest piece. That is, the ability to have compassion for errors of judgment and mistakes. Those include sticking with what was bad too long. Those could have been lousy marriages, friendships, or alliances at work. In the book “Healing From Toxic Relationships,” Stephanie Moulton Sarkis notes: “ … forgiveness is the practice of giving up the hope that the past can be any different.” Abusing yourself for that past won’t change it. Your career issues in 2022.   Complimentary consultation for coaching, job-search materials, and interviewing. Yes, that includes Tarot readings. A specialization is one-card pulls. Please contact janegenova374@gmail...

 You learn the most from your clients. Mine for both my communications and my career coaching services both tell me this: "You know when it's time to let go of work. It's a feeling of DONE."  Chronological age has nothing to do with that. A 61-year-old woman left her administrative-assistant job and has never returned to any kind of employment. That's even though inflation has complicated her money matters. Actually, at 59 she knew she was well on her way to done.  Currently the  Pope  is deciding if he is done. He is 85. If so he will retire. If not exactly done he will simply slow his pace.  According to my clients that state of done is in your head. Your thought processes no longer can travel from ambivalence about continuing to work to making the decision to do it. Instead they stop. Then they atrophy.  Some players such as Rupert Murdoch and Warren Buffett may never be done. Death will happen before retiring. For others, there will be ongoing ambi...

  " Tech giants that have often sailed above the economy's turmoil can't escape the current downturn's pain ..." -  Axios,  July 29, 2022. LinkedIn is keeping score on how many are being laid off in tech. More will become unemployed as the global slowdown deepens. The glutted market of those looking for work will make it increasingly difficult to find work. Recall the reductions-in-force in establishment media with the introduction of digital. Many journalists had to retrain for new career paths. During the heyday of tech, there was plenty of gleeful bullying of us over-50. They made it their business to use their in-lingo to exclude us from full participation in the conversation. A business model wasn't a business model anymore. It was a platform for growth. Revenue was so 20th century. Talk only about growth. No, don't even think about phoning them.  There was the gush about being recognized in something about something as among the 40-under-40. Often th...

 In the Pennsylvania US Senate race newbie to politics Mehmet Oz is stumbling. The same thing is happening in Ohio with J.D. Vance.  Power brokers in the GOP may be getting it: Don't risk elections on the unseasoned. Politics is a complex game, with even more volatility than we in business navigate. So, instead of positioning and packaging a race as one of those passing the torches to a new generation, stick with the proven-out politicos.  Sure, there is lots of media coverage of the need to clear government of the geriatric set.You know, the Donald Trumps kind who are in their 70s. But they know how to win elections.   The same raw recognition of the need for experience in other fields could slow down the current generational wars. Interestingly, in an article in  Insider  about being chairperson of law firm Paul Weiss at age 63, Brad Karp cites what the new generation - that is, junior lawyers - brings up in town meetings. Much of it screams a lack o...

"I'm not a lawyer. And, I don't have any legal stuff going on." That was the reaction of a client for whom I was doing a Tarot reading. The Justice card came up. And he was annoyed. He had contacted me for a Tarot reading because he had missed out on a promotion at work. His focus was totally on career. "Creating a sense of fair play in our professional lives involves listening. The Justice card is about listening to all those other 'sides of the story.'"  That's what I explained. Gently. The Tarot is gentle in the lessons it extracts from our individual unconscious and the collective unconscious. Together, he and I took a look at how willing and how effective he has been at listening in his office, in networking, and when just having those conversation snippets with neighbors. (The latter can be significant in a career because, as sociologist Mark Granovetter documented, unique career information and opportunities come from "weak ties"...

" The U.S. economy shrank for a second quarter in a row—a common definition of recession—as businesses trimmed their inventories, the housing market buckled under rising interest rates, and high inflation took steam out of consumer spending." - The Wall Street Journal, July 28, 2022. The layoffs have already been underway. They have spread from tech to other sectors such as media and autos. Financial experts can pontificate about the length and severity of the downturn but no one really knows. My experience analzing business and manpower patterns, though, makes me assume we are in for challenging times.  Yet, what I am observing is that those out of work haven't shifted into an urgency mindset. It could be that they are exhausted from all the trauma of the 21st century. That ranges from 9/11 to COVID to inflation. An especially puzzling development, though, is that there are those who have taken refuge in spirituality. They are operating on the platform that if they main...

 According to the  American Lawyer , here are the top 10 elite law firms: Munger Tolles (91.2) Ropes & Gray (91.2) Orrick (90.3) WilmerHale (89.4) O’Melveny & Myers (87.8) Paul Weiss (87.5) Skadden (87.4) Morgan Lewis (86.3) Debevoise (86.1) Morrison & Foerster (84.9) But, prestige isn't necessarily  the  factor in achieving, holding onto, and enhancing success.  In more traditional times in professional life, having a major brandname on a resume was the edge so many chased. For the second phase of my career that played out. I was there, in the magic circle. Then came the era of entrepreneurship. What could open more doors was being associated as a vendor for a cool startup. On interviews for other assignments for my boutiques I would share insights about how a startup was operating.  More recently what has evolved is the interest in what I am doing in popular niches such as the ability to change. The clients might not be brandnames. But experti...

  "Zuckerberg revealed that Meta would be implementing higher standards for its employees — and cutting ties with those who were unable to meet the new performance threshold." -   New York Post , July 26, 2022. So a kind of "rank-and-yank" could be coming to Meta. And maybe to other businesses which had overhired during the pandemic boom. Or just can't afford the expense of so much human capital during a global economic slowdown.  In some form that has always existed in pockets of professional life in American business. However, it only took on that buzzy name when former GE chief executive officer Jack Welch made eliminating those assessed at the bottom corporate policy. At the time he was hailed as a role model for other business leaders to follow. Since then, as we all know, the  Welch brand has become badly tarnished . But rank-and-yank long had been an underground business model, likely ranging from non-profits such as elite academic institutions to law fir...

  "... you've finally hit rock bottom. You know what the worst outcome is because you just experienced it, and you can now start working on moving forward." - Jessica Wiggan in the book "How To Read Tarot - A Modern Guide." That's the traditional interpretation of the Ten of Swords Tarot Card. Usually I only refer to traditional interpretations as a guide, but when it comes to the Ten of Swords I tend to go totally with the consensus reading of this particular card. And, the usual response is downright relief. The card signals there is an end to the recent suffering. A lesson which can be extracted from that pain, though, is this: Pain can't be avoided. No matter how much of it you might have already endured in life. Or how smart or successful you are. Trying to duck pain will trigger needless suffering.  Each experience of pain can equip you with fresh insight about yourself, better tools for navigating the crisis, and unexpected strength.  Reflection: ...

  “'This is war-time, we need a war-time CEO,'” one [Meta] employee wrote [as a comment during the virtual town meeting with Mark Zuckerberg]. -   New York Post,   July 26, 2022. This year Meta stock is down 50%. It is not alone in the social network space in its distress. According to the survey of GenZ by  Piper Sandler , use of all social network apps is down with the exception of TikTok. In addition, overall much of tech is hurting. Layoffs and rescinded offers are being reported daily on LinkedIn's news section.  Wall Street could be conducting a 10% Reduction-in-Force by the end of 2022.  In the law-firm sector Redgrave has already laid off, Steptoe is cutting compensation for those who don't make their hours quota, and in the UK Allen & Overy has frozen associate pay raises. So, I am asked more and more by those who still have a job what should they do to hang on to it? I learn the most from my clients. Here's what they tell me: Yes, beef up the ...

 The Hulu documentary  "Truth & Lies: Monica and Bill"  features a "gifted" politician whose charisma is still influential. That's Bill Clinton, of course.  Essentially the series is about how an innate ability to charm, along with a high dose of robust confidence and spinners as consultants, had so many negative impacts. Among those was trust in government leadership. But Clinton emerged to go on to pursue other ventures creating power and wealth.  So much for politics. And more and more of us are weary of engaging in conversations about the political this or the political that. In this summer of escalating uncertainty, the issue is if the business world has become sufficiently wary of those who can cast rhetorical spells? Understatement: These are challenging times. At the extreme end had been convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes. Her jaw-jawing about a revolution in healthcare shook loose funds from investors in her startup Theranos. Yes, they l...

 Members of 12-step program AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) who begin studying The Tarot will notice the two sources of self-awareness, healing, and growth have lots in common. At the top of the list is the mysticism. Both believe in a power that isn't seen. Instead of evidence-based information there is a connecting to invisible force fields. To achieve that all one has to be is open. There is also common ground in the spirit of optimism. AA salutes new beginnings. Yes, work the 12 steps and the wreckage of the past can be cleared away. In The Tarot there is The Fool's card. One interpretation is limitless potential.  A message that resonates in both is the warning about what happens to people who don't love themselves. In AA self-hate could not only trigger the loss of sobriety. It is also associated with being a source of harm in the universe. There is an informal slogan in AA: Hurt people hurt.  Many of the Tarot cards such as The Magician position self-hate as what blocks ...

 " Celsius  owes its users more than $4.7 billion , according to a filing by Mr. [Alex] Mashinsky [Celsius' founder] in bankruptcy court. It isn’t clear if they will get any of it back." - The Wall Street Journal , July 23, 2022. What could turn up in a Tarot reading about Celsius, as well as money-losing (at least for now) Voyager and TerraUSD. In the Tarot, Pentacles symbolize financial matters. And the Four of Pentacles, interprets Melissa Cynova the guide "Kitchen Table Tarot," denotes the need to take care of yourself and your own financial matters. However, no ethical Tarot reader would give financial counseling.  More generally, though, the Tarot has the mission of clarity of thinking, which is the platform for wise decision-making.  According the Pew Research, about 16% of those surveyed did have crypto transactions.  At the time that might have been profitable. Perhaps for those for whom those transactions haven't been profitable there was a lesson...

  "The obstacle course of achievement under capitalism isn't built to teach pathfinding, it's built to teach compliance with a present path."  Chapter on The Chariot in  "Tarot for Change,"  by Jessica Dore. That has been the source of suffering for so many of us who are "forced" to follow what society considers a "solid" career path.  “Solid” is often code for “lucrative.” In the current volatility, though, that might not be so solid. And/or, it might not satisfy our need for purpose.  However, once it might have. But we change. The world changes. Our field of expertise changes. Compensation changes. When caught in that crisis there is no "permission" in capitalism to get lost in possibility. There is no “license” assigned to Try This/Try That. Instead the message is to glue yourself fast to what else is, yes, "solid." No, don’t get cute contemplating the unique kind of fit for both paying the bills and having  pu...

  "...secrets tell themselves in all kinds of ways." - Jessica Dore, in the book "Tarot for Change" for the Chapter on the High Priestess. Unfortunately, the High Priestess Tarot card comes up often for professionals. The higher they are in the foot chain usually the more convinced they are that they pain is hidden from the world. A traditional interpretation of that card is the need to deal with that pain since, no, it's not secret. As Dore points out, the pain can manifest itself in everything from body language to self-defeating behavior. The exact contours of the pain may not be visible but that it is pain is.  If the professionals are in a predatory work setting that can be used against them, Unmanaged pain makes you a target.  What the High Priestess makes clear, in a gentle caring manner, is that the pain can be looked at. The Tarot facilitates that to happen. The perspective could be entirely new.  Instead of the positioning and packaging a firing as sha...

   "Revlon Inc is facing pushback to its proposed $1.4 billion bankruptcy loan, with its official creditors committee opposing the loan and calling the cosmetic company’s case a “mess” in a Wednesday court filing. -  Reuters Legal,  July 21, 2022 Here we are again. A bankruptcy - this time Revlon - has taken on more complexity.  Yes, bankruptcy a lucrative practice for lawyers such as Paul Basta, partner at Paul Weiss. According to Law.com,  Basta  is billing at $1,735 p/h. To college juniors weighing different career paths that might appear quite good. Not only could they decide to apply to law schools. They will prepare to enter the bankruptcy niche. (Hey, juniors, restructuring is also well-paying.)    However, with so many conflicting parties and so much money involved in a bankruptcy and so much up to the decision-making of the bankruptcy judge the work takes lawyers into an almost unreal force field of stress.    Was there a c...

   " Star of the show’: how Liz Cheney led the charge against Donald Trump " -  Financial Times,  July 22, 2022. In most professions, including politics, there is a glut of talent. The driver in a career is the hunger to differentiate yourself from all the others seeking name recognition. Tom Peters called that "personal branding."  One strategy is to take on the identity of a contrarian - yes, like Cheney. When the GOP was in lockstep to support Donald Trump, at least in public, she pointed out what was not at all right. She's still doing that and frequently is on the digital front page of media. All being a contrarian entails is going up against what is expected. If everyone is gushing about meditation, you 1) hammer the negatives associated with meditation and 2) discuss better alternatives for clarity in thinking and inner peace. Soon enough you'll be invited to give a Ted Talk.  In the dogfight of what the world of Big Law is about, the chairperson of ...

Here is the how-to from Medium.

 Passion. Before the burnout epidemic and the COVID-triggered reflection about work/life balance, the concept of passion was all-buzzy. Now, its use by employers and clients could be a red flag. The message could be sent: You will be exploited. Likely you could burn out.  Today Abovethelaw publishes the  email  by law firm Akin Gump partner Stephen Baldini. He is chastising associates in the Litigation practice for not being more intense. For example, when a request goes out to assist with a project, too many, according to Baldini, are responding with: Already, too busy.  This shunning of being totally there for the law firm could be becoming the new usual.  The trend, as showcased on  Subreddit Big Law , is to leverage a few years in a large firm as the credential for the Next. Many have deep-sixed the traditional goal of pulling out all stops to become partner. So, if you are making your billable hours quota and maintaining quality work products, why...

 " Ford Motor Co.  is preparing to cut as many as 8,000 jobs in the coming weeks as the automaker tries to boost profits to fund its push into the electric-vehicle market, according to people familiar with the plan." -  Bloomberg,  July 20, 2022. Sure, there are those in human resources and career consulting who will position and package this Reduction-in-Force (RIF) as an opportunity. Look, they might say, you can now gain access to your dream job. That's what was heaped on me when part of a RIF at a major food corporation.  To me that is downright toxic positivity. What they should have said: You will cry, probably for a longer time than you expected. Yes, I did cry and it was for a longer time than I anticipated. A little background (in addition to getting put out on the street in middle age). I had begun doing intuitive coaching during in 2009. My communications clients, especially those over-50, were losing their jobs or major assignments. It was like the p...

  SPOILER ALERT Those who haven't already seen the film "Where The Crawdads Sing" should stop right now. Don't read this post. The surprise ending of that movie has prompted discussions of everything from law to morality to poetic justice. As we who have already seen the film know: Kya did murder her abuser Chase Andrews.  During the film she had been tried for murder and acquitted. The methodical defense lawyer Tom Milton did a masterful job. He remined me of Paul Weiss litigator and chairperson Brad Karp. I had read about Karp's defenses, including in New York SuperLawyers.  (Someday I hope to observe him in court during a trial.) Kya went on to live a long life happily married to a beau who had ditched her but had returned. Along the way this one-time outsider gained acceptance in that small community of Barkley Cove. Before that she had been shunned as The Marsh Girl from a wildly dysfunctional family. Essentially all members of that clan had fled and she was ...