ask howard martell how he can help you when you decide to hire this us navy information technology...

ASK Howard Martell How he can help you when you decide to hire this US NavyInformation Technology Professional

Preface / Introduction

This is two articles about the type of person who your company will hire after reading both of them!His name is Howard Martell a US Navy Information Technology Professional who puts customersservice first! Without a happy customers no profits and potential to move up in any solid company.

Table of Contents

1. An urgent message for all those in their first job... what to do to move up fast... even in troubledeconomic times. 2. The boy next door... the best of the Great Republic. You sleep easy through the night because ofhim... and millions like him. A Tribute!

An urgent message for all those in their first job... what to doto move up fast... even in troubled economic times. By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Author's program note. Everyone remembers their first job with, perhaps, a bit of nostalgia and asoupcon of fondness, after the fact. But did you really know what you were doing... and, more to thepoint, leverage that job and rise high -- even in a period of economic dislocations, miseries, andmuddles?

Perhaps because of these depressing realities, you had to take a job, any job, just to pay the rent. Insuch a situation you may have felt chagrined (to say no more) that you didn't have the job of yourdreams and were not sky rocketing to fame, fortune, and the cover of Time magazine. Whoa... badanalysis, worse attitude. YOU need this article desperately.

My favorite nephew Kyle is in this boat. He's a bright lad, a newly minted honors graduate from awell-regarded California institution of higher education... marooned by the seemingly unendingrecession and its never quite better aftermath. He couldn't find a job in his field, and so withprodding and exhortation (and a great deal of it) took the first job that was to hand, working in thevegetable department at Kroger.

Don't laugh. And don't go all arrogant and condescending either.

Is he disappointed? Yes! Irked? Let-down? Oh, yes, but that was before his wily Uncle Jeffreypicked up the phone for some down-home success tips. Now, Kyle is the "maniac on the floor",primed for greatness and the executive suite. And so I selected one of the most exhilarating songs ofthe 80's to accompany this article; "Maniac on the floor" from the film "Flashdance" (1983), beltedout of the park by diva Irene Cara. Whatever despairing depths you are plumbing today, this red-hotdance tune will lift you and lift you higher.

Serendipity.

The gods of corporate Olympus move in mysterious ways... and so it was with Kyle, Kroger, and me,for I made my first stock investment into Kroger when I was 13 or 14 back in the '50's. The reasonwas one stock maven Peter Lynch of Fidelity Investments would applaud: because we shoppedthere. I didn't have so many shares to start with, but I visited Kroger as often as the family wished toeat... and I could see how my biggest (my only) investment was faring. Even then I took a veryproprietary interest in "my" Kroger. I even recall picking up some soiled lettuce off the floor andproperly disposing of it. It was a portent... but of what? It took the better part of a lifetime to discern,but Kyle's launching pad in the lettuce department seems to be the link.

Introduction to The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR)

Kroger, as you may well know, is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largestgrocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer, Walmart being the largest. As of 2010,Kroger operated, either directly or through its subsidiaries, 3,619 stores. It reported US$ 82.2 billionin sales during fiscal year 2010, with 338,000 employees, including Nephew Kyle, right there at thebottom, on the first rung of the ladder of success, nowhere to go but up. Lucky boy.

Why so?

Kyle is a business "virgin." He knows as little about business as is possible. This can be either a verygood or a very bad thing, depending on what happens next. Kyle, for instance, has no bad businesspractices to unlearn and overcome; he has no such business practices at all. Thus he starts with a

http://www.HomeProfitCoach.com Copyright Howard Martell - 2014 4 of 10

ASK Howard Martell How he can help you when you decide to hire this US Navy Information Technology Professional

http://www.HomeProfitCoach.com

"tabula rasa", a clean slate, in the immortal phrase of monumental 18th century savant John Locke.

Kyle has two options: fill this slate with one bad, progress-destroying habit after another, or knuckledown and learn the crucial things to turn a pedestrian entry-level job into a launching pad forlifetime success.

It ALL starts with attitude.

Kyle, unless your department at Kroger is a little bit of heaven, your supervisor's biggest problem ispersonnel. They will demonstrate and perfect every sin venal and cardinal. They will specialize incomplaining, their moans and groans elevated to stratospheric heights. Rather than get on with thejob for which they were hired, they will conspire to cheat, chisel, and connive, liberally biting thehand that feeds them, gratitude and service towards the company inconceivable notions getting lipservice and nothing more.

This being the case, an employee, any employee no matter how junior and inexperienced , whoactually works up to their full potential, understanding that they work for Kroger, goes on thesupervisor's Christmas card list at once, with kudos, compliments, and useful perqs galore.

Now hear this: you have been gifted with every advantage. The one you most need at present is theright attitude. You are now a Kroger man. You are now a part, albeit on the first step, of a large,growing, proud establishment. Act like it!

For openers, let your supervisor know, best by superior work ethics and results, that you are agrateful, loyal and enthusiastic member of the Kroger team, a team which has grown steadily largerand more lucrative since in 1883 Bernard Kroger nailed his colors to the mast, "Be particular. Neversell anything you would not want yourself."

* Look the part. Spruce yourself up, exemplifying everything you learned as an Eagle Scout. Wearthe insignia of this achievement. It will show your new colleagues what kind of fellow you are andsuggests you have what they want.

* Read everything you can about Kroger, including their annual report and the plethora of usefuldocuments you'll easily find at their website. Print these documents. Study them. Make yourselfthoroughly conversant with the facts. You will also find a thorough report at the Wikipedia. Put yourcopies in a folder and carry them with you; make sure your supervisor sees you studying them atyour breaks. Believe me, you'll be the ONLY one showing such initiative.

* Always be on time; that goes without saying. Inform your supervisor that you are willing to takeextra hours if others in the department cancel shifts. Let the supervisor know that your first loyalty isto the company, its customers, and what Kroger values: one grocery innovation after another. Krogerpeople are proud of what they've done to feed America and feed America well.. You must knowthese achievements and swell their pride.

* Have a good, solid, professional relationship with your supervisor, but never be a brown nosingapple polisher. Your job is to help your supervisor run the complicated store with its thousands ofproducts in which you now work. At all times be polite, respectful, professional. You are not hisbuddy and pal, you are something far more valuable, a colleague who assists him rise... and whomhe values accordingly.

* When you see a good deed, tell the supervisor; also, tell the person you have told the supervisor.One of the most important things you will ever do in business is to recognize employeeachievements and, by a timely word in the ear of someone more advanced in the hierarchy, help thatperson secure the many emoluments which business can and does offer.




Two more things.

I know of your great interest in the ecology "green" movement. That is fine. In this connection Iadvise you to broaden your understanding of what it is and should be. Remember. the mostimportant animal you can help save and preserve is the human animal, and here what you do couldbe of the greatest importance. Study Kroger and its ecological endeavors; make it a point, whenpossible, to seek out the food chemists and others who are helping us all live better lives with morenutritious and safer foods.

And, remember, even if you do not stay at Kroger, every word in this message remains germanesince you will require good references to move up... and this is how you get them.

Now..... become the maniac on the floor, your presence and good work everywhere apparent,noticed with approval and approbation by the Kroger executives who see in you themselves andwish to advance you accordingly. And remember...

"You work all your life for that moment in time It can come or pass you by..."

And for you that moment is now.




The boy next door... the best of the Great Republic. Yousleep easy through the night because of him... and millionslike him. A Tribute! The boy next door... the best of the Great Republic. You sleep easy through the night because ofhim... and millions like him. A Tribute!

Author's program note. When was the last time you considered the state of our Great Republic anddid anything -- anything at all -- to sustain and improve it?

If you cannot immediately say and cannot recall what you did, if you have nothing but rancorousthoughts and feelings about our continuing great experiment in the governance and well being ofmankind, then stop and focus your full, undivided attention on this article and its subject: HowardHector Martell, Jr. For this day, like every other day over the past 20 years, Howard Martell hasserved us... you, me, the Great Republic, all of us able to live life as we wish because of him and hiscolleagues in every great service of our great nation.

To set the stage for this story, to provide the essential sound, I have selected music from one of thegreatest public affairs programs ever -- "Victory at Sea." It is a documentary television series aboutnaval warfare during World War II that was originally broadcast by NBC in 1952-1953. The stirringmusic was composed by Richard Rodgers and Robert Russell Bennett. Rodgers, well known for astring of iconic Broadway musicals, contributed 13 "themes"; short piano compositions a minute ortwo in length. Bennett did the scoring, transforming Rodger's themes into a variety of moods, alldesigned to touch your heart and fire your imagination. The result was pure magic.

Find out for yourself. Go now to any search engine. Listen to a few of the "themes" to get youstarted. I like "Hard Work and Horseplay", "Theme of the Fast Carriers" and, of course, "The Songof the High Seas." However, to honor Howard Martell, listen to "Guadalcanal March." It is theessence of what a grand march should be... the kind of march Howard has so well earned... I'mplaying it now as I write.

New London.

New London, Connecticut is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the UnitedStates. It is located at the mouth of the Thames River which locals demand you pronounce to rhymewith "James", unlike the great river of London, England which rhymes with 'hems". The folks inNew London insist upon their rendering; after all, they were part of the victorious Revolution thattossed the Brits out -- and their eccentric pronunciations. As you hear this said, you begin to graspthe fact that New London is not merely a place of picturesque aspects; just what meets the eye.Rather, it is a place where young boys glimpse the great sea at hand, so beckoning, and dreamdreams of faraway places and what life can be.

Howie Martell was such a boy.

He was born June 27,1973, attended local schools, graduating from Griswold High School. Peopleremember him, if they remember him at all, as shy, uncertain; a boy who would smile at you... butonly after you had smiled at him. Teachers with many students to instruct would remember himindistinctly and call him "average." But such an appraisal would have been incomplete, inaccurate,failing to capture his essence, for this boy was a dreamer of great dreams... and New London, forcenturies the home port of audacious mariners, offered him the means to live them, mere dreams nolonger.

On August 10, 1992, just 19, he left the comfort of family, friends, the only place he had ever




known, placing his future in the hands of strangers who would, in due course and short order,become comrades, a word civilians may know but so seldom understand. And so Howard Martellentered the service of the Great Republic, discovering a destination more important than any of the48 countries he came to visit. He found himself... and became a man.

From this point, his resume tells the story... it is all USN, the resume of a man who studied hard,knew his business -- the Great Republic's business -- and was esteemed by superiors who alwaysfound him ready to assist, eager to learn, and above all trustworthy and responsible.

In the process a man was shaped who was the complete Navy professional, respected by all, able tobe, as events required, a man who could lead, a man who would be loyal, a man you wanted on yourteam, because he (and this touches the heart of this man) always stood for the success of his team,never just his own. As people came to know him, they saw this... and admired the man who putcollective success above mere personal gain. Thus the Navy took Howard Martell, once a shy boy noone could quite remember, to its heart. He received one deserved honor after another... Navy GoodConduct Medal... six times... Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal... four times... Global Waron Terrorism Expeditionary Medal... Iraq Campaign Medal... two times. And most telling of all aplaque from his fellow First Class Petty Officers who thereby saluted one of their own. He wasindeed the complete Navy man... a man who twenty years before had made the right decision.

The need for service in the age of selfishness.

It is a truism that older citizens will engage in endless rodomontades which detail the innumerableoutrages perpetrated by the young against society. How they are ill-educated, lazy, unkempt,unclean of body and language. How they cannot be depended upon... how they flout all establishedbehavior, video game obsessed wastrels who cannot be trusted and will never amount to a hill ofbeans. Thus goes the jeremiad; you can catch a whiff of it whenever two adults of fifty or so gather.From the very start of the first civilization each man steps into this argument in his maturity, aseasily as he dons casual clothes. It is one of the perqs of aging, and no senior citizen will ever giveup this sacred right to pontificate. I shall not give it up either and so I give you some pungentthoughts on the matter of service, a concept that alternates between being an afterthought and thesalvation of the nation. What we require is calm reflection and sensible policies on the matter. Andso I choose to use my words not to grumble but to exhort... to touch a shy boy or girl reading thisarticle and help them both select the responsible path, the path trod by Howard Martell andgenerations of young people before... the path of service... and the abiding need of the GreatRepublic for... you!

Young friend, our way of governance, our core beliefs, the very future of our noble enterprise is notonly challenged, but at risk. You have a choice -- mindless dissipation and decay, or personaldevelopment and redemption through the bestowal of your time, mind and heart to the pressingaffairs of the Great Republic. In short, you can ignobly remain part of the problem, or becomeinfinitely more valuable as part of the solution.

There is nothing neutral about this decision. It is of the greatest possible consequence and can onlybe made by you. A great idea, the greatest notion of statecraft ever propounded, the Great Republicitself awaits your verdict, hopeful, expectant, confident. Howie Martell made the right choice. Willyou?

... And now it is time to end Howard's military career with all the pomp and circumstance he hasearned... and which a grateful Navy can provide.

Stand forward Petty Officer First Class Howard Hector Martell, Jr.. For your service, your nation,your friends, family and comrades mean to honor you before the world in due recognition for whatyou have so abundantly given... above all the gift of loyalty and fidelity to a great institution so




needed by this great nation.

And so through each of the hallowed retirement traditions all Naval personnel know so well... untilthis event, at once festive and solemn, reaches the Shadow Box. This is a symbol of a sailor's manycareer accomplishments and recognitions. Shadow boxes contain a U.S. flag folded into a triangle,ribbons and medals, insignia and revered devices. They act as a reminder of ranks earned by theretiree and the awards received. It is a mark of the highest honor and cherished accordingly. Yours,Howard, comes complete with the unqualified gratitude of the nation you have served so well... nonebetter... and the sincere thanks of us all. May God grant you sunshine and a fair wind to your manyports of call still to come.

Envoi.

End this article by returning to any search engine and playing the "Victory at Sea" theme. It remainsglorious.




ResourceAbout the Author Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc. providing a widerange of online services for small and-home based businesses.

Republished with author's permission by Howard Martell http://HomeProfitCoach.com.



http://HomeProfitCoach.com


ask howard martell how he can help you when you decide to hire this us navy information technology...

Documents