Polly Pearson's Blog

Happy Mother's Day! My State-of-the-State.

I have a very rare statement to make ... one that will certainly change ... one that, on this occasion of Mother's Day 2009, I thought appropriate to call out as the best possible gift to this particular mother.

The Statement/Gift:

"My Kids are 100% Great and the cause of Zero Pain or Strain."

 

This is the fist time in a long time, if ever, I've said this. Let's face it, diapers are a pain. Whining kids are a pain. Kids with hormones, I imagine, are a pain. Kids asking for money are a pain. Right now, at this very small moment in time, my husband and I are free from parenting pain!

(Our family, on April 25th, on the Boston Common. Seen here, Oscar, Margo, Kurt, Sophie and a wonderful street performer named Steve.)

 

Our Oldest, Sophie turns 14 on Monday.

She just brought home a report card with high honors.  She's sweet, makes her own lunch, does her own laundry, helps watch over the kids.  We love hanging out together on the weekends. She plays the oboe in an award-winning wind ensemble.She plays Lacrosse. She is confident enough, suddenly, to apply, interview, and go to Australia for three weeks this summer as part of the People-to-People Ambassador program.

Our Middle, Margo-a-Go-Go, just turned 7.

She's spirited and spunky. Recently, she has dialed back her at-home frequent state of "dominant-assertiveness" into a type of maturity that is great to see. Her brain is a bon-fire of activity. She has just learned to read. Her artwork is amazing. She is patient and playful with her little brother. She listens and is respectful. She does sneak stuff she shouldn't -- like Reeses's Peanut butter Cups bought for her sister's birthday, but come on, who doesn't love a peanut butter cup?

Our "Little Man," Oscar, just turned 4.

He lives for super heros, dirt, cars, cartoons, and sports. He loves his mommy (and his daddy, but this is about Mother's Day!). When no one is looking, I get the sweetest hugs -- and sometimes a kiss -- than anyone could ever ask for.  Our hearts melt for Oscar. He's kind, determined, curious, easy to be with, and just fun to watch. We also learned recently that he is comfortable on stage. He inserted himself and broke dance for a crowd of about 100 people in Boston a couple weekends ago -- only to one-up that by respectfully inserting himself into the center of the Big Apple Circus and a crowd of about 1,000 to direct the orchestra with the head-clown.

So hold the cards and the jewelry. I'm good. No, I'm down right great.

------------ Talk Back -----------

Share how you and your family are doing. 

One request, avoid telling me my state of kid bliss is about to change.  I suspect as much and am working to celebrate the moment!

How I got hired ... Brands ... and the Boston Marathon

When I first interviewed at EMC, there was a recession happening in the US; EMC was laying off employees, the concept of hiring recent college grads was far from in vogue; and I had no legitimate experience for the job I hoped to land.

How did I get in?

The Boston Marathon comes immediately to mind.

To help convince the marketing department at EMC that they needed to hire me, I waged a PR campaign. Every couple of days something new would arrive at their offices which I hoped would get them buzzing, curious, and wanting more.

One of the campaign elements was a giant map of the world with a pin point over Hopkinton, Mass.  I wrote something that suggested that with me doing PR for EMC, Hopkinton would be on the global map for people due to EMC, as well as for the Boston Marathon.  (That was a bold concept as EMC was fairly small and little known at the time. Today, if you Wikipedia Hopkinton, it appears, however, the prediction came true. Wink.)

For the notion of brand-drafting and more, I love having EMC associated with the Boston Marathon. They are two enduring brands suggesting "the ultimate" in their space. They require passion, drive, mental determination, and the guts to do what many others would fear attempt. They are not for everyone -- but for those who have what it takes, there is no equal.

This week marked the running of the Boston Marathon. People pack elbow to elbow, helicopters hover overhead, VIPs make speeches, and photographers work to capture the electric mood and the gigantic scale of the packed crowd. 

 

EMC made the Marathon our own this year. We hosted in our homes, and celebrated in our headquarters, about 30 employees and customers who trained, and flew in from around the world to run this race. EMC athletes from Hong Kong to Brazil took part.

 

 

This week also marked a series of cool awards for EMC in the space of being a great place to work for the college-aged set -- Collegegrad.com named EMC a best employer for new grads, interns, and masters grads alike. (If you want to apply to EMC or connect with others about working there, check out www.emc.com/careers and the EMC page on Facebook.) 

EMC's college grads have long been making EMC their own. They're doing work other companies might say "falls beyond their years in the business."  They're helping to set the pace for the industry and the bar of what can be achieved. And they're also doing stuff that makes EMC just cooler to be part of. For example, a recent Marketing new college hire is behind a space at EMC HQ called "The Square." It has a Starbuck's-like coffee bar for lattes, hot soups, and healthy-foods to go. It has a large flat panel that broadcasts CNN, CNBC and happenings like the induction of a US President. It has a store where you can buy EMC gear, 500 gig home networked storage equipment, and candy bars. And it has a large gathering space with upbeat music where business meetings are a bit more personal, where the social media crew can hold Tweetups, and where we celebrate events such as a book launch dedicated to EMC Working Mothers and an Open House dedicated to our EMC Marathon Runners from around the world.

Where You Have to Run to Keep Up

In the realm of happenstance brand affinity and an anecdote so perfect for this post you'd think it was scripted...

A few weeks ago I asked a colleague who also joined EMC as a recent college grad about 20 years ago, "If you were a recent college grad evaluating all the top companies today, do you think you'd still choose EMC?"  His reply, "Absolutely. The culture of EMC is such that you have to run to keep up." The statement was finished with a wide smile and a head nod-- a gesture that said, "and man, that type of environment is exhilarating for folks who get into this type of pace and stimulation. 

--------- Talk Back ---------------

Would you still pick your company as the place for you today?

Think back to those days you were interviewing at your company. Were you lucky enough to have your vision come true?

If not, check out some of the amazing job search and career help blogs today. A few that I'm aware of, and visit often due to my day job at EMC, are:

http://www.brazencareerist.com/*

http://www.collegerecruiter.com/jobs/*

http://personalbrandingblog.wordpress.com/

http://www.cheezhead.com/

http://lindseypollak.com/blog/

http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/

http://alltop.com/*

http://www.downtownwomensclub.com/dwc/index.php

 

*Note: These blogs/sites  marked with an (*) syndicate my blog.

Photos from HopkintonMarathonCommitte.org and NuzhatMKarim.

 

The Working Mother's Book Launch

The launch party of the Working Mother Experience book was a standing room only, high energy event.

The authors were in demand -- signing books for most everyone in attendance. News photographers were snapping photos, and capturing names. There were balloons, flowers, cup cakes, huge smiles, lots of hugs, speeches, and a buzz that was audible throughout EMC's airport-sized headquarter building.

Here's a video of the event taken EMCer Candi Imming.

One guest in high demand for her autograph was my daughter, Margo Pearson. In addition to being the day that launched a book, which contained a story, which featured this vibrant youngster, it was her seventh birthday.  (What better way to spend a birthday than to be with other amazing and accomplished women, eat cup cakes, be photographed, sign autographs and look fabulous?)

This is what she, Margo, had to say about the event in a report she wrote up as it was coming to a close:

"I got my story in a book! And I got a name tag and since it was my Brithday I got Alot of Sticers on it! And you are sapos to onlley have One sticker. But, I got more. And I got cake and ice crem And I LOVed it. And thar wer Blun's and the coller was Black, RWit, ReD, and more RWit. And I sigded allot of Book's! And this is how I signed them! Margo."

 

(Photos by Candi Imming.)

 

The following is an excerpt from the story I wrote in the book; the story that featured Margo's view of what women can accomplish in the world: 

 I was shocked when, in 2004, my nine-year-old,"old-soul" daughter, Sophie, said as a clear statement of fact "Women can't be President." I could not control the volume and tone of dismay in reply, "Whaaaat did you say?"

...

Flash forward to 2007. My youngest daughter, Margo, is now a vivacious five-year old. Her often-whispered nickname in the family is "The CEO." She's been running the household and all who come into her presence since she arrived on Earth -- so much so that it is our biggest parenting quandary.

About a month ago, I thought I'd introduce her to prayer. Perhaps starting a relationship with God, I thought, would help reinforce values of respect and gratitude. During our first bedtime prayer, I could tell she was riveted. She joined me by repeating a long list of the people and things in our life we are thankful for. Then, when the prayer was over, she rolled over in bed to face me and asked oh so earnestly, "Mom, how do I become God? That's the job I want."

 

Today, I found Margo's star power did not end at the event.  She graced the front page of many newspapers local to our headquarter building. 

Putting the proud Mother aside, following is a photograph of a few other now famous people snapped at the event by EMCer/blogger Gina Minksof EMCer/bloggers Steve Todd and Barry Burke.

  

----------------- Talk Back ------------

What's on your mind as you read this?

As I compiled the photos, I couldn't help but notice the support of people who have come to know one another through social media at EMC. 

As great as the book is,had it not been for the social media connection, I am not entirely sure that folks like Candi Imming, Steve Todd, and Barry Burke would have torn themselves away from the Engineering labs to be at this event (just days prior to a MAJOR product launch at EMC to boot!) Or that EMCers Dave Spencer, Briane Keefe, Nuzhat Karim, Kris Cornwall, or Gina Minks would be tweeting about it. (check out #WME for a full string!)

But that is exactly what friends, family and fans do for one another.

EMC has always been a family.  In fact, "family" is the word the FORTUNE editors used as the #1 take away from their "FORTUNE 100 Best Places to Work For" survey of EMC employees last year.

Founder Dick Egan  said to me in 1992 he believed EMC stood for "Egan's Many Children."

It isn't 1992 any more ... but gee, it sure is feeling more and more like a family around here lately. And I like it that way. :)

Work / Life Decisions. What's Your Support System? How do you work and raise a family?

My three year old son, Oscar, had his annual check up this week.  The doctor remarked, "I haven't seen you since your last annual visit!"

Then it struck me.  My family has been amazingly healthy all year. I have three kids. Not one of them went to the doctor for ear infections, colds, etc. My husband and I have been healthy, too.

Reflecting on this, I think it has a lot to do with our support system -- namely Tara and Cathy.

PICTURED: Tara, who calms, teaches and nurtures our kids as their nanny.

Tara is a mom of a three year old boy  and a certified pre-school teacher who comes to our house with her youngster during the week to nanny our three children. As a result of her care, and the healthy environment the kids are in, they're eating well, sleeping well, getting their homework done on time and receive an extra dose of attention and love.   Her little one, Zayven, is the same age as Oscar. When the girls are at school, the boys are in "Tara's School;" they call each other "brothers."

 

PICTURED: Cathy, who helps us keep our heads slightly above the water line on the home "to do" list.

Cathy is a mom of three kids. She helps us keep up with life's stuff like keeping the house and laundry in order. She remarked that when she started working with us, we were a heck of a lot more sick than we are today.  Tara's little boy and my kids cheer when they see her minivan drive up the street. She -- a certified teacher as well -- surrounds them with love.  When we're tossed a curve ball, we can count on Cathy to fill in. 

I'm blessed to have found such wonderful people to help keep our family whole and healthy. There were a lot of years where we felt we were being more cost-conscious doing everything ourselves. In those years, I can tell you there were more illnesses,  more snapping at each other, and fewer obvious signs of full-out love  -- beyond what Kurt and I provide as parents -- enveloping our kids.

My frugal mom once told me that investing in this type of support system is well-spent money.  After witnessing this year of health, I can agree even more.

The economy is beyond tough. Decisions to have an A-team helping families will become more difficult. For me, I was just reminded that wellness and love might somehow be needed to be added to the equation when factoring cost and value.

   

PICTURED:  My family: Oscar, Kurt, Sophie and Margo. A few years ago, when we were doing everything ourselves, Kurt had some pretty serious health challenges. I realize while writing this, he hasn't had an unscheduled visit to a hospital in a couple of years.

----------------- Talk Back -------------------

How do you keep your head above water with family and work? How's your system working?

Blog Action Day 2008; My Story

Today is blog action day on the subject of poverty -- a day where bloggers dedicate their real estate to the subject. I just read two really moving blogs by colleagues  Dave and Gina who grew up experiencing poverty.  These are brilliant, accomplished people -- so much so that this is something you would have never have known. I adore that they shared their stories. I have no story that compares.  I grew up rich.

Not in a wealthy sort of rich way, but rich with love and the messy fabric of life bringing challenge and joy to me daily.

So today, I want to send a big "thank you" to the Universe for blessing me so.

My story:

I'm the youngest of 4 children.  My dad grew up rich in the wealth sense.  My mom grew up as the oldest of 5 kids with parents who experienced boom and bust (my grandfather was a stock broker turned jukebox repairman due to the depression).

Each of us 4 Benjamin kids were born about 18 months apart.  My dad was an insurance sales manager until a merger happened and he found himself out of a job, with a new big mortgage, in a new town, and a wife who had been raising babies for the past 6 years. He was, and still is, the uber optimist.  It was mom's idea to sell the wedding silver and her diamond ring and figure a way to get back to work. I was about 3 at the time.

I remember her being a substitute teacher -- at times in an inner city school -- and being a clerk at a book shop.  She took the bus to the city and or walked the 4 miles to the town school. She never once complained.  She learned to include us all in what had to be done.  It was my job, once I turned about 8, to put in the potatoes every night an hour before dinner time. Then, put the frozen mixed veggies on the stove and the meat in the oven -- timed just right so we could all eat together every night.  It was my sister's job to clean the house.  My brothers' job to put out the trash. We all did our own laundry since the day we could turn the knobs.  We cleaned our own rooms, and made our own money to buy our clothes, our friends birthday gifts and everything else that wasn't food.

My first job was as a regular babysitter. I was 9. I babysat every Saturday night from then on. My second was as a maid at my neighbor's house. I was 12. My third job came when I turned 14, as a scooper in an ice-cream shop that I could walk to. My brother and sister also worked there.  My oldest brother flipped burgers at an Abdow's Big Boy.

Working and contributing was all so natural; none of us thought twice about it.  (I later learned one of my life-long friends was always jealous of me in jr. high because I had the latest cords from The Gap. I never felt stylish but I guess my baby sitting and maid money made me stylish enough.)

My mother put herself through night school for her master's degree.She then got a more secure full-time, and later tenured job as a school librarian.  My dad went into business for himself as a manufacturers' rep for greeting card lines. -- Many of the greeting cards were religious. The nuns loved him!

My dadcoached my brothers' baseball, basketball and football teams. We all went to every game. My wealthy grandparents came to the Sunday football games. Grampa was a doctor. (We never saw a real hospital or went to a doctor when we were sick. We'd call him on the phone; he lived an hour away. We got our shots on Christmas.)

I asked my brother once why my mom didn't know the names of my friends or what boy I had a crush on, and such, like my friends' moms.  He said,

"Polly, mom is a very intelligent woman. She can sense when you need her. She'll be there for you, if you do."

That made all the world of sense to me.

On Saturdays we got to lounge around and watch cartoons and eat donuts from the donut shop. On Sundays it was all about church, work, and ball games.

When I got to high school, mom finally got a full-time regular librarian job, only it was over an hour away. She commuted until it got to be too much for her.  They decided to move just before my senior year in high school.  In what was one of the hardest decisions they made as parents, they moved without me; letting me stay behind to be with my friends knowing these girls would be my life long friends. (They were right!) I lived with my friend and her family ... and learned what I had been missing!  My own stereo. A car to share with my best friend. A queen sized bed just for me. A fancy house. A maid. A stay-at-home mom who cooked dinner every night. 

My parents were jealous and afraid I might like this more lux life better.  No need. Nothing could compare with the love and richness I felt -- and still feel -- when I am with  them and the rest of my family.

I put myself through college for the first 2 years.  Student loads, a small scholarship. I went across country to St. Louis University because we knew a Jesuit there and my mom asked me to apply.

Mom decided to get involved in my personal life 2 weeks before I headed back to St. Louis to attend my junior year.  She was concerned that I'd end up marrying a doctor from St. Louis and she'd never see me again.   She knew I was dating someone in the Boston area and she thought he was a pretty good scoop.

Ends up, that guy, Kurt Pearson, and I got engaged that year. I spent it, my junior year, going to Boston College in the evening program -- because it was cheaper than the day program and would allow me to work during the day.  I had two jobs. One at the Bank of Boston where they paid me a great hourly wage as a secretary floating from bank branch to bank branch -- I learned the city from this job!  Thanks Bank of Boston now Bank of America!  The other job was working in Boston's Faneuil Hall managing a dress boutique named "The Sandpiper of Manchester by the Sea."

We got married the summer heading into my senior year. I moved into his house and finished my inexpensive night school studies closer to his house, at Assumption College. 

I'm proud to say that I still graduated in 4 years, and carried honors-worthy grades at each of the 3 colleges I attended.

I'm also proud of the guy I married -- his family owned that ice cream shop I started scooping in at age 14 -- and the family we now have.

When people say to me, "My, you work full-time and have 3 kids.  How do you do it?"  My answer is always the same.  I smile and say, "life is certainly rich."

 

Pictured; my family on our 20th anniversary in July of 2007.  Margo, then 5, Kurt 51, Sophie 12, Oscar 2, and me, 41 -- wearing my original wedding dress for kicks.

-- Polly

The beginning of the best job in the world (for me)

When I joined EMC at age 25, sporting employee badge number 573 (the numbers today are as high as 87,000) we were small enough that on your first day you were walked around the halls to meet everyone.  Everyone, even the Founder and CEO.

I met Dick Egan, the man in charge, on that first day. A few days later he summoned me to his office.

I recall that his desk was made of metal. It had no PC on it. The credenza behind his desk was an old oak door lying on top of two inexpensive looking metal filing cabinets.  He held a yellow pencil in his hand and had a 2-3 inch pile of pink message slips on an otherwise clear surface.  He smiled widely (a bit too widely) in my direction.  He put his hands on top of the pile of message slips and cupped his fingers around them. He slid the message slips across his desk in my direction.  I remember him saying just one sentence. It was something like this, “Here … why don’t you do this?”

The message slips were loaded with, essentially, F bombs. They were from EMC investors. The investors were furious and wanted answers. They came as a result of the quarter EMC had just missed (in Q3, 1991).

It was a meeting that altered my professional career and set the stage for well over a decade of exhilarating work building and soon leading EMC's Global Investor Relations function.

As for Dick's humble desk and CEO office trappings, they are an important part of the EMC story, too.  Dick led by example. He always ensured that the money went to where customers could best appreciate it. To EMC, that is in the product and the people resources  whose job it is to serve the customers.  He was so passionate about the importance of providing our customers with the best product he had a sign behind his desk (a play on the words made famous in the Bill Clinton Presidential Campaign) which read, "It is the product, stupid."

To be continued …

---------------Talk Back -----------------------

How did the job of your life get started?

Intro to Polly, Part 2.

So I gave my two-week notice at the recruitment agency.

Now what?

The economy was worse than ever. All the new college grads were moving away from Boston because there were no jobs to be had around here. They were checking out the cool ‘new’ cities like Seattle and Portland, Oregon. (Grunge was just starting!) Job postings in marketing didn’t seem to exist. You couldn’t even get internships because the economy was that tight. (Today’s college grads I fear can relate a bit.)

No job -- Volunteer!

I decided to volunteer my time in the thing I really wanted to do in order to get it on my resume – Public Relations. I called the college where I got my bachelor’s and offered to work for them for free in the PR department. They said ‘Sure!” Ends up, I only worked for them for one day.

Help Wanted Ad Delivers -- EMC Calls

EMC called as a result of a help wanted ad I answered for a PR Account Manager. The ad said EMC was in the ‘computer storage’ business. I thought they made cardboard boxes for PCs … but I didn’t care. It was a PR job! I figured I’d sell myself like crazy to get in the door, stay there for a year to get a legitimate looking PR job on my resume and then move on to a real company!

[Necessary commercial plug]

For the record, EMC does not make cardboard boxes. We do information storage and management. We “assure information is available securely, quickly, and easily, anywhere at anytime.” We are a technology innovation company – home to really smart people who develop software; make intelligent hardware that serve as “electronic filing cabinets” (I tell my mom that) for the world’s digital bits; and provide professional services to help our customers manage their information like an asset. Learn more! Visit www.EMC.com. [End commercial.]

“Why are you hiring?”

During the interview process I asked my future boss why EMC was looking for a PR Manager. He said, “We’re just about to miss the September quarter. Shareholders who recently bought our stock are going to be mad at us. Customers who bought our product could be mad at us. Oh, and we’re going to have a layoff, so they’ll be some mad employees too.” (Silent mind moment: “Is that all?”) He continued, “We’re looking at you because we think you’ll pick up PR and this business fast enough, AND you know how to do advertising. We figure we’ll make you our in-house ad agency and the 10% commission we’ll save by placing our own ads should cover your $25,000 salary.”

Tech Osmosis

On my first day my boss handed me a pile of tech pubs and told me to read up … not to worry that I had no tech experience. He said it will work like osmosis. I’d simply wake up one day and “Get it.” That’s what happened.

The “E” in Entrepreneur.

My first week on the job our Founder and CEO, Dick Egan, issued what would be the last news release he ever personally wrote for the company. As I recall, it contained just one sentence. “EMC will not make its fiscal Q3, 1991 quarter.” No explanation. No con call (no one did those yet). No estimated financial results. (Insert life wisdom: I later came to realize that for successful people who love winning, admitting any type of failure is especially painful and hard. Imagine having to issue a news release on it? Add to that most entrepreneurial CEOs think of their company as “their company,” whether it is public or not. … Having shareholders is something newly public CEOs need to get used to.) When one door closes another opens as they say. That EMC “failure” was the best thing that ever happened to me (and perhaps to EMC given the stringent quality procedures and customer service religion that swiftly followed this period in time). Not only because it brought me to them and them to me but because it introduced me to my next job – Investor Relations – something I lived and loved for the next 11 years of my life. To be continued … -

Talk Back:

Has a tough situation at your company or on your job actually served to improve your life or career?

Welcome to My Blog - Part 1

I figured that if I’m going to have a conversation – as regularly as I can manage -- with folks in the Blogosphere it would be rude not to introduce myself.

Hi. I’m Polly Pearson – I came into this world 41 years ago. When in school I never thought I had any signature talent. I liked to do a little of everything. I was more drawn to subjects like art and writing than to math and science. The day I took a media class and sat in front of a camera was the first time I got that tickle in the back of my brain that felt good. It was kind of like the first time I did the zip wire at Outward Bound Camp. It was scary and great all at the same time.

In college I majored in communication. I thought I wanted to go into Advertising until I took my last core course, Public Relations. Bingo. That brain tickle happened again. When I graduated I started looking for jobs in either Advertising or PR. The economy was crappy and no one back then liked to hire new college grads. There was a real popular show on TV called “Thirty-something” about people who worked in advertising – so suddenly everyone wanted to be in advertising. It was totally unfair because in my mind I called it first.

One adviser told me to get a job as a secretary. I still get mad thinking about that piece of advice.

Anyway I got my first job in the communication business in what was then the lowest possible type of job in advertising … recruitment advertising. We made those ugly little help wanted ads for the Sunday Help Wanted section of newspapers. (Do those still exist?!) Only our (insert arrogant, fancy-sounding voice here) “agency-produced” ads were much less ugly. We even called them campaigns. We had copywriters, typesetters (!), paste up artists (!), proof readers, account executives and people like me, Account Coordinators. All of my clients would call me on deadline day – Thursday – to have their help wanted ad make it into the Sunday paper.

I wrote the ads, worked with the paste up artists on the design, hovered over the typesetters’ shoulders as they set the type, ran it to the proof reading group to make sure all the comas were in the right spots, took photos of the “artwork” in a black room, faxed the ad to client to get their approval and popped it in a FedEx envelope or gave it to our driver who would drive it to the airport to get it on the last flight to whatever city the ad was going to.

I did about 75 of these ads every Thursday. We worked until 2am usually, sometimes until 3. It was fun hell. It was burn out city. We got paid dirt, too. But most of the artists and account coordinators were all right out of college so we had fun doing it together. I’m still great friends with many of the folks I worked along-side of at this “agency.”

One day I went home and cried. I was tired and burnt and it wasn’t fun anymore. My husband took one look at me and said, “Quit!” Quit? I’d never quit anything before in my life. There was nothing I couldn’t do. I don’t quit.

I quit. To be continued ….