Failed Search

The Case of the Lost Employees

2008-03-01T11:51:00.013-09:00

Below is a press release from UAF regarding an event on Thursday called, The Case of the Lost Employees. This is a very relevant topic and hats off to UAF for addressing the problem.

I have been told that employees at the Wood Center (and other departments at UAF) continue to disappear. Since I left in September, the Receptionist, Scheduling Coordinator, and Orientation Coordinator all departed the Wood Center for other positions at the University. I was also told that the Leadership Coordinator is leaving UAF in August. From what I understand, the Student Activities Coordinator position that I left six months ago is still vacant, too. Some turnover is, obviously, normal; however, it seems to me like the turnover at UAF has been very high lately. Any other observations? Any data?

Maybe this week's event will help. Here is the official press release:

From: University of Alaska Fairbanks <uafdistribution@uaf.edu>

Date: February 28, 2008 3:47:24 PM AKST

To: uafnews-L@lists.uaf.edu

Subject: [UAFNews-L] The Case of the Lost Employees

Reply-To: newsroom@uaf.edu

Subject: The Case of the Lost Employees
Start Date: Feb. 28, 2008
Stop Date: March 5, 2008
Date: Please announce until 5 p.m. on March 5, 2008.

Details:

Several University of Alaska Fairbanks departments are teaming up to present a free human resources seminar, "The Case of the Lost Employees," Thursday, March 6th from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the Wood Center Ballroom.

The event will feature employee engagement expert Donna Cutting, who combines theater with traditional presentation techniques to provide action steps for engaging employees.

The seminar will include tips for welcoming new employees, rewarding and recognizing people, and creating a productive, service-oriented workplace.

The event is open to the public. Please RSVP to 474-6600 to reserve your seat today.

CONTACT: Earlina Bowden at 907-474-6600 or fneeb@uaf.edu. Marmian Grimes, UAF public information officer, at 907-474-7902.

Speak With Conviction

2007-12-19T10:55:00.000-09:00

A couple of years ago, we brought Taylor Mali to UAF for a performance at the Salisbury Theatre. Several hundred people came to hear him speak. He performed this piece, which seems more and more important all the time:

Irresponsible Deferral To Power

2007-12-10T21:36:00.000-09:00

Guest Opinion: Dr. Norman K. Swazo, Professor of Philosophy, UAF, 06 December 2007

To the UAF Sun Star:

In his grievance, Mr. Stepp appeals to the authority of university mission and declared commitment to equal opportunity as applicable standards of assessment. Ms. Bowden concludes that Ms. Anderson made a decision consistent with allowable “discretion” as hiring authority.

Mr. Stepp says: Whatever is wrong here, this is not about people, but about the university living up to its mission. I disagree: This is very much about people who make a significant difference in the daily pursuit of university mission consequent to their daily judgments and decisions within structured positions of authority. I call on the university administration to live up to its AA/EO mission and address basic problems:

• This grievance points to a problem with “supervisors” who exercise their hiring authority consistent with a concept of discretion granted them under university policy and regulation. This discretion is presumed and generally accepted to be inerrant, unimpeachable, and irreversible when exercised, though the exercise of this discretion is subject to “independent” oversight to assure no “abuse” of discretion in either judgment or decision. Ms. Bowden concludes Ms. Anderson manifest no abuse of discretion either in judgment or in decision. Is Ms. Bowden thereby affirming a substantive judgment about the merits/qualifications of the applicant, in contrast to issuing a finding about violation of procedure? What are the boundaries of discretion in judgment or decision in “hiring authority”? What is to be done when a hiring authority acts inconsistent with his or her authority and manifests an exercise of power that acts under the cover of authority, ignoring or dismissing a reasonably defensible recommendation of a hiring committee? “Procedure” is unclear here.

• Ms. Bowden seeks to assure merely that hiring practices do not violate public law or university policy, regulation, or procedure. As long as everyone involved performs according to the letter, there is no legitimate reason to object to judgments or decisions made? What happened to the concept of acting consistent with the positive spirit of equal opportunity? Are we satisfied to pursue the minimum standard? Might we—ought we—instead choose to attain the higher standard, really affording staff such as Mr. Stepp equal opportunity? I submit: Mr. Stepp was not treated fairly by the decision taken to declare a failed first search. My sense of “fairness” is moral. Perhaps moral sense is administratively out of place at UAF.

• What is to happen administratively when a supervisor (1) provides Mr. Stepp with annual performance reviews consistently and uniformly positive over several years, (2) receives positive endorsement from her senior staff to have Mr. Stepp appointed, (3) then dubiously “judges” Mr. Stepp unqualified? Any reasonably objective and impartial observer of these facts would infer: Ms. Anderson (a) prefers not to share direction of the Wood Center “programming” with Mr. Stepp, despite his qualification; (b) judges Mr. Stepp’s fiscal management skills questionable (though she authorized—and is herself first and foremost accountable for—expenditures she could have otherwise disapproved). Conclude: Ms. Anderson does not want to work with Mr. Stepp. That is her “prerogative” as hiring authority. No “legal harm” is done. Nevertheless, a moral wrong is done against Mr. Stepp’s dignity as “good faith” applicant. There is no reciprocal good faith in hiring.

The UAF administration tolerates this moral wrong, to its discredit, when neither the Vice Chancellor for Student Enrollment and Services nor the AA/EO officer finds good reason to correct and otherwise discipline either “judgment” or a “decision” taken. To hold discretion in judgment always inerrant, unimpeachable, and irreversible is not to recognize legitimate authority, but only irresponsible deferral to power.

Rigorous Questioning and Dissent Protect Our Freedoms

2007-12-10T10:25:00.000-09:00

I was overwhelmed by the turnout on Wednesday for the Failed Search University presentation. I had requested 50 chairs for the event and never imagined that we'd need 200! As I said the other day, I will never be able to adequately express my gratitude for the support and encouragement that I received that night (but I'll try!). Thank you!

Since Wednesday, several people have told me that they could not attend the event due to scheduling conflicts. I have offered to meet with small groups to explain the situation. If you are interested in that, too, please let me know.

We are also going to post most of the presentation on YouTube just as soon as we can. In the meantime, if you'd like to see the DVD, let me know.

To repeat the underlying theme of the presentation, in order for the University to achieve its goals, we need all people at the University working together and performing their very best. My case demonstrates, I think, that this doesn't always happen.

In The Firecracker Boys, Alaskan author Dan O'Neill wrote:

“[Project] Chariot illustrates why the most cherished institutions of a free society -- a democratic government, a free press, the university, even the Church -- cannot necessarily be accepted as seats of objectivity and candor. The lesson Project Chariot offers is that a free society must be a skeptical one, that rigorous questioning and dissent protect, rather than subvert, our freedoms.”

Obviously, the stakes were much higher during the Project Chariot fiasco, but that quote from The Firecracker Boys also sums up my goal with the Failed Search University presentation -- we need some rigorous questioning and maybe a little dissent in order to protect the freedoms of UAF staff members (students and faculty, too). Again, let me know if you'd like to talk about this in any more detail with any of your groups or organizations.

Many people have asked, "What next?" I am getting together with some folks to discuss some ideas. More on that soon. What do you think? Please feel free to post comments.

Word For The Day: Byzantine

2007-12-04T22:07:00.000-09:00

I just received this message from a friend, Bill, to let me know that he'll attend the Failed Search University presentation tomorrow evening:

"I saw this posted and will be very interested to hear the tale of what sounds like byzantine campus politics. "

When I was an undergrad at the University of Illinois, I had a philosophy professor who spent a semester talking about the Byzantine Empire. Brilliant guy, of course, and I could never follow him. Bill is just as smart and easier to understand.

He may have hit the nail on the head, too. Here are a couple of definitions of byzantine:

(1) Of, relating to, or characterized by intrigue; scheming or devious: "a fine hand for Byzantine deals and cozy arrangements."

(2) Highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious: "Byzantine methods for holding on to his chairmanship"

Feedback from Students, Faculty, and Staff

2007-12-01T21:45:00.000-09:00

I couldn't be doing this without the support of a lot of great people. Thanks to all of you who have offered me support and strength.

Since I announced the Failed Search University presentation on Wednesday at 7pm in the Wood Center Ballroom, I have received a ton of support from students, staff, faculty, and community members. Here is just a sample (thank you!!!):

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UAF has suffered a grave loss with the resignation of Jeff Stepp as the Student Activities coordinator. Not only have the students suffered, but so too have the countless other UAF offices, programs, and community groups that Jeff directly supported through his creation and promotion of student activities. Jeff has tirelessly worked to foster an environment of cooperation, inclusion, and creative and intellectual engagement on the UAF campus. He was one of the reasons that UAF was a great place to work.

The fact that UAF failed to recognize and foster his rising aspirations and clear potential proves to me that this institution continues to favor petty politics over insight and vision.

It has been said to me that Jeff had a "choice" to stay in his current position, but that choice seems to have been a humiliating and uncomfortable circumstance following the botched hiring process and now equally questionable grievance proceedings. Resignation was the only dignified choice in this situation - one that any self-respecting person would have made.

The search committee proceedings for the Associate Director of Programming need to be examined by an outside reviewer to determine the legality of the hiring process as well as the findings of the grievance. It is the very least that the University should do to address these
concerns.

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Hey Lovely People,

I just thought I should let you know about a very important event taking place next Wednesday, December 5, at 7pm in the Wood Center Ballroom.

Maybe you haven't heard about the unfortunate chain of events that led to Jeff Stepp's resignation from the Student Activities office this past summer but the University has really let us down, y'all! Students are really getting the shaft here; as far as I know there have been no attempts to hear from the students and what their concerns are regarding this matter. After all, students pay for student activities, seems only fair that they should have a say in how things go down. This really hurts us all, the community has been spoiled by Jeff Stepp. His relationships with local bands and community organizations is unparalleled. He has really reached out to include everyone in the happenings on campus.

Chances are you have participated in one of the many quality shows Jeff managed to bring our way, all the way up here in the Banks! Maybe you caught Saul Williams last fall, or Betty Lavette? Or maybe you saw Henry Rollins or Jello Biafra, The Mountains Goats, Shihan, Tim Fite, Rob Corddry, Sage Francis, Sekou the misfit, Tim Easton, Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars maybe you saw a Great Cover Up or two, or danced on the grass at a Beluga Night...the list goes on and on. Maybe you're wondering why things are so dead on campus this fall...or why the Bright Eyes show got cancelled ? Yah, I said Bright Eyes. How sweet would that have been?

SO. What is to be done ? Jeff is going to speak out this Wednesday, December 5, at 7pm in the Wood Center Ballroom.

You can be there to show your support to a man who has improved the quality of our lives and inspired us with his dedication to bring quality, first rate performers to our community to improve student life and excite the community!

Give something back to the Stepper...he deserves it!

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Walk tall, Jeff, and wear a bullet proof vest and helmet.

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See you there, man! I am especially interested from a human resources perspective.

Special Event: Failed Search University

2007-11-28T20:51:00.000-09:00

Failed Search University:

Student Activities, Professional Development and Betrayal at UAF

presentation by
Jeff Stepp

Wednesday, December 5, 7pm
Wood Center Ballroom, UAF

In April, Jeff Stepp submitted his application for the Wood Center’s vacant Associate Director of Programming position. His supervisors had called Stepp a “programming powerhouse” and a “campus resource for events” who “brought a fresh perspective of event management, activity promotion, and just a general enthusiastic attitude to Wood Center and UAF.” Despite these positive performance reviews, five years of success as the Student Activities Coordinator and the recommendations of the members of the hiring committee, his application for the Wood Center’s Associate Director of Programming job was eliminated from consideration during the final phase of the hiring process.

What happened?

During this presentation, Stepp will take you on a bizarre, unpredictable, and sometimes hilarious ride through a hiring process that resulted in a failed search and his ongoing struggle to convince the University to live up to the Department of Human Resources’ mission “to provide services which promote a work environment that is characterized by fair treatment of staff, open communications, personal accountability, trust and mutual respect.”

After the presentation, there will be time for questions and comments. Students, staff, faculty, and community members are welcome to attend. Admission is free.

Sponsored by: UAF Coalition for Peace and Justice, UAF Department of Communication, and Righteous Ladies Rebelling

Jeff Stepp served as the UAF Student Activities Coordinator from October, 2002 – September, 2007. In his first year at UAF, Stepp was presented with the ASUAF Award for Outstanding Staff. He was elected to serve as president of UAF Staff Council and chair of UA Staff Alliance during the 2006 – 2007 academic year. At the invitation of Chancellor Jones, Stepp was selected in March, 2007, to serve as a co-chair of the Vision Task Force’s Faculty and Staff Development Work Group.

Update

2007-11-28T20:41:00.000-09:00

I have been really busy lately. Teaching, taking classes, new job ... and trying to get to the bottom of the failed search. I filed a complaint with UAF's equal employment officer back in mid-October and just finally received the findings of her so-called investigation the Friday before Thanksgiving.

In the dictionary, investigation is defined as, "a searching inquiry for ascertaining facts; detailed or careful examination." The report wasn't that. And I have been responding ever since.

I am going to try to scan the relevant documents (e.g., the hiring review, hiring paperwork, my letters to UAF administrators and HR, etc.) so that I can post them as pdfs here on the blog. Anyone know how to do that? (I know how to scan. How do you post pdfs?)

The darker emotional tones of impasse ...

2007-09-29T19:38:00.001-08:00

I just recently made it to the appendices in Getting Unstuck, where I found these excerpts from, "A Note on Impasse and Depression":

Impasse often brings with it an intermittent heaviness of mood. During times of impasse, it may seem that usually reliable sources for cheering yourself up or thinking your way through problems are no longer effective. In many ways, you may feel that business as usual in the way you take care of things has slowed, or even halted. You may feel that you are "not yourself" and that your familiar pleasures and distractions no longer hold their appeal. You may loose sleep turning over an important decision in your mind. In all of these ways, a career or life impasse may mimic some of the symptoms of depression. It is important to realize that these symptoms, and the impasse experience, are not, in themselves, evidence of clinical depression ...

Accepting the darker emotional tones of impasse is part of the journey. In all classic descriptions of impasse, this sense of darkness is part of the story. Whether it is Dante' lost in his "dark wood," Odysseus journeying to Hades in the eleventh book of the Odyssey, or Holden Caulfield stuck wondering what he should do next with his life, this emotional heaviness seems to come with the territory ...

This last paragraph, of course, draws heavily from Joseph Campbell's The Hero With A Thousand Faces -- which is part of the reason that I like Butler's book so much. It also nails a lot of the feelings that I have been experiencing the past several months. I try to maintain an optimistic perspective, but it's been an emotional rollercoaster. I'm glad to read that it's normal ... and not clinical depression.

(Butler credits Campbell -- and lots of other "psychologists, sociologists, philosophers, psychotherapists, and poets" -- in the annotated bibliography of Getting Unstuck.)

Coming Soon ...

2007-09-15T23:54:00.000-08:00

... Failed Search merchandise for you and your loved ones. Stay tuned.

That Crafty ol' Lao Tzu

2007-09-15T23:44:00.000-08:00

The first practice is the practice of undiscriminating virtue: take care of those who are deserving; also, and equally, take care of those who are not. (Hua Hu Ching: The Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu)

Failed Search Playlist

2007-09-09T20:28:00.001-08:00

For the past several months, I have been groovin' to Mavis Staples' most recent album, We'll Never Turn Back. The liner notes state that, "I hope this music will help you find the courage to stand up, speak up, and speak out and answer the call of your own conscience. It is my hope that this music will help you see what ordinary people with extraordinary vision can do when they decide they will never turn back." A-men.

Following is my first Failed Search playlist. It's not an exhaustive or deliberate attempt to find the best songs to capture the moment. It's just a few songs that I have been drawn to lately or tunes that have come across my path that stand out because they talk about movin' on or lookin' up. Of course, the list starts with Ms. Mavis herself:

We Shall Not Be Moved (Mavis Staples, We'll Never Turn Back)
Further On Up The Road (Bruce Spingsteen, Live In Dublin)
Do You Realize? (Flaming Lips, Yoshimi)
Road To Joy (Bright Eyes, I'm Wide Awake)
Guitar Town (Steve Earle, Essential Steve Earle)
Don't Think Twice (Bob Dylan, No Direction Home Soundtrack)
No Roads Here (Corb Lund, Five Dollar Bill)
The Road Goes On Forever (Joe Ely, Live at Antone's)
Oney (Johnny Cash, Columbia Years)
Take This Job and Shove It (David Allan Coe, Greatest Hits)

What songs would you add to the Failed Search playlist? Please comment.

Team of Rivals / Situation Excellent

2007-09-05T20:41:00.000-08:00

My grandfather, Basil Moore, was a Lincoln historian. We are, afterall, from the Land of Lincoln in central Illinois, where Honest Abe roamed from courthouse to courthouse as a young attorney. I just started reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals, a wonderful book about Lincoln as a "master politician and transcendent moral figure."

The introduction talks about Lincoln's "political genius revealed through his extraordinary array of personal qualities that enabled him to form friendships with men who had previously opposed him; to repair injured feelings that, left untended, might have escalated into permanent hostility; to assume responsibility for the failures of subordinates; to share the credit with ease; and to learn from mistakes ... the qualities that we generally associate with decency and morality -- kindness, sensitivity, compassion, honesty, and empathy -- can also be impressive political resources (p. xvii)."

The book is relevant for me today and I also keep thinking how wonderful it would have been if my grandfather, whose surname is my middle name, had the opportunity to read this Pulitzer Prize winning account of his hero. I will turn each page thinking of Basil, I am sure.

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For the past several years, I have had a quote taped to the computer monitor in my Wood Center office. When I was retrieving my personal belongings the other day, I realized that the quote was never more appropriate than now:

My centre is giving way,
my right is in retreat;
situation excellent.
I shall attack.

Marshall Foch, 1851 - 1929
Aston, Biography of Foch

Labor Day 2007

2007-09-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

On Labor Day, I am reminded of three of my favorite quotes from three very different people.

Eugene Debs: “While there is a lower class I am in it; while there is a criminal element I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free."

Teddy Roosevelt: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Homer Simpson: "That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college!

Unemployed on Labor Day 2007

2007-09-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

On this Labor Day, until tomorrow, I am officially unemployed. I have resigned from the Student Activities Coordinator position at UAF. I will return to grad school beginning tomorrow in UAF's Department of Communication to finish my master's thesis.

I had to resign one week earlier than planned because I discovered that I can't hold two different UAF positions in the same pay period. Therefore, since I decided to accept a Graduate Teaching Assistantship in the Dept of Comm, I had to revise my Letter of Resignation to be effective on September 1 instead of the originally declared September 7.

However, we are still having my official Wood Center "going away party" on September 7. If you are in Fairbanks or lookin' for a good reason to visit, please join me and a lot of good people for a little going away party on Friday, September 7, at 3:30pm in the Wood Center.

Immediately following that, at approx 4:30pm or 5:00pm, the UNofficial party will begin in The Pub. Come for one or come for both. I'd love to see you.

Please stay in touch with me personally at jeffrey.stepp@gmail.com (don't forget the "rey").

Wonderful People

2007-09-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

Maybe someday I'll share more, and I have received some wonderful messages from many wonderful people (thanks!), but, for now, I want to post just one note that I just received from one dear friend. He shall remain anonymous and potential identifying language has been removed (but I really don't think that he'd mind if I shared his name):

Wow, man.

True to your professionalism (and aided by my general obliviousness to reality), I talked to you many times in the last few months and never had any idea that all of this was going on.

I even knew you were selling all that stuff, but I didn't know what was behind that.

Crazy.

I appreciate your blog for its clarity on the situation and your thoughts on it. It might be a sad thing, and an indication of my shallowness as a zen master, but there are many people whose impasse thoughts would not enlighten me one bit. You aren't one of them, though.

Take care and say hi to Keri and note that I was never sure how to spell her name till I read it in your blog.

Staff Council and Advocacy

2007-08-30T20:13:00.001-08:00

Bad work situations and questionable decision-making by supervisors are way too common, as you well know. In fact, I was drawn to the UAF Staff Council and was later elected president (serving from June 2006 to May 2007), so that I could work with other dedicated UAF staff members to help create a better work environment for people who work at the University. See my president's blog (good idea, mediocre execution) to observe just some of the issues that we pursued on behalf of staff last year.

I was also selected earlier this year by Chancellor Jones to serve on the UAF Vision Task Force as a co-chair of the Faculty and Staff Development Work Group. Since I resigned from my staff job, I have been replaced as co-chair (appropriately, I think), but remain a member of the Vision Task Force and the Faculty and Staff Development Work Group.

Here is the official vision for the Faculty and Staff Development Work Group:

The vision of the faculty and staff development work group is that UAF promotes a culture of accountability that motivates and enables faculty and staff to develop and utilize their full potential in alignment with the tripartite mission of teaching, research and service. The university will define a strategic vision to build and maintain a work environment for faculty and staff conducive to performance excellence and personal and organizational growth.

Sounds good, eh? Is this "espoused" vision consistent with our "lived" vision at UAF? I can't say for sure and it's probably worth talkin' about. Feedback on all the recommendations of the Vision Task Force is currently being solicited. If you're a member of the UAF faculty, staff, alumni, or student body -- or a member of the community -- please comment on the plan here.

Super Cosmic God Beams

2007-08-28T20:06:00.000-08:00

My favorite band of all-time, The Flaming Lips, released a new DVD called U.F.O.s at the Zoo: The Legendary Concert in Oklahoma City. My copy arrived in the mail today! I certainly did not intend to write about it on the Failed Search page, but you're not going to believe the things that Wayne (lead singer, guitarist, songwriter) had to say in the DVD liner notes that are relevant to the spirit of this discussion.

You'll have to purchase your own copy of the DVD to read the entire message (and you should!), but here is a long and meaningful excerpt that you'll surely enjoy:

I Want to Become the Aurora Borealis

Nothing could have prepared us, back in 1987, for the colossal, ghost-in-the-sky, stargate glow of the Aurora Borealis as it came into view through our windshield. We got out of the van and stood in awe and divine curiosity watching this pulsating light curtain dancing above our heads. But, not just above our heads ... but above the world ... I mean, it stretched to infinity or ... it was infinity ... and it trampled us. But, it was a joyous trampling and we surrendered and gladly became insignificant dust under its super cosmic god beams ...

Anyway ... Whenever we have these extraordinary sensory overload experiences, perhaps we are not just seeing astounding natural phenomena, but we are also seeing a phenomenon in ourselves. And, if we are lucky, we are changed by the experience. We are shown anew what great power and mysteries are secretly exploding all around us in this endlessly interesting world. I remember that, for a short while, just after seeing the northern lights, I had a feeling that anything was possible ...

The Flaming Lips audience is a living, breathing Aurora Borealis ... Some kind of small explosion happens within each of them, causing an outward eruption of enthusiasm and, what can best be described as, an embracing of life ... and it is contagious and spreads very quickly from one to another, each causing an uncontrollable chain reaction ... back and forth ... energy being expelled and energy being reformed. You see ... love is a strange, magic fuel that does not diminish. It's just the opposite ... the more it's burned, the more it grows. And I know that this sounds like a bunch of mystical, new age, hippy-babble ... but I do believe there are some true and healthy lessons in this: our awareness of how much we benefit from each other, our awareness of how much we can help each other, and our awareness of how much we need each other can truly change, if not the way we are, then at least the way we behave.

We are all a collection of combustible chemicals firing into one another. Perhaps, in a sense, we are all solar flares getting ensnarled in each others' magnetic fields. We have the potential to make a spectacular, majestic effect.

Wayne
2007

So, you Alaskans, keep an eye on the aurora forecast. It's getting dark enough to see the lights.

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I am going to go watch the DVD now. Check out a YouTube clip from the film and get your copy soon:

Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement / Resignation

2007-08-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

When I facilitate Conflict Resolution in the Workplace seminars, people sometimes present horrific stories about near-impossible working conditions, supervisors, or co-workers. We talk about principled negotiation as a starting point to resolve workplace conflicts, and also acknowledge the fact that sometimes the best option available may be to separate from the current work situation and find a better one.

This means that one needs to always -- always -- be preparing for better alternatives. That may mean pursuing every possible professional development opportunity, participating in ongoing education courses, developing new skills, cultivating professional relationships, and many more strategies. In the process, of course, one becomes better skilled at the current job while improving future prospects, if (and when) needed.

Maintaining a high BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) also means saving money for the proverbial rainy day, staying out of debt, and making other financial plans so that one never has to stay in a job just for the paycheck. Good theory, for sure, and really important to practice, too; which is obviously easier for some and harder for others.

For example, for Keri and me, being able to walk away from a lousy work situation meant being prepared to sell our house if we needed to eliminate our mortgage payment and move into a smaller place (either renting something cheaper or, essentially, trading down to a less expensive home). Therefore, when the wheels started coming off the Wood Center wagon, we held a yard sale and liquidated most of our personal belongings -- television, furniture, piano, canoe and kayak, dressers, clothes, microwave, kitchen stuff, several hundred cds, records, videos, books, and more. We now have a bed, futon, and lawn furniture in the house. And, of course, a stereo. In the sale, we made a couple thousand dollars to pay off some bills and make some minor but necessary home improvements, and we also made ourselves much more mobile. This is fundamental financial practice and good common sense, I guess, but we have had to work hard to get to this place.

I want to emphasize that, though unplanned and unexpected, this has been a really positive process for us, as it has reminded us that just eight years ago we sold everything in our two-story Illinois home that wouldn't fit into our Geo Metro and drove the Alaska-Canadian highway to Fairbanks. In 1999, we were making a lifestyle decision to pursue our dream of living in Alaska, not a career decision -- and this whole event has helped us re-focus on the reasons that we moved up here in the first place. We remain confident that if we stay true to our dreams, more good fortune will come our way. At least, that's what we are trying to convince ourselves. (And, the recent Failed Search Decision notwithstanding, this has been the best job and greatest experience that I could have possibly imagined!)

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On August 8, after much deliberation and planning, I did submit my letter of resignation, effective September 7.

Getting Unstuck: How Dead Ends Become New Paths

2007-08-24T13:15:00.000-08:00

I have this strange habit of reading Harvard Business Review and I even subscribe to an HBR podcast. A couple of weeks after The Failed Search Decision, I listened to a podcast featuring Timothy Butler and his new book, Getting Unstuck: How Dead Ends Become New Paths. To me, this stuff was right up there with any ol' Zen saying, Joseph Campbell teachings, or Homer Simpson wisdom.

In the podcast, Butler says, "Essentially, we have to get stuck before we can grow. Impasse demands that we do a radically deeper thinking or feeling about our situation." This struck me right between the eyes. I went straight to the bookstore to purchase the whole text and quickly read the book. It's been an invaluable resource as I have worked through the phases of the impasse process.

Check this out (from the Harvard Business School website):

Feeling "stuck," as psychologically painful as it is, is the first step to awareness of new opportunities in career and in life, says Harvard Business School's Timothy Butler. In this Q&A and excerpt from his new book, Getting Unstuck, he explains six steps for getting from here to there. Key concepts include:

A psychological impasse is developmentally necessary for human beings.
Although impasse is usually first expressed as a failure, it is a requirement for individuals to change their way of thinking about themselves and their role in the world.
There is a six-phase plan for recognizing and overcoming impasse, starting with feeling stuck and ending with finally taking action.

Read the interview and book excerpt here.

It could be worse.

2007-08-23T17:37:00.000-08:00

C'mon. Hit the PLAY button. You'll be glad that you did. I promise ...

This is what I need ...

2007-08-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

The job opening for Associate Director of Programming at Wood Center closed on April 8. Finally, on June 22, after playing a long waiting game during one of UAF's notoriously long hiring processes, I was told that the other finalist had rejected the offer to be Assoc Director. Fine, I thought, I can be happy as the second choice. Fate, however, had other plans for me.

In one of the most surreal moments of my professional career, I sat quietly at Alaska Coffee Roasting Company and listened to my boss (the hiring authority) tell me that she had decided to declare a failed search rather than offer me the vacant position. I had emerged from the field as one of two finalists for the job, had secured the recommendation of the hiring committee, and was -- as indicated by my professional experience, resume, and interviews -- qualified for the challenge. Yet, somehow, she believed that declaring a failed search was a better option for UAF and UAF students than hiring me. Whoa. I didn't see that comin'.

Although it seems staggeringly overdramatic now, this passage from Joseph Campbell helped me absorb the blow that knocked me off a very carefully and deliberately planned career path, as this was the job for which I had spent five years preparing myself:

"Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, "This is what I need." It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment -- not discouragement -- you will find the strength is there. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow.

"Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures followed by wreckage were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. You'll see that this is really true. Nothing can happen to you that is not positive. Even though it looks and feels at the moment like a negative crisis, it is not. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes."

Disaster? Crisis? On June 22, it sure felt like it, but I have since been able to put it all in perspective. Reading good stuff (see the right margin), receiving good advice from family and friends, and thinking deeply about the situation all helped me get to a better place. In fact, I am feeling so optimistic now that it seems weird that just a few weeks ago I was in such despair over this.

Have you experienced a similar situation? Where did you find strength? Thoughts? Please comment here or feel free to email me directly at failedsearch@gmail.com.

Despair, Baby

2007-08-21T23:32:00.001-08:00

If you haven't, you must see despair.com! Check it out now. It is meant for all of us.

Here's their official blurb:

"For over two decades, the multi-billion dollar motivation industry has unleashed untold suffering upon the workplaces, schools and civil institutions of the world - in the insidious form of the motivational poster. By the millions they have been sold and displayed - these dark instruments of corporate propaganda. While promising to stimulate "Hope", "Success" and "Teamwork", instead these tools of coercion and intimidation have inspired only grief, anger and nausea.

In 1998, one company dared to fight back, as Despair, Inc. introduced Demotivators®, satirical products reverse-engineered from the most powerful motivational posters ever inflicted upon mankind. "

Welcome ...

2007-08-20T07:17:00.000-08:00

This is Day #1 of Failed Search. Much more coming soon ...

Remember: Leap and the net will appear.