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 R EINVENT
Y OUR C AREER
Attain the Success
You Desire and Deserve

By
Susan Wilson Solovic

Franklin Lakes, NJ
 Copyright 2003 by Susan Wilson Solovic

All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Con-
ventions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by
any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by
any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented,
without written permission from the publisher, The Career Press.

REINVENT YOUR CAREER

EDITED BY KRISTEN PARKES
TYPESET BY STACEY A. FARKAS
Cover design by Cheryl Cohan Finbow
Printed in the U.S.A. by Book-mart Press

To order this title, please call toll-free 1-800-CAREER-1 (NJ and Canada: 201-
848-0310) to order using VISA or MasterCard, or for further information on
books from Career Press.

The Career Press, Inc., 3 Tice Road, PO Box 687,

Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
www.careerpress.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Solovic, Susan Wilson.

Reinvent your career : attain the success you desire and deserve / by
Susan Wilson Solovic.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-56414-682-0 (paper)
1. Career changes. 2. Career development. 3. Success in business. I. Title.

HF5384.S64 2003
650.14—dc21 2003046283


To my mother, Lucille Wilson, who passed away
on July 4, 2001.
You will always be my best friend and inspiration.
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments

I
’d like to thank all the people who contributed to
this work. As with everything in life, nothing hap-
pens in a vacuum. This project would not have
been possible without those individuals who took time
to share their stories and expertise. I’d also like to
thank my team who assisted me along the way: Laura
Schacht, Jane Ward, Dan Demko, Shera Dalin, Audra
Shanley, and my husband, George Solovic. A special
thanks to Mary Quigg, who opened her incredible and
vast library of resources to me. Without your efforts
and your belief in me, this book could not have been
completed. You are all my shinning stars.
This page intentionally left blank
Contents

Introduction .................................................................... 9
Chapter 1 ...................................................................... 13
Reflection and Introspection
Chapter 2 ...................................................................... 25
Are You at Risk?
Chapter 3 ...................................................................... 45
Don’t Be Reactive: Get Proactive!
Chapter 4 ...................................................................... 67
Survival Skills
Chapter 5 ...................................................................... 89
Protecting Yourself: The Nuts and Bolts
of Career Transition
Chapter 6 ..................................................................... 101
Getting Back on the Horse
Chapter 7 ..................................................................... 123
Living Authentically in an Unauthentic World
Chapter 8 ..................................................................... 161
Age and Gender Factors
Chapter 9 ..................................................................... 173
The Lure of Entrepreneurism
Chapter 10 ................................................................... 197
Revved up Retirees: The Great Second Chapter
Chapter 11 ................................................................... 211
Words of Wisdom
Index ........................................................................... 215
About the Author ......................................................... 221
 Introduction
9

Introduction

L
ife is full of possibilities. That’s a belief I have
held all my life. I have never been one to get so
locked into planning my life that I couldn’t
easily change direction to take advantage of a new
opportunity.
My undergraduate degree is in history and politi-
cal science, and when I graduated I had difficulty find-
ing a job. So I applied for a teaching fellowship at a
university and decided to pursue a master’s degree in
political science. To help pay the bills, I took a recep-
tionist job with a technical training school called the

9
10
Reinvent Your Career

Broadcast Center. I grew up in a rural community in southern Mis-

souri and I had what we fondly refer to as the Swamp East Missouri
twang. It sounds much like a heavy southern accent although not as
gentile. I dropped “ing” endings and my vowel sounds were nasal.
Extension cord became “igstinsion card.” So there I was, answering
phones for the Broadcast Center with this horrendous accent.
Some of the instructors at the school decided it was time to teach
me to talk. They put me in a room with a tape recorder and made me
pronounce “how now brown cow” so I could learn to make nice round
vowel sounds instead of nasal ones. In many respects, I felt like Eliza
Doolitte in My Fair Lady. It was a long, hard battle, and there were
many days I felt like giving up. But eventually with the support and
mentorship of my instructors, the effort paid off. I successfully rid
myself of the accent. A corresponding result was that I fell in love
with journalism. It had always been a secret desire of mine to be a
news anchor. In college I worked at a small television station doing
the weather. My problem was that I hadn’t known how to go about
making my dream a reality, but now it seemed possible. I decided to
turn down the teaching fellowship and try to land a job in television
news. One of my instructors helped me put together an audition tape
and within two weeks I was anchoring the news for an NBC affiliate.
Those were the days!
After a couple of years in the “biz,” I was recruited by Southwest-
ern Bell Company (SBC). At the time, I was young and had no idea
that it was difficult to land a job with such a good company. I also
didn’t realize that I had a special skill set they needed. The company
wanted to create a video-magazine as an employee communication
tool and of course they needed someone with television skills. When I
was offered the job and the salary (which was more than twice what I
was making at the time), I jumped at it exclaiming, “I wouldn’t know
what to do with that much money!”
I spent a few years working for SBC. Then, the entrepreneurial
bug bit me and I wanted to strike out on my own. Because, in addition
to my video responsibilities, I had been doing advertising and public
 Introduction
11

relations work for Bell, I founded Wilson and Associates—a bou-

tique PR and advertising firm. Unfortunately, at the time I knew very
little about business planning and running a business. As a result, my
business failed. It was time to find a job with a consistent paycheck.
My civic and charitable work had introduced me to a number of
high-ranking executives with large companies and I decided to lever-
age those contacts. Soon I found myself working as manager of public
relations for a Fortune 100 company and attending night law school at
the same time. I quickly climbed the corporate ladder to become the
vice president, director of marketing—the first female executive in
my division.
Obtaining a law degree had been a life-long goal because I believe
in the importance of education. However, I never really saw myself
actually practicing law. Therefore, instead of pursuing a legal career
when I graduated from law school, I decided to stay in my current
position that I really liked. Then the company I was working for was
sold to another entity and I saw the handwriting on the wall. It would
only be a matter of time until the old team—my team—would be re-
placed by a new one. So I resigned and decided to try my hand at
practicing law. As it turned out my decision to leave the company was
a smart one because within a couple of years, most of my former
colleagues where downsized and looking for new jobs.
While I loved law school, as I suspected, I did not adapt well to
the practice of law. It wasn’t a good fit for me. I worked with many
clients experiencing a divorce or employment discrimination and it
was emotionally draining. Time to move on—to reinvent my career,
again.
That’s when I realized I had a special gift—the gift of communi-
cation. I became passionate about helping others see their potential
and follow their dreams. Particularly as I watched so many of my friends
invest their hearts and souls in a job, only to be unceremoniously tossed
aside. They were traumatized and devastated and I wanted to help
them see that they can do anything and be anything if they are willing
to sacrifice to reach their goals. The world is full of possibilities.
12
Reinvent Your Career

If you believe in yourself and your abilities, there is never an

ending—only new beginnings. You must keep an open mind and be
willing to take risks. An open mind is much more receptive to oppor-
tunity than a closed mind. While this is a trait that is often a genetic
mindset, it can indeed be learned. Learning to be aware of your gifts
and see opportunities can help you reap incredible rewards.
My hope in writing this book is that you get in touch with your
soul and create your own new beginnings—that’ll you’ll take control
of your life rather than let circumstances or other people control you.
If you can do that, you’ll achieve the success you deserve and desire.
It’s never too late to begin living the life you want to live. But you owe
it to yourself to start today.
 Reflection and Introspection
13

Chapter 1

Reflection and
Introspection

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do

and liking how you do it.

—Maya Angelou, poet

Are You Ready to Reinvent

Your Career?

T
o begin the journey of reinventing your career,
ask yourself these questions.

1. Am I doing what I am doing today

because I don’t know what else I would
or could do?
2. Am I in the money trap?

13
14
Reinvent Your Career

3. Do I feel good about what I am doing and whom I am

doing it for?
4. Do I have the balance and integration in my life I
want?
5. Am I willing to make substantial changes in my life to
grow and to learn?
6. Do I know what my life’s passion truly is?
7. Do I truly know who I am?
8. Do I understand my personal definition of success?
9. Do I stand on my personal values regardless of the
situation?
10. Do I feel undervalued in my work?

If these questions are troublesome for you, you are not alone. It
takes some real soul searching to answer them confidently. There are
a lot of us who are living our lives on automatic pilot. As human be-
ings, we go through the motions day in and day out, and we try to
convince ourselves that everything is okay. But sometimes there is a
nagging feeling inside us that tells us something isn’t quite right. There
is a void we can’t explain—an emptiness. Rather than address it, how-
ever, we ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist.
If it doesn’t feel right, it isn’t right and you owe it to yourself to
examine your feelings—to be truthful with yourself. Take time to ques-
tion your own story. Is it really your story or the one you have made
up because it is the “right” thing to do or it is what someone expected
you to do?
I spoke with a woman at the end of one of my seminars who sadly
told me she no longer knew what she was passionate about or what
she really wanted to do with her life. She explained that at one time,
she had a strong sense of self and she was clear about her goals. But
over the years, little by little she had lost that sense of purpose as she
gave up more and more of herself to be the person she thought others
wanted her to be. Near tears, she confided she felt confused and empty.
 Reflection and Introspection
15

It’s easy to lose sight of our passion as we get caught up in the

daily routine of life. We all deal with a variety of roles and corre-
sponding expectations, and so we often ignore going after what truly
makes us happy. I explained to this woman that it was understandable
that she was having difficulty getting in touch with her passion and
that she should let that be okay. She should give herself the time and
permission to explore her desires and get to know herself again. With
patience and introspection, she would learn where she wanted to go
with her life. But it takes courage to be that honest with yourself.
There are countless stories of people who have graduated from
medical school to please their parents, or people who have spent years
in a particular career because they felt obligated and afraid to try
something new. Kathleen Thurmond was one of those people. A col-
lege student in the 1960s, she was pushed into a traditional female
field of social work. However, at the various agencies where she was
employed, she migrated toward administrative roles because it seemed
like a more natural fit for her.
“In 1993, a misdiagnosis of breast cancer marked a turning point
in my life. I had to evaluate what I really wanted to do,” Thurmond
explained. “There was a part of me that always liked business so I
decided to take a shot at running my family’s business.”
Thurmond’s decision was timely given the fact that her father’s
health was failing. She stepped in and became president of Best Wash-
ington Uniform and Linen Supply, Inc. in Long Beach, California. It
has been the right decision for her.
From my own career experiences, I can say that all of us have bad
days on the job, but there is a big difference between having a bad day
and having a bad fit. For example, after leaving a high-paying position
with a Fortune 100 company, I took a lower level position and signifi-
cantly less in salary to join a rapidly growing, privately held entity.
Almost immediately, I recognized I had not made a good choice. The
nascent company lacked leadership and professionalism, and I had
difficulty adjusting to the new culture. After giving it a six-month trial,
16
Reinvent Your Career

I tendered my resignation, but my boss countered with a rather large

pay increase. I acquiesced, and continued trying desperately to fit in.
Another three months passed, and I realized I was about as com-
fortable in the situation as I would be in a sleeping bag filled with
fleas. So once again, I handed in my resignation and my boss came
back with the offer of an additional pay increase. I explained to him
that money wasn’t the issue. I didn’t feel valued or respected at the
firm. Furthermore, I found the work unchallenging and not intellec-
tually stimulating. These things are more important to me than any
dollar amount.
Your life is your own creation and it is the only life you get.
Throughout the years, I have seen so many people who have chosen
to maintain the status quo, regardless of their satisfaction level. They
are afraid to take a risk and follow their passions. Nothing is written
in concrete. Change is good and you have the power to change your
life. Give your soul a wake-up call. Take time to introduce yourself to
you. In order to reinvent your career, you have to have a complete
understanding of who and what you are. The saddest situation for any
of us is to pass through this world simply going through the motions.
In the following chapters, you’ll learn career survival strategies
and tips for grasping the reins and controlling your own destiny. You’ll
benefit from expert advice and you’ll hear stories from people just
like you who have been through career transitions, and who have not
only survived, but are thriving. So can you.
Whether you are currently unsatisfied with your present position,
reevaluating your personal priorities, facing a downsizing, or looking
to create a second chapter of your life in retirement, you’ll learn how
to reinvent your career—creating the life you desire and deserve.

We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned,

so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

—Joseph Campbell, author

 Reflection and Introspection
17

Reinventing “YOU, Inc.”

The new economy is about reinventing how business is conducted—

in every single job, in every single corporation. There’s a
revolution going on, and we have to rethink every relationship
within the company and beyond.

—Peter Solvik, senior vice president and chief information officer,

Cisco Systems, San Jose, California

If companies are constantly rethinking, reinventing, and re

engineering, why doesn’t the American worker do the same thing?

A Friend’s Story
My friend Janet waits patiently for me in the bar of our favorite
restaurant sipping a glass of Merlot. As usual, I am running a few
minutes late for our monthly chat. “Girls’ night out” is something we
both look forward to as a break from the day-to-day hassles of our
challenging careers. Eagerly, I rush through the door equipped with
my usual arsenal of excuses for being late, anticipating Janet’s feigned
frustration accompanied by a warm smile and a big hug. But today,
Janet’s demeanor is somber and subdued. Her vibrant eyes are dead
with a sad, far away look. Something is seriously wrong.
Not knowing how to react, I perch myself on the barstool next to
her and jokingly say, “Okay, so I’m a little late. What’s with the doom
and gloom routine?”
She hesitates momentarily, then lifts her head and stares out into
space. In an eerily morbid tone she says, “My company is being sold,
and I’m out of a job. They told us this afternoon.”
I couldn’t believe it. Janet is one of the most successful people I
know. She’s a brilliant marketing director. During her nearly 25-year
tenure with her company, she rose to the top of her department.
18
Reinvent Your Career

“I’m devastated. I gave my all to that company. How can they do

this? It isn’t fair. What am I going to do now?” she asks. “I’m too
young to retire, and where am I ever going to get another job like the
one I have now, particularly at my age?”

The New Reality

Most of us know someone like Janet. Her story is not unique. She
is a newly initiated member of a growing fraternity of talented indi-
viduals who have dedicated their lives to their careers only to be tossed
aside like a used tissue. More than 50 percent of working Americans
know someone who has lost a job in the past 12 months, and that
number continues to climb.
The loss of jobs since March 2001—the date many refer to as the
beginning of the current recession—remains the worst in almost 20
years. The employment decline has been deeper than it was at a com-
parable point in the so-called jobless recovery of the early 1990s, ac-
cording to recently revised statistics from the Labor Department. The
economy has lost more than 2 million jobs, a drop of 1.5 percent,
since the end of the first quarter of 2001. Ironically, layoffs have con-
tinued despite the resumption of economic growth more than a year
ago. The decline was 1.3 percent at the same point in the business
cycle a decade ago (“U.S. Economy in Worst Hiring Slump in 20
Years.” New York Times [Feb. 6, 2003]). According to most research-
ers, the jobs being eliminated today will never be replaced.
We are living in a world where the term job security is an oxymo-
ron. Yet 73 percent of people believe they are not at risk of losing
their jobs. It’s like the old joke: What’s the difference between a re-
cession and a depression? A recession is when your neighbor loses her
job. A depression is when you are out of a job.
Too many working Americans continue to live in denial, and de-
nial is a dangerous state of mind. Failing to acknowledge the realities
of your situation can have a disastrous result. Imagine trying to cross
the street at a major intersection without looking for traffic. You might
 Reflection and Introspection
19

get lucky and make it across without an incident, but most likely you
are going to cause an accident and possibly be hit yourself. The busi-
ness world has gone through a major transformation where the old
rules no longer apply, and it is time to recognize that fact. You have
to look both ways and understand clearly what’s going on before you
can take control of your life and make career decisions that are right
for you.
As a society, our first introduction to the concept of downsizing
came in the mid- to late-70s when we heard managers speak of “trim-
ming the fat” or “running lean and mean.” Since then, we’ve watched
companies restructure, reengineer, regenerate, reenergize, and reju-
venate to adjust to a rapidly changing marketplace. Minimally, 60 per-
cent of the Fortune 500 companies have restructured in the past several
years. Others have laid thousands off as the red ink on their balance
sheets forced them into bankruptcy. Plus, millions of people lost jobs
as the bottom fell out of the dot-com industry, which was followed by
another wave of pink slips due to a recessionary economy. But the
real betrayal of the American worker is the arrogant and egregious
conduct of the egocentric, self-absorbed, greedy executives who led
their companies into bankruptcy while assuring the thousands of em-
ployees and stockholders that everything was just fine. As a result,
many hardworking individuals found themselves with portfolios filled
with stock that was less valuable than a paper towel.
For decades the American worker enjoyed a paternalistic rela-
tionship with his or her employer. There was a strong belief that you
could find a good job, work really hard, climb up the ladder, and
eventually retire with a gold watch and a healthy pension. You only
changed jobs if you found a better opportunity. Termination meant
you must have done something terribly wrong or you weren’t a good
performer. Whatever the rationale, you became branded with a scar-
let letter—an L for loser. This is not the case anymore.
Americans have had a love/hate relationship with their work. In
our society the word work conjures up negative emotions. Something
is work when it’s an exhaustive, stressful, tedious effort. Work isn’t
20
Reinvent Your Career

fun. It’s something we “have” to do. Ironically, most of us admit we’d

continue working even if we didn’t “have” to.
Furthermore, many of us grew up in environments where there
was a value placed on obtaining what was considered a “good” job.
There was never any talk about passion. A job was a job—you didn’t
have to particularly like it. A job provides financial security—the ability
to take care of and raise a family. Daughters (particularly those of us
in the Baby Boomer generation) were often encouraged to marry young
men that had a “good job.” Paradoxically, regardless of what kind of
work we do, it is how we define ourselves. It provides status in our
communities—a means of measurement. As author Al Gini notes, “Not
having a job means you’re a person without salary, stuff, or status.”
Among 45-year-old-plus workers, work is such a central part of
their lives that it plays a larger role than romance in shaping their
feelings about themselves. In fact, 75 percent of respondents to a study
conducted by the AARP agree that the inability to find a job would
damage their self-esteem more than the inability to find a mate or
personal relationship. Therefore, it’s not surprising many of us find
ourselves stuck in unrewarding, dead-end jobs—trapped by the golden
handcuffs or a fear of not being able to replace what we have. And it
should come as no surprise that 78 percent of us say we would quit if
we had a better offer. We make tradeoffs. We consciously choose to
give up a certain amount of control over our own lives in exchange for
the trappings we believe are important. These decisions are based on
learned behaviors, which our society teaches us, not something inher-
ent in our personalities.
Therefore, it stands to reason that the loss of a job, whether vol-
untary or not, is the loss of who we are and how we present ourselves
to the outside world. A career transition is traumatic and unsettling
because it shakes the foundation of our very existence.
“One of the things you miss when you lose a job is the personal
relationships with the people you work with. They are like family—
you spend a lot of time with them—you really miss the relationships
you have developed over your tenure. You can never underestimate
 Reflection and Introspection
21

the size of that loss,” explains corporate executive, Bob Wiesler, who
spent 10 years with a company, only to be downsized as the company
transitioned to a franchise-based organization.
But let’s get real: it’s only a job, not the end of the world. Un-
doubtedly, it creates turmoil and difficulties, and jeopardizes your
personal financial security, but it’s not a terminal illness. Things could
be worse, so put it in perspective. Depending on your personal situa-
tion, the loss of a job can be as small as a speed bump, or as large as a
mountain, but you can conquer either one.
Work is a means to an end. Where, how, and who you do it for
should be controlled by you, not an external force. There is a great
line in the modern-day Cinderella story, Pretty Woman, where Julia
Roberts’s character, Vivian, says, “We say who. We say when, and we
say how much.” Vivian understands the importance of controlling her
own destiny.
Concentrate on your own personal skills and what you want to do,
not on a particular employer. Who says work can’t be fun? Why can’t
you earn a living doing something you love? You can if you are willing
to take charge or your life and obtain the success you deserve and
desire.

Doing What You Want to Do

and Loving It

There is only one success…to be able to spend

your life in your own way.

—Christopher Morley, author

Change is the basic premise of today’s business environment. Yet

as workers we have not adjusted to the new realities of the market-
place—a global, 24/7 environment where the complex challenges
22
Reinvent Your Career

businesses face are daunting. Businesses can no longer rely on his-

toric perspectives and business strategies if they are going to survive.
In order to compete effectively, companies need skills and innovative
ideas. Some of the best decisions companies make are when they bring
together a diverse group of individuals to analyze a problem and come
up with a solution. The business world needs creative thinking skills.
Many companies are so desperate for this type of innovation that
they hire firms such as BrightHouse: an Ideation Company.
BrightHouse maintains innovation as the rule, not the exception (“In-
novative Model.” Entrepreneur [Sept. 2002]). According to informa-
tion on its Website, BrightHouse explains that it solves traditional
business issues in unconventional ways. They do so by utilizing a team
of creative thinkers from varied backgrounds and areas of expertise.
Frequently, companies get bogged down in layers of management,
processes, and bureaucracy. That opens the door for outside consult-
ants who enter with a fresh approach and an understanding that there
is never just one right answer. That’s an idea you can’t get from a
computer.
Given this need for innovative approaches to business strategy,
there is no greater asset to a company than its human capital. Your
creativity can help define the winning strategies of your company.
Your communication skills can help build and nurture customer/
client relationships. Your personal experiences, expertise, and unique
abilities can help identify solutions to complex problems. You are your
own business enterprise. Your inventory is your talent and ability—
skills that can’t be programmed into a computer. Accordingly, you
have much greater control over your life, your career, and your des-
tiny than you realize. It is time to invest in yourself, not in a particular
job or company.
“We no longer live in an era where you are in one job for the
duration of your career. You have to be flexible and willing to move.
Even the best run the risk of being downsized,” says author Linda
Wheeler.
 Reflection and Introspection
23

The key is to adopt an independent, not interdependent, attitude

toward your career. “Personally, I think we tend to put too much
stock in the particular company we work for. We should put more
stock in ourselves and the work that we do, rather than who we do it
for,” explains downsizing survivor Bob Wiesler. “I was hired by an-
other company a few months after being terminated, but it was still
hard to let go. You look back and ask, ‘Why did they do this to me?’”
Now is the time to embrace your personal values and change your
feelings toward work. Like business owner Dennis Benson says, “It
has to be good. It has to be fun. It has to be profitable. When it stops
being fun, do something else (Fast Company [May 2001]).”
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 Are You at Risk?
25

Chapter 2

Are You
at Risk?

It is not real work unless you would rather

be doing something else.

—J.M. Barrie

Are You a Pink-Slip Candidate?

T
he simple answer is yes you are—if you have a
job that is. No single person is indispensable
to an organization. Even the owner or founder
of a company is at risk. Boards can wield tremendous
power and oust even the most unlikely.
“In my company, we’ve reduced 50 percent of our
U.S. workforce in 18 months and 40 percent world-
wide. We’re seeing layoffs in countries like Malaysia

25
26
Reinvent Your Career

that rarely see downsizing,” says human resource professional Tom

Stiffler.
Okay, now that you understand you are at risk, you owe it to
yourself to stay alert. As my mother used to say, keep your eyes open
and your ear to the ground. You must be a realist and face the situa-
tion head on.
Recognizing the precariousness of any employment does not di-
minish, however, the concern over any career transition. We spend
more time with the people we work with than we do with our families
and friends. Work often forms the basis of our social lives, and so
even when our job is less than fulfilling, we hang in there because
that’s where we are connected. The thought of transitioning to an-
other job or career path can easily scare us to death because, in part,
we are losing our social support system. If you have ever gone through
a transition you know how hard it can be. Everyone promises to stay
in touch, and for a while you make a valiant effort, but people get
busy and you have less and less in common so soon the relationships
fade. It is even more difficult if the transition is involuntary because
former coworkers often feel uncomfortable and unsure of how to re-
late to you.
“Don’t put all of your emotional eggs in the work basket,” cau-
tions John Izzo, author of Awakening Corporate Sour: Four Paths to
Unleash the Power of People at Work. “During the boom times, it
seemed natural to look for fulfillment at work—after all, that’s where
you spent 95 percent of your time. But now is a great moment to take
stock of what else is important to you.”
That’s difficult when a job, a title, and a paycheck define who you
are. For 20-plus years, Lillian worked for a telecommunications com-
pany. She was extremely unhappy in her position. When her employer
began doling out early retirement packages, she prayed for eligibility.
Finally the long-awaited day came when her supervisor offered her a
package. Instead of feeling happy and relieved, Lillian was devas-
tated. Suddenly she realized how much she relied on her work for
her identity.
 Are You at Risk?
27

Similarly, after 17 years with a financial services firm he had helped

grow from its infancy, Dan Demko had risen to the position of chief
managing officer. He had reached his apogee with all the trappings of
a top executive. A few years later, an acquisition transpired and new
owners with their management team stepped in. It wasn’t long before
he learned he was being cut from the team.
“I sensed it was coming so I had a little time to prepare myself
mentally for it. But it was still difficult. I felt displaced—not worth a
lot. I was hurt personally,” he explained. Demko’s feelings are not
atypical.
Unfortunately, in today’s business environment, almost everyone
will experience a career transition. No matter how hard you work,
how committed you are, how young and energetic you are, or how
seasoned and experienced you are—you are replaceable and dispens-
able. But that doesn’t diminish your value and your need to invest in
yourself.
“Once their decision is made, that’s it,” says Larry Ochonicky,
who, after 16 years with a large brewery, was forced to take an early
retirement package. “There were other areas of the business they could
have used me in, but they didn’t choose to do that.”
Your best defense is a good offense—be aware of your surround-
ings. You certainly don’t want to be blindsided when your employer
says adíos in the manner experienced by Andrew Lopresti, a graphic
designer from Northern Virginia. Lopresti says he was terminated
after a very favorable review. “I thought I was going to get a raise,” he
said (“10 Layoff Red Flags to Watch out For.” USAToday.com).
Likewise, Kristine Jannuzzi says she never saw it coming. She gave
two weeks notice at her job at Juilliard for a new position at an Internet
company. She started work on Monday and continued her training on
Tuesday. On Wednesday, she was told the company was closing its
doors for good, and that she was laid off effective immediately.
“I was in complete and total shock,” Kristine recalls. “This was
before dot-coms were iffy. At the time it was a big blow. I felt like a
fool. I couldn’t believe I left a good job for this.”
28
Reinvent Your Career

Looking back, Jannuzzi says she sees a conversation she had with
the head of the company just prior to her start date could have been a
warning sign for her. He contacted her directly to explain that there
were changes pending at the company. The board had not approved
the company’s operating budget and while she still had a job, her po-
sition would involve less travel.
How do you know when you might be the next one to get the pink
slip? There are some telltale signs. Pay attention.

Uninvited to Meetings
Kevin Siegfried had been with a German bank for 18 years. He
started in Frankfurt and subsequently took international assignments,
which landed him in Canada and eventually the United States. Then
he was asked to return to Dusseldorf, Germany, in a marketing ca-
pacity and help build a cooperative effort between two divisions—the
equipment financing and commercial credit units. In his new posi-
tion, he assumed he would be the intercultural connection and help
create a Pan-European marketing plan. Strategy meetings ensued, but
none of the Europeans, including Siegfried, were invited.
“Meetings were taking place which I quickly learned about, and I
wasn’t invited. They were meeting very early in the morning and they
didn’t tell me. They talked about current customer relationships and
credit policies so I was in the dark,” he explained.
In an effort to make the best of his situation, Siegfried tried to
solicit customers on his own, but it was difficult not really knowing or
understanding the plan.
“The exclusion from certain meetings and being cut off from in-
formation, I knew something was going on. I didn’t know what the
outcome would be or how long it would take, but I knew it was com-
ing,” he said. “At first you think it is simply a mistake. Then you
realize you are being specifically excluded and it makes you angry and
hurt,” he adds.
 Are You at Risk?
29

Entrepreneur Kamran Elahian founded a company called Mo-

menta Corp. to manufacture pen-based computers. According to an
article in Fast Company magazine (January 2002), the company went
through $40 million in a period of three years. Clearly, disaster loomed
on the horizon. Then on April 1, 1992, Elahian walked into work and
found his board holding a meeting he knew nothing about. And it was
at that meeting that the board voted to oust him.
“I put three years of my life into that company,” he says. “I felt
like I’d lost my child. I went numb (“Starting Over.., and Over….
Fast Company [Jan., 2002]).”
If you find others in your department or work group are being
invited to meetings, but you aren’t, it should be a good clue that
something’s up. When a company marks someone as the next to go,
he or she quickly gets cut out of the information loop.

Relationship Change—the Big Chill

Sharon and her boss always had a great relationship. He gave her
the responsibility and the authority to get her job done, and she made
sure that she met his expectations. Slowly she began to see a change in
his attitude toward her. He ignored her and he no longer supported
her in front of his superiors. Their daily chats were reduced to brief
encounters in the hallway. Confused, she tried to talk to him about
this change in their relationship, but he brushed her off, blaming it on
the stress of a new project he was working on. When he called her
into his office to show her a new organization chart for her depart-
ment that didn’t have her name in a box, she was speechless.
“I stared at it for the longest time, searching for my name. Then he
said, ‘As you can see, there isn’t a place for you.’ I couldn’t believe he
could be so cold. I was stunned and absolutely crushed,” she explained.
Sharon’s boss’s change in attitude should have been a big red
flag. Most people don’t like to let someone go—particularly some-
one they have worked with for a long time—so they begin to distance
30
Reinvent Your Career

themselves from the individual. Believe it or not, for most people, it is

psychologically difficult to face those whom they know are the next in
line for a pink slip.
Marissa Hunter, former Works Manager for a fabrication com-
pany said that in hindsight, her boss must have known the company
was going to collapse. “We used to have a terrific relationship and he
included me in meetings, asked my advice. Then, over a period of a
few weeks, everything dramatically changed. Shortly after that, he
sent me a text message telling me I no longer had a position, and the
company folded. He moved on to his next venture,” she remembers.
Having managed and executed three rounds of emotional layoffs
during a horrible industry recession, Nigel Bunt, managing director
of a U.K.-based company, says with each one he watched talented
people lose their jobs; people who would have prospered under dif-
ferent circumstances and in a different economy.
“Often it isn’t the people, their work ethic, or anything else—it is
simply the economy. The worst part is telling those that you’ve worked
with for years that they are going to lose their jobs. It is a dreadful
task and I’m sure that as I knew people were at risk, I avoided conver-
sation because I didn’t want to be insincere—to speak to them kindly
one day and tell them their job was being eliminated the next,” Bunt
explained.
So if you find yourself getting the big chill from a once warm
working relationship, don’t be paranoid, but consider getting yourself
positioned for your next move.

You Can’t Do Anything Right

You’ve always been an outstanding performer and your last per-
formance appraisal was excellent, but suddenly you can’t do anything
right. Your work product is criticized and your contributions aren’t
appreciated.
Barry Nettle had been with his company for nearly 30 years and
for most of his tenure he had run a regional office. His walls were
 Are You at Risk?
31

covered with outstanding performance awards in recognition for con-

sistently solid results. Then he started getting reprimands from his
boss over minor, petty issues. “At first I was confused, but then I
realized what was going on. They wanted to get rid of me so it really
came as no surprise to him when they finally told me I was out of a
job. The difficult part for me was the company’s decision to retain
lesser performers,” he explained.
Kevin Siegfried experienced a similar scenario. “My performance
reviews were great, but then I got blocked. I had a lot of customers
with whom I had outstanding relationships and yet no matter how
good the business deals were that I brought to the table, they got
rejected. I couldn’t land any business no matter how good and I was
told I couldn’t be successful. I was given one month, and I knew the
countdown was running,” he explained. “They tried to blame it on
performance, but it had become a self-fulfilling prophecy for them
because they weren’t going to allow me to succeed.”
Always a top performer with the company she had been employed
by for 20 years, Lynn Luznicky was shocked when her career land-
scape changed overnight. Because of some health concerns, Luznicky
decided to cut back her work hours a little to something more stan-
dard and reasonable. Her decision did not have an impact on her
performance as it continued to be top notch. Nonetheless, she was
put on probation and eventually offered a severance package.
“It was communicated to me that the package was based on my
acceptance and if I didn’t accept, my pension and package would be
in jeopardy. So I took the package,” she explained.
You never know when the tables will turn. So keep in mind that a
great performance review today doesn’t mean a thing in the long term.

The Company Pep Rally

You may remember in the pre-scandal days of Enron, CEO Ken-
neth Lay reassured the employees at a companywide meeting that the
32
Reinvent Your Career

company was healthy and doing well. The video clips played over and
over on the news. Companies often try to put a positive spin on things
to keep employees from panicking. But be wary of over-the-top
cheerleading.
Deutsche Financial Services, a division of Deutsche Banc, hosted
a first-class kick-off party for its employees shortly after the first of a
new year. The event was held at a Ritz Carlton and the objective was
to get everyone energized, excited, and pulling together as a team.
Employees were treated to lavish gifts including a commissioned piece
of framed artwork. The final price tag for this gala affair? You can
only imagine.
Immediately after this sophisticated soiree, the layoffs began.
“They started shutting down branch offices all over the country. Those
of us who attended the meeting barely got back to our offices before
they started closing branch offices. It was just an unbelievable situa-
tion as far as I’m concerned. You had to wonder why we were there
and why did they get us all excited. Someone needs to explain to me
the logic of having a kick-off meeting prior to what became known
infamously as the ‘kick-out’ meeting,” said one of the attendees whose
20-year career with the company ended one month after the noted
event. “You also have to question why they spent all that money on
gifts, meals, and accommodations. Maybe if they hadn’t spent that
money we would have gotten better severance packages or it might
have saved a few jobs. People began to think in those terms. It no
longer was appreciated and it actually became a negative.”

No Career Path
One surefire way to get a sense of whether you have a future with
your current company is to ask about your career path. Although not
as arbitrary and defined as they once were, most organizations can
provide some career-path guidance to employees in terms of the types
of positions he or she should hold in order to achieve their goals. If
your path suddenly seems blocked by boulders, you should be on guard.
 Are You at Risk?
33

This is something I know firsthand. Having started as a mid-level

manager in public relations with a Fortune 100 company, I was fortu-
nate enough to experience excellent growth both in responsibilities
and financial rewards—rising to the executive ranks. However, the
company was very deliberate about requiring everyone to have a ca-
reer path. As a nonoperational employee, I had reached the top of the
ladder. To go any further in the company, I was told I needed to get
field experience. So I decided to begin the process of transitioning
out of headquarters into the field. My goal was to run one of the
branch offices so I’d get the necessary experience to move back into a
staff position at a higher level. A couple of prerequisites were re-
quired. All candidates for operational positions were put through ex-
tensive aptitude testing. Also, I’d have to complete some additional
training courses to learn about the systems used in the operations
area. Not only did I complete the training, but I also scored extremely
well on the aptitude tests. In fact, I was told I ranked in the top 5
percent of all candidates who had completed this battery of tests.
Job opening after job opening came and went. I was never consid-
ered. When I queried management as to why I wasn’t selected, the
explanations were less than forthcoming. It didn’t take me long to
figure out that I wasn’t going to advance. I had hit a dead end. I came
to grips with the reality of the situation and began to look outside the
company for other opportunities.

Responsibilities Reduced
Having a little extra free time at work is nice, but in lean times it
should be a big red flag. George had been the senior financial officer
of a large company for 20-plus years. When a new management team
took over, his areas of responsibilities were slowly cut and his direct
reports were shifted to other managers. Eventually, his boss asked
him to consider a demotion or a move to another area of the business.
Unable to mutually agree on an opportunity within the company,
George’s boss offered him a severance package. The game was over.
34
Reinvent Your Career

If you have extra time on your hands, be proactive. When there

are no new projects coming your way, instead of twiddling your thumbs
or shuffling papers, use the time productively. Initiate a project or
offer to help someone who is overloaded. Don’t be shy in asking for
additional work. Meanwhile, start polishing your resume and thinking
about your next chapter.

The Revolving Door

If there seems to be a mass exodus, particularly from the top man-
agement ranks, keep in mind these executives might know something
you don’t. It can be like the domino effect: When one falls, they all
start to go.
Jeff Millman knows that all too well. As a financial executive in a
profitable division of a Fortune 500 company, he felt quite secure in
his career and position within the company.
But when the chairman abruptly died, the executive offices sud-
denly became a revolving door. Apparently, there was no contingency
plan or strategy in place for a successor and the climate within the
company became chaotic. Executives were leaving in droves. During
this period of massive turnover, another company was able to buy
enough stock to take control and bring in a new regime.
When the new president took over, he began shaving people and
divisions. “Our division was highly profitable and I never dreamed we
were at risk,” says Millman. “It was a complete shock and we all found
out about it at a dinner our division president organized. He brought
the entire team together and made the announcement with dignity
and grace,” remembers Millman. “He told us, ‘As of 10 a.m. this morn-
ing, none of us has a job.’ He thanked us for our hard work and said
he was sorry. I remember thinking to myself, ‘This just isn’t possible.’”
That night the group polished off some $5,000 worth of alcohol
and racked up an $8,000 overall tab. The next day, after eating and
 Are You at Risk?
35

drinking themselves through the shock of it all, Millman remembers

them all staggering into their offices to collect their personal effects.
“When you are working for a growing company and performing well,
it is rather devastating. And when someone decides to close some-
thing viable down—it’s very tough,” he notes.
So if your office building starts to feel like a ghost town or you
think you need nametags when you come to work, start asking ques-
tions. Go to your supervisor and initiate a frank discussion. He or she
may not be able to tell you all the particulars, but may provide you
with enough information that you can make an educated decision re-
garding your own future with the organization.

It’s in the News

News coverage of poor financial performance, the rumblings of a
pending sale, or the announcement of a major restructuring should
put you on alert. Believe it or not, some employees actually learn
about restructuring and layoffs before any official company announce-
ment because of leaks to the press.
Tom Stiffler, formerly senior vice president of administration at
ITT Financial Corporation, says he remembers finding out that his com-
pany was being bought out only eight hours before it appeared in The
Wall Street Journal. “I knew headquarters would be liquidated, and I
knew I would eventually be out of a job. My son was a junior at
Emory University and he read about it in the paper. He called me
and wanted to know if he should drop out. I said no, but I did tell
him he needed to make sure he graduated in four years. And he did,”
Stiffler adds.
If the media do get the story about your firm before you do, don’t
panic. Press reports of widespread layoffs rarely have enough detail
to predict if your job will be on the chopping block. Even if there are
specifics such as the closure of a particular division, you could still
find yourself transferred to another section of the company. When the
36
Reinvent Your Career

press does publish or broadcast bad news, seek additional information

from the highest-level source in the company to whom you feel com-
fortable talking. Maybe you’ll get information, maybe you won’t. But
it’s worth trying to separate facts from rumors.
Keep in mind that when the top executives issue a memo about
upcoming changes, read it with a skeptical eye. Because of union is-
sues, potential lawsuits, or the risk of losing customers, many compa-
nies will downplay bad news or report very little of substance.
Also, remember early press reports can be wrong. Reporters work-
ing on these types of stories are talking to sources that may not have
complete information or who enjoy releasing some details but not all.
The reporters may also lack enough knowledge about your industry
to grasp the implications of changes in the firm or to misinterpret
how a restructuring will be accomplished. Information supplied to
the media by competitors is also highly suspect and tends to inflate
bad news about a shaky firm.
To keep abreast of trends, make sure you read the financial press
and your own industry’s trade publications. Industrywide trouble
may be an indicator of impending changes within your company.
When a competitor declares bankruptcy or begins layoffs, make
sure your own resume is current and that you have positioned your-
self as a valuable asset to the firm. You may not be able to avoid
being laid off immediately, but you could buy yourself time for a
job search. The trade press is especially attuned to insider infor-
mation and will often publish stories that signal restructuring is
imminent.
In addition, if your company is publicly traded, a dramatic dip in
the stock price or a downgrade in rate by analysts should make you
start thinking. Another sign that restructuring could be in the works
is if the CEO or other top officials in the firm start having large num-
bers of closed-door meetings with lawyers.
 Are You at Risk?
37

Budget Cuts
Slashing budgets is one way for companies to save money. Cutting
staff is another. When budgetary decisions are made, the powers that
be determine which areas are unprofitable and those are the first to
be cut. Most often the cuts are on a line item basis focusing on projects
and specific programs. So if your area or project is one that is hard hit
by funding cuts, it should serve as a red flag.

The Consultant

Consultants are people who come down from the hill to shoot the
wounded after the battle is over.

—Doc Blakeley, humorist

There are good consultants and there are bad consultants in terms
of how it affects your job. Good consultants are the ones who are
brought in when times are good to help make things even better. For
instance, if your management is committed to continuous improve-
ment, they may bring specialists to tweak an existing program or as-
sist in developing a new marketing strategy. Typically, the good
consultants work to construct a long-term platform for a company.
They incorporate systems, methods, and a leadership model that makes
sense for the company and its goals. In general, their considerations
include the cultural implications and how successful the transforma-
tion to the new norms will be. The right consultant can have a tremen-
dous positive impact on your company’s performance.
The bad consultants (not bad people, but in terms of what they
do) are the ones you need to worry about. They are the ones who are
brought in when your company is in trouble. Of course, simply be-
cause your company brings in a consultant, it is not a surefire sign
38
Reinvent Your Career

that heads are going to roll, but it might be a good time to dust off
your resume. You most definitely should pay attention—particularly
if your company is not accustomed to using outside resources in its
everyday operations.
Consultants are usually expensive and most often are only called
in during a business downturn when the internal management team is
overwhelmed. While consultants may or may not be the first domino
in a series of changes, it is a good time to be on your toes.
Put on your best attitude and cooperate. Position yourself to be
an integral part of the team and an asset to the overall bottom line.
You want to be seen as part of the solution, not the problem. Keep in
mind that consultants are fixated on the present, not what used to be
and not what is projected. They focus on what the numbers are telling
them this very minute.
Because the consultant is working in an emergency situation, im-
mediate results are imperative. Once a problem is identified, the con-
sultant creates a plan to solve it, improve it, or eliminate it. They
don’t care about internal politics and they certainly don’t look favor-
ably on those who inhibit their efforts.
“How employees perform in these situations can make the differ-
ence between keeping your job or not. If you emerge as a champion
or a superstar, your odds are better. If your job has been necessarily
eliminated, you would have much higher odds of being offered an-
other position or getting a better severance package if one is offered,”
says executive coach and career manager, Marc Simms. “Find ways to
create value around yourself in everything that you do—it makes it
harder for them to let you go and it will serve you well regardless of
how your career evolves.”
Practice your personal selling skills. Be prepared to spend time
with the consultants explaining your job responsibilities. You will want
to be equipped with the evidence you’ll need to demonstrate your
contributions to the company. Don’t lose sight of the fact that in most
 Are You at Risk?
39

cases, when companies are in trouble, consultants are brought in to

make recommendations regarding who should go and who should stay.

Business is Darwinism: only the fittest survive.

—Robert Holmes

Certified Turnaround Specialist

A Certified Turnaround Specialist (CTS) is often called a foren-
sic accountant. When a turnaround team is brought in it is like an
emergency room doctor trying to save the life of a patient that is
delivered in pieces.
“I’m just pleased if there is still a heart and it is beating,” says
turnaround consultant Matt Burridge. This is the time to seriously
panic. Ordinarily, a CTS team is brought in because of pressure of a
third party—typically a bank or a board. This is a drastic measure
where profitability (or stopgap of loss) is their only objective.
“Turnaround consultants are simply crisis managers and their job
is to identify and recover value. The problem often can be that this is
the financial value, not the other things that are valued by manage-
ment, staff, and employees. These things are obvious to us, but often
missed by employees when turnaround managers are introduced to a
situation,” explains Burridge.
Laura Schacht, the former president and CEO of a machine tool
manufacturer, remembers her company often hired consultants to
address specific business issues in the past, but the CTS, she quickly
learned, was a completely different animal.
“We brought in a CTS when the wheels were falling off—it was a
last resort,” she explained. “We were still making payments on our
bank note and the bank wasn’t aware of how we were suffocating
40
Reinvent Your Career

under our other debt. My attorney and accountant recommended we

bring in the big guns while we still had choices to make, so we did.
Unfortunately, because of the expense of it, they had to come in and
make changes fast.”
“It was devastating to morale. They had less tact and compassion
for people than a pair of serial killers. They didn’t take any history
into account and they cut people that we couldn’t do without in the
long term,” she added.
Every day became life or death for all of the employees. “It wasn’t
based on knowledge, skills, or anything of merit. It was all about how
we could cut the most overhead and quickly sell, break up, or liqui-
date enough to get their fees paid,” she explained.
Even if you survive a CTS, you may not want to be part of the
company that remains after the cannibalism is over. Often, things
change so radically and there is so much devastation in the wake that
you may want to consider whether the new company is where you
want to be when the storm is over.
“Our company didn’t survive. In fact, I often think it was the CTS
team that we used that propelled us to the unfortunate demise of the
company. I regret being forced to take such dramatic steps and still
fail. It is sad when a company gets to the point that outsiders plan the
funeral and dispose of the body,” she notes.
Companies that rely on turnaround specialists are typically in deep
trouble. Take a personal inventory of your situation and consider
whether it is time to look for greener pastures. The stress of living
through a turnaround, even if you survive, can be demoralizing and
downright ugly.

New Management
Mergers, acquisitions, buyouts, and consolidations are common-
place today. All bring a new team of managers and a new company
culture. If you are part of the acquiring entity, you have a better shot
 Are You at Risk?
41

of keeping your current position. If you are part of the old regime,
start looking because the writing is on the wall. Your tenure may be
short.
When Niki Michaels’ company was acquired, she remembers be-
ing told, “The mode of operation right now is to keep your head low.
And so I did do that to some degree and to some degree it was
successful, because I hung in there a lot longer than many of my
colleagues.”
“I tried to blend, if you will, to being a part of this new team, and
it just wasn’t meant to be,” she adds.
“Initially there was a honeymoon period. The new management
didn’t want to disturb anything, and I guess there was a false sense of
security that because they really didn’t know much about the busi-
ness, they’d keep us in place,” explains George who also experienced
the scrutiny of a new management team. “Then, slowly things started
shifting and the new management team began to structure the hierar-
chy so the old team reported to the new management’s players. They
made an announcement that they were going to look for new officers,
but the current officers would be considered candidates. It was a joke.
When they tell you that you are a candidate for your existing job and
they are going to look at outside people, you’re out,” he explains. “It’s
just a polite way of saying you’re toast.”

It is my profound belief that a man or woman who rises

up through the hierarchy of a corporation must justify
his or her position every single day. They must also be in a state
of perpetual anxiety, the healthy anxiety that makes one reject
complacency.

—Jacques Maisonrouge, senior executive, IBM Europe

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Reinvent Your Career

A New Floor Plan

A move to a new facility or the redesign of an existing space can
give a company the opportunity to clean out the closets as well as
their employee base. Stephanie Raye, a supervisor with a financial
services firm, experienced this firsthand when her company decided
to consolidate a number of its divisions under one roof. Some key
people didn’t make the move. What struck her as most troubling about
the situation was the fact the individuals found out that they weren’t
going to have a job when they managed a sneak peak at the new facility’s
floor plan.
“There wasn’t a space for them on the new floor plan. And that
was rather a shock to them and a lot of people who worked with them.
They were very key people. I think it was very difficult for them,” she
says.
“Some of them were very angry. It was just the way in which they
found out was certainly not a good way to handle it,” she added.
If you see any of these signposts, don’t try to rationalize or ignore
them. Take them at face value. These signs should grab your atten-
tion and caution you that there may be trouble ahead. While no one
wants to believe they may be the next one to get the ax, being cogni-
zant of these common indicators can help you make better career
decisions.
Losing your job is bad enough. There is no need to compound the
situation by allowing yourself to be blindsided and unprepared.

Pink-Slip Signposts

You are no longer invited to meetings.

There is a change in relationship with your superiors.

Once a star performer, now you can’t do anything
right.

There’s a little too much cheerleading.
 Are You at Risk?
43

The door is shut on your career path.

Your responsibilities are reduced.

There is a mass exodus from the top offices.

It’s in the news.

Budget cuts rule the day.

The consultant comes in.

A Certified Turnaround Specialist is hired.

There is a new management team.

There’s a new floor plan and your name’s not on it.
This page intentionally left blank
 Don’t Be Reactive: Get Proactive!
45

Chapter 3

Don’t Be Reactive:
Get Proactive!

“The people who get on in this world are the people who
get up and look for the circumstances they want, and,
if they can’t find them, make them.”

—George Bernard Shaw

Protect Your Current Position

A
re you seeing some of the warning signs that
your job could be on the line? Is there any
thing you can do? Make no mistake; there
aren’t any guarantees that your personal performance
will have any impact in a downsizing situation. Many
times decisions on job eliminations are based on num-
bers, not people.
“After watching the process in my company, I re-
alized that decisions were made, not necessarily on

45
46
Reinvent Your Career

your performance, credentials, or your reputation within the com-

pany. A lot of people who were let go were people who were such an
asset to the company. I was extremely puzzled and disappointed at
some of the decisions that were made. Even when you do everything
right, bad things can still happen,” explains Niki Michaels.
Nonetheless, you shouldn’t feel totally helpless. While there aren’t
any surefire strategies you can employ that will prevent your termina-
tion if your company is being downsized—good, smart performance
can’t hurt. And the sooner you start, the greater your odds will be.
“You can’t just turn the switch on and say, ‘Okay, I’ll be good
now,’” warns Debra Cohen, director of research at the Society for
Human Resource Management. Your goal should be to make your-
self as indispensable as possible.

The Perennial Pessimist

I’m certain many of you work with someone who fits this descrip-
tion. These individuals are the ones who are persistently negative.
They are resistant to change and always perceive the glass as being
half empty instead of half full. Their constant complaining is irritating
and kills morale around the office.
Ask the perennial pessimist to do something beyond the scope of
his or her responsibilities and you’ll get a roll of the eyes and an “It’s
not my job” response.
Fortune magazine career advice columnist, Anne Fisher, suggests
instead of worrying about possible changes in your organization, you
should begin worrying about the effects of your negativity on your
career. Taking the role of the chief complainer puts you in a bad light
and moves you to the top of the list of pink-slip candidates.
In tough times, everyone feels the stress. Remember, when you
choose to think negatively and focus on everything that’s going wrong,
then you’ll most certainly get negative returns. It becomes a self-
fulfilling prophecy. Do your best to keep a positive attitude and be a
 Don’t Be Reactive: Get Proactive!
47

team player. Go with the flow and look for the good aspects of your
work and your coworkers. Remember, managers look for people who
are willing to tackle extra responsibilities when there are reductions
in staff. Demonstrate flexibility and a willingness to do whatever it
takes to get the job done. Your boss and fellow employees will thank
you for it. And if it gets so unbearable that you can’t cope, focus your
energy on getting out—not taking everyone down with you.
Cynicism within an organization is one of the most destructive
forces you can encounter. And by the way, being the constant nega-
tive naysayer may get you more than on the pink-slip list, it may actu-
ally get you fired. If you fail to get along with your coworkers to the
point where morale and productivity begin to suffer, that alone may
be grounds for termination. After all, being able to work effectively
with people within your organization is an important aspect of the
job. Put a smile on your face and be positive.

Gossipmongers Beware

Gossip may seem harmless, but it can bring you down.

—Linda Wheeler, author

When times get tough, rumors run amuck. Employees gather

around the coffee machine, exchanging one sensational story after
another. Employees of companies going through restructuring grasp
for any tidbit of information. If you suspect your job is at stake, the
need to tap into the grapevine may be irresistible. It’s natural to try to
find out how your future is going to be affected and asking people
who seem to be plugged into the inner workings of the firm seems like
a safety precaution. But beware: Gossip is worth what you pay for it.
Some gossips spread any hearsay they happen onto, often enlarging
it to make it more sensational or important. Dispensing information
48
Reinvent Your Career

gives them a false sense of control and, at least temporarily, makes

them quite popular and maybe even powerful.
The result: a lot of misinformation gets circulated causing undue
stress and concern. Gossipmongers may appear popular but they ulti-
mately hurt your company, your department, and, most importantly,
you. Furthermore, if you rely on the gossipmonger’s latest tip, you
can make a decision that will have a negative impact on your career.
Oftentimes the office gossip uses the grapevine to further his or her
own agenda. Sometimes they do it just for fun; for example, take the
individual who told all his associates that he’d overhead the boss say
that in order to be eligible for year-end bonuses they’d each have to
lose 10 pounds. He watched with enjoyment as the reactions exploded
throughout the office. Some joke!
On a much less humorous note, reacting to gossip by marginalizing
a coworker or boss you have been told is being demoted or canned
could give you a nasty surprise. When companies make changes, deci-
sions on personnel are very fluid and can change from day to day.
That same boss you thought was about to be pink-slipped could gain
more power. The colleague you snubbed could wind up being your
boss. Perhaps most surprising and disturbing of all is when the
gossipmonger assures you that your job is safe, and then you discover
you are the one out of a job and a paycheck. Caught off guard? Shame
on you!
If you are the tongue-wagger, you are putting yourself at risk as
well. Managers instinctively know who swaps stories around the of-
fice. When the list of people who will be handed walking papers or
transferred to less desirable jobs is being drafted, your name might
move up a few notches. Be careful, also, that you don’t spread com-
pany rumors or developments outside the firm. Most people work in
very closely connected industries and word travels fast from one com-
petitor to the next. What you tell your best friend at happy hour out-
side the office could wind up inside your boss’s office in short order.
So, how do you handle gossip without seeming distant or supe-
rior? The answer is a matter of proportion. Biology gave you two ears
 Don’t Be Reactive: Get Proactive!
49

and one mouth. And you should use those attributes in that propor-
tion. When the grapevine is flowing, you can listen politely but don’t
comment on what you are hearing. Responses such as, “I didn’t know
that,” “That’s interesting,” or “Do you think so?” are neutral and
won’t put you on either side of the fence. If asked for your opinion on
a subject, you can say, “Well, I really need some time to think that
over.”
But best of all, try to exit the room once the tongues start wag-
ging. You’ll not only eliminate the chance that you could be seen as a
loose-tongued yenta, but you’ll also preserve your sanity in a crazy
world.

Be Creative and Innovative

When the hatchet man cometh, do your best to think outside the
box and become a vital part of your organization. Superstars are of-
ten born when there are fewer people on the team. So if your desire is
to stay with the company, think creatively and discover new ways you
can have an impact on the bottom line.
Many people feel as though they aren’t particularly creative or
innovative, but all of us have an abundance of creativity. While there
are creative geniuses in the world, such as Steven Spielberg, Peter
Max, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Gates, creativity is most commonly
nothing more than an ability to look at a situation from a fresh, novel
perspective without any preconceived judgments. In other words, cre-
ativity can be defined as solving a problem by using existing resources
in new, innovative ways.
In her capacity as a marketing executive with a design background
for a uniform manufacturer, Diane Zebell utilized her talents to look
outside the boundaries of her existing responsibilities for new busi-
ness opportunities. She keenly identified potential in new markets,
and subsequently developed a marketing plan to demonstrate to the
company’s senior management why and how it would increase rev-
enue for the company.
Other documents randomly have
different content
 DIXIÈME SOLILOQUE

Quoi qu'il en soit, nos jours estant comtez au Ciel de toute

éternité, selon nostre plus commune croiance, je ne voy pas bien le
fondement des honneurs qu'on rend à ceux qui ont veu rouler plus
longtems sur leurs testes les sphères d'en-haut, que le reste des
autres hommes, non plus que tout ce qui leur arrive; cela dépendant
d'un mesme principe, sans qu'ils y aient pu rien contribuer.
Ventidius quid enim, quid Tullius, anne aliud quam Sidus,
et occulti miranda potentia fati[17]?
Car toutes nos destinées, dont les Anciens ont tant parlé,
dépendoient selon eux des corps supérieurs, et du différent aspect
des Astres: ce qu'observent encore aujourd'huy nos faiseurs
d'horoscopes, et tous ceux qui défèrent aveuglément à l'Astrologie
Judiciaire. Or tout est si frivole, et si incertain dans cette prétendue
science, que le nombre des Cieux n'y est pas constant, assez de
Philosophes aiant présupposé que les Astres y estoient comme les
oiseaux en l'air, et les poissons dans l'eau. Il n'y a eu que les Juifs
qui aient bien asseuré qu'il y avoit dix Cieux, de sorte qu'en leur
langue le Ciel n'a point de singulier, et n'est jamais emploié qu'au
pluriel. Selon leurs Rabins les dix courtines du Tabernacle de leur
temple, signifioient ces dix Cieux; et le passage du texte sacré, qui
dit, opera digitorum tuorum sunt cœli, témoigne que nos deux mains
n'aiant que dix doigts, le nombre des Cieux n'est ni moindre, ni plus
grand que celui-là. Quant aux Astres, et aux Estoiles, Platon les
establit dans son Épinomis pour des Dieux visibles, ou du moins pour
leurs images que nous devons respecter. L'ordre, selon luy, que les
Planètes conservent entre elles, monstre qu'elles sont animées. Et
Ovide, conformément à cette opinion commune, n'a pas manqué de
mettre ces Animaux au Ciel dans le premier livre de ses
Métamorphoses,

Neu regio foret ulla suis animalibus orba,

Astra tenent cœleste solum, formæque Deorum.

Le Soleil estant le principal d'entre eux, Apollon estoit nommé

ἐπίσκοπος, ou surveillant, par les Grecs, comme il se peut voir dans
Phornutus. Tant y a qu'à cause que les premiers Pères de l'Église
déféroient plus à l'Escole de Platon qu'à celle des autres Philosophes,
ils admettoient l'animation des Cieux, et des Estoiles; et l'on comte
entre les erreurs d'Origène celle d'avoir creu ces mesmes Estoiles
capables du vice et de la vertu. Y a-t-il un Art plus ridicule que celuy
de la Judiciaire, quoiqu'aient pu faire ses suppos, qui ont toujours
tasché de rendre leurs prédictions apparemment véritables par des
interprétations qui font pitié à tous ceux qui en considèrent
l'absurdité? J'en ai assez produit d'exemples dans quelques écrits
imprimez, je veux seulement me remettre ici en mémoire celuy qui
regarde le Poëte Eschile. On luy avoit prédit par l'inspection du Ciel
qu'il mourroit de la cheute d'une maison, et l'on voulut que la Tortue
qui porte toujours sa maison, et qui luy écrasa sa teste chauve, eust
esté désignée par la prédiction. Comment l'Astrologie auroit-elle
quelque chose de constant, et où l'on se doive arrester, puisque ses
Professeurs se contrarient les uns les autres, et bastissent sur des
fondemens différens? Le Père Semedo observe que les Chinois qui
n'establissent que vingt-huit constellations, ont néansmoins un bien
plus grand nombre d'Estoiles que nous n'en reconnoissons. Si est-ce
que le Père Adam, Astrologue Roial, y fonde ses jugemens sur les
mesmes aphorismes que suivent les Européens. Au fond si le
mouvement de la Terre est présupposé, comme le Cardinal Nicolas
de Cusa l'a établi[18], et quatre-vingts ans depuis luy Copernic, suivi
d'une infinité d'autres; que pouvons-nous recueillir de toutes les
maximes des Anciens, qui doive satisfaire un esprit solide au sujet
dont nous parlons? Aussi voions-nous que les plus grands hommes
se sont repentis d'avoir déféré à la vanité de cette profession.
Cardan avoue[19] que la connoissance qu'il avoit de l'Astrologie, luy
fut fort préjudiciable, parce qu'il croioit suivant ses plus constantes
maximes, ne devoir pas vivre plus de quarante ans, et nous sçavons
que sa vie a esté de soixante et quinze moins trois jours. Mathieu
Paris fait un conte ridicule à ce propos de l'Empereur Fridéric second,
qu'entesté de la vanité de cette science trompeuse, il s'abstint la
première nuit de ses nopces de toucher sa femme Isabelle, fille
d'Angleterre, que le matin ne fust venu, et cela par le conseil de
quelques Astrologues, donec competens hora ei ab Astrologis
nunciaretur. Et Scaliger le père escrit dans sa Poétique, que rien ne
peut tant fortifier l'opinion impie d'Épicure touchant la création
fortuite du monde par le concours et assemblage hazardeux des
Atomes, que l'inégale et téméraire disposition des Astres sur nos
testes, où ils ne font aucune figure ni arrangement qui semble
raisonnable. Car les figures qu'on leur fait représenter sont toutes
imaginaires, et à peine y voit-on un triangle assez imparfait sous le
nom du Delta ou Deltoton, non plus que de ligne bien droite, si vous
exceptez celle du baudrier d'Orion, qui multipliée sert à mesurer
toute l'étendue du Ciel. Le Chancelier Bacon[20] a fait déjà cette
remarque, et que rien ne se meut là-haut par des cercles parfaits. Le
mespris ou j'ay toujours esté des prédictions Astrologiques, m'a
transporté plus que je ne pensois, adjoustant ceci à ce que j'en ai
escrit ailleurs.
 ONZIÈME SOLILOQUE

Ce peu que je viens d'observer touchant la Judiciaire me fait

penser à l'opinion que les premiers Philosophes Grecs ont eue de
Dieu, et de la Nature, qu'ils ont souvent confondus. Cicéron[21] tient
que Straton de Lampsaque ne reconnoissoit que la dernière, puisqu'il
n'y avoit point d'effets qu'il ne luy attribuast, sans en rapporter
aucun à Dieu, Lampsacenus Strato omnia effecta Naturæ, nulla Diis
tribuebat. Et mesme cet Orateur Romain appelle ailleurs[22] la raison
naturelle, une loi divine et humaine: Naturæ ratio, quæ est lex divina
et humana. Platon et Aristote ont eu d'autres pensées, et ce dernier
remarque au sixième Livre de sa Métaphysique, qu'à n'admettre
point d'autres substances que les matérielles, selon qu'en usoient
ses devanciers, la Physique seroit la première Philosophie, et non pas
celle qui suit et est au-delà, ce qui luy a fait donner le nom de
Métaphysique. Mais en vérité les deux Mondes de Platon, l'un
sensible, et l'autre intelligible où habite la Vérité, sont des viandes
bien creuses; de mesme que les nombres qui composoient la Nature
selon Pythagore. Les deux matières d'Aristote, l'une sensible aussi,
et l'autre intelligible qui enveloppe les Mathématiques, ne sont pas
moins chimériques à ceux qui veulent philosopher, aussi bien que
naviger seurement, et toujours terre à terre, de peur de s'égarer.
Ceux-là s'empescheront toujours d'employer dans la Physique des
termes nouveaux et surnaturels, comme quelques-uns ont voulu
faire depuis peu. Mais il y a des esprits qui croient n'avoir jamais
bien rencontré, si contrariant les autres, ils ne suivent une route
différente de la leur; semblables à l'Oiseau Merops qui vole au
rebours des autres, avançant toujours vers sa queue: Merops, avium
sola, retrorsus ac versus caudam fertur, dit Élien dans son histoire
des animaux. Ainsi aux choses mesme d'aussi peu de conséquence,
que celles dont nous venons de parler sont importantes, on ne
trouve que diversité d'opinions. Pline veut que les Oiseaux nous
aient enseigné l'usage du gouvernail d'un vaisseau. Sénèque et
Possidonius l'attribuent aux Poissons dans le mouvement de leur
queue. Et cette inclination naturelle à la nouveauté contentieuse,
autant que d'autres raisons morales qu'on pourroit rapporter, ont
engendré enfin l'animosité qui s'observe entre quelques Nations,
dont je vais dire un mot après ceux qui l'ont observée devant moi. Il
y a une antipathie physique, ce semble, entre l'Alleman et le
Polonois, le Suédois et le Danois, l'Anglois et l'Escossois, le Galois ou
habitant du païs de Gales, et l'Irlandois. Le Portugais ne s'accorde
pas mieux avec le Castillan, non plus qu'autrefois le Parisien avec le
Norman, et le Génois avec le Vénitien, ou l'Arragonois. Les Arabes
sont toujours en différend avec les Abyssins, les Turcs avec les
Persans, les Mogoles avec les Jusbegs, les Chinois avec les Japonois,
les Moscovites avec les Tartares. Nos anciens Gaulois estoient si haïs
des Romains, qu'ils n'exemtoient de la guerre leurs sacrificateurs,
que quand il faloit aller au combat contre les Gaulois, in Gallico
tumultu: ce que Plutarque a remarqué dans la vie de Camillus. Je
laisse l'injustice des Historiens d'Italie contre nostre Nation, pour
considérer simplement l'impertinence de Pétrarque, d'ailleurs fort à
priser, quand il veut que la férocité seule de nos mœurs nous ait
imposé le nom de François, a feritate morum Francos dictos. Mais
quitons un sujet par trop odieux.
 DOUZIÈME SOLILOQUE

Cette grande discordance des Nations fait voir entre autres choses,
qu'il n'y a point, à le bien prendre, de communes notions parmi les
hommes, qui pensent tous si diversement et avec une opiniastreté si
voisine de la haine, que Théognis a eu raison d'appeller dès son
tems l'Opinion un de nos plus grands maux,

Δόξα μὲν ἀνθρώπουσι κακὸν μεγα,

Opinio quidem hominibus magnum malum est.

Je ne sçai point de meilleure résolution à prendre là-dessus, que

de suivre le conseil que Saint Paul donne à Timothée, μὴ λογομαχεῖν,
de ne contester jamais avec des paroles ordinairement inutiles, et
qu'il nomme fort bien κενοφωνιας, inaniloquia. A moins de déférer à
cet avis salutaire, il n'y a rien de plus tumultueux que nostre vie,
parce que tout ce que contient la Nature est sujet à controverse, qui
s'étend mesme plus loin dans cette considération d'Aristote[23],
opinabile latius patere quam ens, quia et quod est, et quod non est,
opinabile est. Certes c'est une chose pitoiable de voir d'un œil exemt
de prévention, comme chacun prend les choses à sa mode, et
comme il n'y a presque personne qui n'aime mieux reprendre Dieu,
et la Nature, que de reconnoistre ingénuement l'ignorance où il est.
J'use de cette pensée après Cicéron au livre cinquième de ses
Questions Tusculanes, rerum naturam, quam errorem nostrum
damnare malumus. Mais quoi, il vaut mieux imiter là-dessus
Démocrite, qu'Héraclite, si nous en croions Sénèque[24], à cause que
selon luy humanius est deridere vitam, quam deplorare; bien qu'il
avoue qu'on se peut plus à propos abstenir de l'un et de l'autre. Quoi
qu'il en soit, la maxime qu'il establit ailleurs, de tenir toujours pour
très-mauvais ce que le peuple approuve, nous est confirmée par le
tolle, tolle, crucifige des Juifs, qui montre bien que la voix du peuple
n'est pas toujours la voix de Dieu; de sorte qu'il n'y a guères d'âmes
philosophiques qui ne disent avec le mesme Sénèque[25],
argumentum pessimi turba est. L'Orateur Romain que j'ai déjà cité,
et que je citerai toujours très-volontiers en de semblables matières,
tesmoigne encore ce sentiment en ces termes[26]: Philosophia paucis
est contenta judicibus, multitudinem consulto ipsa fugiens, eique ipsi
et suspecta et invisa. C'est une merveille que sa profession
d'Éloquence, d'où il retiroit sa principale recommandation, luy ait
permis de reconnoistre si franchement cette vérité, parce qu'elle
paroist absolument contraire au bien-dire des Orateurs, qui est une
faculté populaire, et qui ne vise qu'à obtenir l'approbation d'un grand
nombre d'auditeurs. Ce qui m'étonne davantage, c'est que cela
vienne de celuy qui avoit, dès le premier livre de ces Questions
Tusculanes, voulu prouver l'existence des Dieux, et l'immortalité de
nos Ames, par cette considération, qu'une opinion générale peut
estre prise pour la propre voix de la Nature, omnium consensus
Naturæ vox est, n'y aiant rien de plus opposé que le sont ces textes
l'un à l'autre, par des axiomes tout-à-fait différens. Il ne faut pas
néanmoins le blasmer là-dessus. Le changement d'avis, et la
diversité d'opinion selon le sujet qu'on traite, n'est condamnable ni
en luy, ni en tous ceux qui philosophant académiquement ne se
rendent jamais esclaves de leurs premiers sentimens. Je veux me
souvenir en sa faveur de ce que les Anciens faisoient Neptune, sous
le nom du Dieu Consus, auteur de tous les bons avis. Or ils
donnoient apparemment à entendre par là, que comme la Mer que
ce Dieu gouvernoit, change de face à tous momens, il n'estoit pas
honteux ni mauvais de prendre des avis différens, selon la diversité
des tems et des sujets qui obligent à le faire.
 TREZIÈME SOLILOQUE

Entre les choses dont la Noblesse et le Peuple sont le mieux

d'accord, c'est d'amasser du bien si faire se peut, et de fuir la
pauvreté. Les Philosophes[27] considèrent que la vertu ne s'acquiert
pas avec les biens; mais qu'au contraire, c'est assez souvent la vertu
qui nous fait obtenir des biens. Et pour le regard de la pauvreté,
l'Ecclésiastique ne laisse rien à dire pour l'esviter, quand il asseure
qu'il vaut mieux mourir, que d'y tomber: Fili, in tempore viæ tuæ ne
indigeas, melius est enim mori, quant indigere. C'est pourquoi nous
voions que tout le monde veut devenir riche en quelque manière que
ce soit,

Unde habeat quærit nemo, sed oportet habere.

L'homme le plus vertueux, le mieux sensé, et de la plus haute

extraction, s'il est mal vestu, et que ses habits soient percez au
coude, n'oseroit parler en bonne compagnie, au péril qu'il courroit
d'estre moqué au mesme tems qu'on applaudit aux discours
impertinens d'un fat, qui a les rieurs de son costé, parce qu'il s'est
richement paré.

Et genus, et virtus, nisi cum re vilior alga est[28].

Car cette Res des Latins qui se trouve dans l'opulance, donne des
amis et des fauteurs partout, Res amicos invenit, comme le fait si à-
propos remarquer ce vieillard Antipho dans le Stichon de Plaute[29].
C'est ici un lieu trop commun parmi les sçavans, et trop facile à estre
amplifié, pour s'y arrester davantage. Mais il n'a pas esté moins aisé,
à ceux qui l'ont voulu contredire, de prendre le parti, sinon d'une
extrême indigence, au moins d'une tolérable et honneste pauvreté.
Culmen liberos tegit, ont-ils dit après Sénèque, sub marmore atque
auro servitus habitat. Un peu de nécessité aiguise l'esprit; elle a ses
gaietez plus parfaites souvent, et plus fidelles, que ne les a
l'abondance. Et Dieu soit loué qu'il y ait des jours dans la vie, où le
riche porte envie à la condition du pauvre! En vérité quelqu'un n'a
pas mal rencontré d'escrire, qu'on voit la pluspart des grands richars
tenir dans leurs coffres le rachat des captifs, la liberté des
prisonniers, la santé des malades, la joie des affligez, et la vie des
languissans, sans qu'on puisse reprocher une telle malédiction à
ceux que la Fortune a moins favorisez. Je me trompe de parler ainsi
de cette Déesse aveugle. Le Bien, la Noblesse, et la Science mesme,
sont des dons du Ciel, qui les jette parfois, dit Epictète, comme l'on
fait des noix et des figues aux enfans, sans qu'il faille se battre
comme eux à qui en aura le plus, quoiqu'il soit permis de s'en
prévaloir quand ils se présentent à vous, et qu'on le peut faire
civilement. En effet le Chef des Gymnosophistes Mandanis ne
pouvoit prononcer un plus bel axiome, que celuy que nous lisons de
luy dans Strabon, qu'il n'y a point de maison plus à estimer, que celle
qui se contente de peu, se passant de ce dont les autres abondent.
Car on peut soustenir qu'il est mesme parfois avantageux, de
diminuer ses richesses, pour devenir plus riche, et d'imiter le bon
vigneron, qui coupe la vigne pour la faire mieux produire. La pensée
de Pline est excellente là-dessus dans la Préface du quatorzième
Livre de son Histoire naturelle, que les Sciences et les Arts Libéraux
sont tombez de la liberté qui leur avoit donné le nom, dans la
servitude, en ce qu'autrefois les plus accommodez des biens de
Fortune, se plaisoient à cultiver leurs esprits, chose que l'opulence a
depuis empeschée, rerum amplitudo damno fuit. Car il est arrivé que
les hommes seuls qui se sont veus réduits à la pauvreté et à la
servitude, ont fait valoir les Arts et les Sciences, parce qu'ils
n'avoient que ce seul moyen pour se faire considérer, et pour
subsister: Quadam sterilitate fortunæ necesse erat animi bona
exercere. C'est ainsi que parle Pline, et qu'on balance toutes choses.

Rogatus Antisthenes quidnam ex philosophia lucratus esset,

mecum, ait, colloqui posse, τὸ δύνασται ἑαυτῷ ὁμιλεῖν.
Qui plura novit, eum majora sequuntur dubia. Arist.
 Extrait du Privilége

P AR
C
Lettres de Privilége du Roy, en datte du 9 Mars 1651, signées
, il est permis à Monsieur
onrart M
de la V
othe le , Conseiller
ayer
du Roy en ses Conseils, de faire imprimer, vendre, et débiter tous les
Traitez, Lettres, Opuscules, et autres pièces de sa composition, par
tel Imprimeur ou Libraire qu'il voudra choisir, conjointement ou
séparément, en un ou plusieurs volumes, en telles marges, en tels
caractères, et autant de fois que bon luy semblera, durant l'espace
de vingt ans: Et défenses sont faites à toutes personnes, d'imprimer,
vendre, ni débiter aucun de ces Traitez, et Opuscules, sans son
consentement, ou de ceux qui auront droit de luy, sur peine de trois
mille livres d'amende, et autre plus grande, ainsi qu'il est plus
amplement spécifié par lesdites Lettres.

Achevé d'imprimer

SUR LES PRESSES DE MOTTEROZ

TYPOGRAPHE
A PARIS, RUE DU DRAGON, 31
 Le 29 Janvier 1875

NOTES:
[1] Paris, Louis Billaine, 1670, petit in-12.

[2] Page 8.

[3] Ep. I. c. 2.

[4] L. I. ode 34.

[5] In defensorio, c. 27. circa fin.

[6] Act. 2. sc. 26.

[7] Baron. tom. ii.

[8] Ep. 88.

[9] Ep. 2. c. 1.

[10] Prov. c. 13. et 17.

[11] Fast. l. i.

[12] Sen. ep. ult.

[13] Cic. lib. de Senect.

[14] Rhet. l. 2. v. 12.

[15] Conc. 8. de Pœn.

[16] De hist. anim. l. 5. c. 14.

[17] Juven. sat. 7.

[18] De docta ignor. l. 2. c. 12.

[19] Lib. de Vita propria, c. 10.

 [20] De augm. scient. p. 166.

[21] Qu. Academ. l. 4.

[22] De Offic. l. 3.

[23] Top. l. 4. c. 15.

[24] De Tranq. I. c. 15.

[25] De vita beata, c. 2.

[26] Tusc. qu. l. 2.

[27] Arist. Polit. l. 7. c. i.

[28] Horat. l. I. Sat. 6.

[29] Act. 4. sc. i.

Note de Transcription:
Les erreurs clairement introduites par le typographe ont été
corrigées. L'orthographe d'origine a été conservée et n'a pas été
harmonisée.
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