Who’s Guiding Your Career?

February 15, 2019
It used to be if you wanted to get ahead in the corporate world and learn the ropes that you would find a mentor. Some (mostly larger) companies have formal mentoring programs, with detailed roles and responsibilities, programs and processes. You might be in a management training program. Or just new to a company. And if a formal mentoring program was in place, you might be assigned a mentor. Or you might be a member of an organization where more senior members of your industry offer to mentor you (i.e., help you navigate your way up the corporate ladder). For myself, when I first started in the produce business working for my mom, there were no formal mentors. My mom, who was my boss, was too busy running her company to formally mentor Continue Reading →

Focused Determination

February 1, 2019

It seems like every day when I open up The Wall Street Journal or listen to the news on my drive to work, I hear something about Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Jerome Powell and interest rates. I always take a personal interest in it because I was a director of the Los Angeles branch of the 12th District of the Federal Reserve Bank from 2005 to 2007. I have written before about how I became a director. It was an amazing time of my life and meeting then-Chairman Alan Greenspan … Continue reading →

Instant Coffee Makes A Comeback

January 25, 2019

I remember my dad drinking a lot of coffee when I was growing up. Instant decaf coffee. The brand was Sanka and we always had a large jar of it at home. It was my job to boil the water in the tea kettle and make him a cup of Sanka, whenever he asked. Which was at least a couple of times a day. That was the 1970s. Fast forward a few decades and coffeehouses like Peet’s and Starbucks popped up, serving espresso-based coffees with fancy names like latte, mocha … Continue reading →

When To Wear Jeans

January 19, 2019

I go to a fair number of conferences where speakers are up on a stage (in front of hundreds or thousands). Over the years, I’ve noticed that the acceptable dress code for speakers has changed. A few decades ago, male speakers always wore a suit and tie. Female speakers wore a dress or pantsuit. Both were formal in their dress. I suppose this was not only to signal that they were “pros,” but also because most of us attending conferences dressed in business attire. Back in the day, that may … Continue reading →

Starting My Plant-Based New Year

January 11, 2019

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Well, I don’t. I’ve found that if I make radical lifestyle resolutions on January 1, I get frustrated with my progress and eventually give up on them. I know I’m not alone. However, I did make a lifestyle decision that coincided with this new year. And that is, I decided to only consume a plant-based diet. No meat, dairy, eggs. Only plants (veggies, fruits and nuts). If you have been reading my blog for a while, then you will recall that I became vegan … Continue reading →