Xerox – Next to reign in their rogue warrior?

Out of respect of the below comment I have removed this blog as it was written.

What I would say is from an industry perspective does Xerox intend to always have a wholly owned entity selling multiple brands?

That is the reason why I moved to IKON was I loved the idea of having a complete set of tools and not being locked in to one manufacturer. This "best of breed" concept gives a saleperson a lot of flexibillity. If this is the case then Global will be the only show in town with the ability to pull from the expansive "soup to nuts" portfolio of Xerox with the help of an inexpensive fleet line like Sharp or to meet some special interests or needs with the sometimes very unique offerings of Konica Minolta.

It will be the only time in recent history where a manufacturer was ok with running like this. Canon would rather cut their arm off then let one of their businesses sell another manufactures product. In fact I have spoken to people at Canon that have been planning for months on what they are going to do with their new tool "Oce/Imagistics"

Look how they delt with IKON, they didnt take any time at all to cut IKON off and they were just a distributor. Ricoh was the same way but used a little better judgment in their timing and transition. We are seeing different leadership styles coming from each of the manufactures it will be interesting to see how it all plays out over time. From what I had heard the acquisition of Global was the only one where they increased their market share during and shortly after the acquisition. If true this shows strong leadership and good planning on both sides. The question still remains how long will this relationship continue and how will that play out for the folks at Global.

For now they run on their own P & L and to the beat of their own drummer. Only time will tell if this is a permanent arrangement or not.

Pirate Mike

Non – Competes are alive and well in Texas!

Read the label before consuming employment in the state of TEXAS! Recent Texas Supreme Court rulings may require new laws requiring hazardous employment to be conspicuously labeled!

Attorney General's Warning: Accepting this job may be hazardous to your career!

And you thought all you needed to work in Texas was a shingle to announce your profession and a shotgun to keep varmints off your land; well think again! In the beautiful and once free nation of Texas courts were hesitant to enforce non-compete agreements against employees and allowed them the constitutional right to the "pursuit of happiness." But what was once a safe haven promoting a free market and safe society has now become just another territory controlled by the Borg!(1)

Texas law has taken a paradigm shift relative to giving employers the edge they need to forcing you out of your chosen field and waiting in the unemployment line; in many cases for years! You were relatively safe in the cowboy nation until 1989 when the Texas legislature passed the "Covenants Not to Compete Act." From 1989 to 1994 the battle ensued. It was in 1994 that employers learned that the letter of the law must be followed to enforce such covenants (2) Texas was a place for families to come and enjoy good employment without the fear of becoming "un-employable" in what would be a communistic landscape.

In Three small sections of the Texas Business and Commerce Code one can find the basis for which your new and excited employer will later come back and haunt you like the plague of death. The 3 sections that deal with the "Covenants Not to Compete" are:

• 
  
  § 15.51 CRITERIA FOR ENFORCEABILITY OF COVENANTS NOT TO COMPETE
• 
  
  § 15.52 PROCEDURES AND REMEDIES IN ACTIONS TO ENFORCE COVENANTS NOT TO COMPETE
• 
  
  § 15.53 PREEMPTION OF OTHER LAW! (3)

These 869 words and a few assorted symbols are what lie between you and good employment in the future!What is important is that there are several components to an enforceable non-compete agreement they are: (4)

• State and Federal Jury Trials
• Be ancillary to or part of otherwise enforceable agreement at the time the agreement is made;
• Protect a legitimate business interest;
• Contain reasonable limitations as to the scope of activity to be restrained;
• Contain reasonable geographical limitations; and
• Contain reasonable durational limitations.

It appears that after the "Covenants Not to Compete Act" was legislated that it remained relatively unchanged. Section 15.52 was added later in 1993 but it has been a "well talked about urban legend" that you have the right to work in Texas and that non-competes didn't hold much H2O, certainly not quality H2O at that. I have had bosses tell me, "Oh don't worry about this it is just part of our protocol." Well Texas courts may not be crazy about enforcing non-competes but there have been some changes that give pretty sharp TEETH to these agreements and a lot has been written and blogged about since these changes.

Major Change #1 – The case of: Alex Sheshunoff Mgt. Servs., LP v. Johnson, 209 S.W.3d 644 (Tex. 2006). The court decided that the original interpretation of Light (5) was not complete. What once required "at the time the agreement was made" to merely requiring that the company performs sometime in the future.

"We now conclude, contrary to Light, that the covenant need only be "ancillary to or part of" the agreement at the time the agreement is made. Accordingly, a unilateral contract formed when the employer performs a promise that was illusory when made can satisfy the requirements of the Act." – Supreme Court of Texas

Major Change #2 – The case of: Mann Frankfort Stein & Lipp Advisors, Inc. v. Fielding, 52 Tex. Sup. J. 616 (Tex. April 17, 2009). The court broadened the use of the non-compete to cover not only a specific promise of consideration (confidential or proprietary information) but also an implied promise of consideration. Making it much easier to enforce a covenant of non-compete in Texas; thereby removing many of the hurdles that once stood in the way of your previous employer from denying you the right to pursue employment in your chosen field. And for many of us that means the career which we have dedicated the majority of our adult lives to.

So in short non-compete covenants must be 1) Ancillary and 2) Reasonable. Well as things have changed it is now becoming necessary for all good pirates of digital printing to have an attorney on retainer! It also appears that you shouldn't leave your career and enjoyable future up to just any attorney.

It seems prudent that only a Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal specialization in Labor and Employment law will do now that the cat is out of the bag so to speak. Or in pirates terms the "parrot is out of the treasure chest."

I did a good amount of reading on the subject of non-compete covenants and found some notable resources and potential advisors. One blog that I ran into that seemed quite authoritative was: http://blog.texasnoncompetelaw.com/  by Robert Wood (6).

When I went to the Texas Board of Legal Specialization's website (7) I found roughly 576 listings of attorneys that are "Board Certified" in Texas to specialize in Labor and Employment. You can go to their website to see if an attorney you are considering is board certified to get you back to the road of paradise and put your "parrot back in the treasure chest."

So as you look for a "den of thieves" to call your own, please remember to always have a qualified attorney look at your employment documents before executing them! Or it may be you they are executing after the termination of your employment!

"Employees who are presented with a non-competition agreement should carefully consider the impact that the covenant may have upon their future employment in the event that the employment is later terminated.  …  Thus, any employee who is presented with a non-competition agreement would be well advised to have it carefully reviewed by an attorney prior to execution." – Betty Brown attorney at law http://www.brownemploymentlaw.com

I will say one thing; I like to consider myself "a valuable asset" to any organization that is involved with the printing and publishing industry. And I am sure that those that read this blog are as well! I would ask you to carefully consider and always challenge any and all "agreements" that are presented to you in regards to your employment. I never would have guessed that the innocent little stack of paper that precedes your employment could ruin your opportunities after your employment.

If "we" all whom are highly sought out by our competitors refuse to go along with overly broad, unduly long and unfair agreements that the industry will come around and start to quit trying to force those whom they so desire out of the business.

I have spent my life in this industry of printing and I have spent thousands of dollars in my education and tens of thousands of hours keeping up with the technology changes over the last 20 years. When I walk into a company I bring value, when I leave I should be allowed to continue my quest in this industry.

None of the hardware providers that I have worked for: Konica Minolta, Datamax, nor Ikon have so greatly impacted my knowledge or offered (such valuable consideration) with their "top secret, proprietary, confidential and otherwise considered trade secrets" that I should be banned from working in this business. In fact all of the hardware companies that I worked for were greatly impacted by the "knowledge, training and other valuable contributions that I left with them" that they are better because of it.

I was involved with Printing a decade and a half before even running across them, and was involved with Digital Printing almost a decade before any of them got involved with it. I will say that Konica Minolta and Datamax (whom both I signed a non-compete) never gave me any hard time and with the application of a bit of professionalism and integrity I never heard a word from them and still continued to work in the same city selling hardware. Only time will tell if Ikon is as reputable.

In light of this information remember ONE simple thing. Pirate Mike is in fact a PIRATE involved with selling digital printing equipment - NOT an attorney! I am not responsible nor obligated to find you "healthy" employment and in no way should my opinions be construed as a contract to give you advice or encumber me in any way either in this lovely state of TEXAS or anywhere that good quality H2O can be found! Even though I may have certain implications in some countries that do not allow employment I certainly do not have any in countries that do!

So what does all that mean?

No information in this article is intended to constitute legal advice. For specific legal advice, please contact an attorney. Thank you!
This is just the uneducated opinion of a pirate that sells digital printing.

1. CBS Studios, "The Borg – Video Documentary", 2006, http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/features/documentaries/article/5299.html

2. Light v. Cental Cellular Co. of Texas, 883 S.W.2d 642 (Tex. 1994).

3. Onecle.com, http://law.onecle.com/texas/business/15.50.00.html, http://law.onecle.com/texas/business/15.51.00.html, http://law.onecle.com/texas/business/15.52.00.html

4. Brown, Betty "NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENTS IN TEXAS", 2010, http://www.brownemploymentlaw.com/non_competition.shtml

5. Light v. Centel Cellular Co. of Texas, 883 S.W.2d 642, 644–45 (Tex. 1994).

6. Wood, Robert http://blog.texasnoncompetelaw.com/ 2010, K&L Gates LLP

7. Texas Board of Legal Specialization http://www.tbls.org/

Pirate for hire!

Pirate Mike no longer works for the one world leader! Expect more commentary from the rouge one!

RiKON, IKON’s struggle for the right to exist…

Ok, October 1^st 2008 has come and gone. And so have the IKON fiscal year, and our Pantone 185 Red. Now we are the step child to the one world leader in business technologies and equipment manufacturing. Xerox's Anne Mulcahy mentions IKON/Ricoh as the new threat to Xerox's supremacy in one of her last talks to the corporate shareholders. So now that we are donning a new Red in our logo (Pantone 186) and have a new phase tagline on our business cards "IKON a Ricoh Company" what does the future hold for us?

I can still remember the year prior to the acquisition and the marching orders that we had. Looking back I can see the signs that should have signaled the takeover. Looking forward I am seeking the signs that will indicate my future. Now after a complete quarter in the new Ricoh fiscal year the signs that I see are not as descriptive as I would like them to be. The mantra of protect the base and explore the new world are really just warmed up battle cries from previous generation. What I do see is a lot of shuffling, maneuvering, positioning, and jockeying for the privileged positions in the new one world leader's house. As the days of IKON come to a end, so will the legacy of the world's largest independent distributer of end to end business technologies.

I see leadership poised to make quick and many times knee jerk reactions to the ever flowing economic hard times ahead. One thing that I have noticed about IKON is that they are not scared to make a quick decision. They will uproot you in a second. One day covering one account and another day another, in some senses this ability to move quickly has brought them to a position of greatness. But in another sense it is why no one seems to have any ownership of their own success. They are only successful in the task of the day not in the overall success of their position. Maybe I have a very narrow view coming from just one IKON marketplace. Now almost 2 years into this adventure I am one of the sales survivors. I am now a tenured veteran walking the hallowed halls quietly for fear that I might awaken the sleeping giant.

Now a Ricoh company we see that our chest beating over the Canon product was just another marketing ploy that we used on our clients and eventually came to believe. It is funny to spread a lie what is even funnier is when you actually believe it. What we have learned is that people really bought from us and not a product name? So what Ricoh really purchased was a network of people and relationships strategically located in 400 unique locations around the world. I was on an international conference call with the IKON of the UK and found that they too are just like us and are engaged in the fight for world dominance just like we are. They ask the same questions and provide the same solutions to their clients as we do.

Amazing how we all are fighting the same battles, with a lesser or greater degree of success. We are now learning to sell a new product (or at least new to us) this new world of Ricoh innovations. What I am finding just like I did selling Konica Minolta or Canon is that Ricoh has products that when placed in the right environment with the right enablers they do wonderfully (even in the print for pay market.) There I said it Ricoh products can be used in production environments, did you disbelieve? Did you really think that Xerox and the others we all have come to know and love were the only ones privileged enough to make good production equipment?

Watch the evolution of the engineering as the new 7 series comes out. Hide and watch as the group formerly known as IKON comes to market unified under the RiKON banner. Many rats have scurried and left what they thought was a sinking ship only to have their A*s' handed to them by what they said would be an inferior product. What I say is it must be embarrassing to those reps that fled to Canon to only be beaten like a red headed step child by the product that they swore could never grace the floor space in tandem with other greats like Xerox and Canon; only to find out that their new MIF is slowing going away to these new raiders of the lost copy machine.

So is it the product? Is it the people? Is it the process? Well I will let you figure that out. What I am interested in is what to expect in the next generation of RiKON. They are taking over our internal processes, Shipping etc. So how will this all shake out? What is to become of the IKON of old? How will the sales territories be realigned and divided up amongst the corporate raiders? Will IKON's leadership be incorporated into the Ricoh world or will they just cut the head off of the monster to let it die a quick death?

Watching the slaughter going on at Konica Minolta now that they have cannibalized the Danka people puts me in a bit of distress. They (Konica Minolta) have shown their Minolta roots. Minolta was a strong down the street company. They did not need fancy analysts and strategy sessions. What they needed was feet on the street and quick turn business. They were not interested in anything that couldn't be closed inside of 30 days. Really 21 if you expected it to get delivered in the same month. Konica's deep thinkers have all but been sacrificed and it looks as if they will do the same to Danka's people. If you do not have Minolta blue running through your veins your chance of survival in that pit of vipers is not very good, so be forewarned.

Now so how does that relate to IKON and Ricoh will PMS185 or PMS186 prevail? Will the darker red over take the pirates of IKON? One thing is for sure there are a lot of similarities in the Konica – Minolta merge and the IKON – Ricoh acquisition. Both engagements have a strong hunter and farmer component; although financially different Konica – Minolta was a merger, do not forget that IKON – Ricoh is an acquisition. We are an owned piece of property. So will the same be true here that IKON pirates will slaughter the pleasant farmers of Ricoh or will they show their teeth and push back the boarding marauders?

What I have witnessed is that everyone is scared for their job. No question that every employee has thought once or twice what they will do if their job becomes disposable. As we all are very well aware we all can be replaced in a second and without much thought. One thing I will say is that many have come to grips that this is the new program and they are executing. As we push forward we see how well this new equipment is holding up and that people really don't care whether or not they have a ball an X or red words written on their equipment. What they care about is when they call will anyone answer? And if someone answers will they be able to fix the problems that come us as they most certainly will (it is just a machine).

Before we were searching for the ultimate top line, now again we are concerned again with the bottom line, and soon we all will be walking the line as Ricoh puts the firing squad out to lean down into the fighting machine they will have to be to survive this economic holocaust. So are people still buying; of course they are, in upturns and downturns this business continues to provide alternative solutions to cost savings and automation with ultimately provides for real top line and bottom line revenues as productivity goes up and we learn to do more with less.

As for me I am glad to have a job that provides for me and allows me to continue the battle. Tomorrow again I will pick up the battle axe and let out a cry this time the name is different the red is darker but the result is the same; Victory! Stop at nothing less.

Just a bit of inspiration from the RiKON ship of warriors; from the man known all around the world as Pirate Mike…

Happy Hunting…

(Xerox, Konica Minolta, Danka, Ricoh, IKON, Oce, Imagistics, Lanier, Global) How good companies alienate great people – A story of bloodletting and corporate ignorance.

I have wondered how companies let such great talent walk out the door and end up at the competition to do nothing short of shut them down in a particular marketplace. I have watched so many people change hands over the last 4-5 years that it is truly amazing how fast the strength of a company can change. I have noticed that companies lose employees in 5 distinct ways.

1.Through lack of leadership.
2.Through lack of promotional opportunities, and poor positioning of their resources.
3.Through changing of the compensation plan or not insuring that the employees get paid as they should.
4.Through the changing of an established employees territory or constant switching of roles.
5.Through the lack of respect, recognition or pure disregard for the employees goals and dreams/desires.

I have survived now 2 distinctly different combining's, the merger between Konica and Minolta and the acquisition of IKON by Ricoh. Both were very different but had many of the same elements in them. I have witnessed several other acquisitions and mergers from the acquisitions of the Ricoh family companies like Lanier to the acquisition of Global by Xerox and Danka by Konica Minolta and Imagistics by Oce. One thing that they all have in common there was always a mass exodus of many great people during these troubling times. And in which affects the company's strength and positions the company for greater failures.

During Konica and Minolta's merger I witnessed many events that I wish would have ended up differently. One thing that Minolta and the later Konica Minolta were very good about is making sure that their employees got paid what was due to them and identifying what the employees dreams were and addressing their work to accomplish that dream/desire. Managers took special care to see that the sale reps got paid and that their livelihood was preserved at all costs. Although it seemed as if the sales people were spared the initial cuts, pay plans took dramatic cuts. Leadership was there to manage focus and readdress employee concerns. Konica and Minolta had their failures with processes and support structures. The companies were brought together without a good supply chain methodology. There were very few things that actually happened that made business any easier. In fact many of the processes that were solid become more flimsy as the companies came together. Research and new product lines were coming out quickly giving their people some great products to sell but there was no internal support structure to get them to where they wanted to be. The frustration had always been tolerated as salesmen knew that they were "paid the big bucks" to deal with it themselves. Now that the financial incentive had left the big hitters left also for a more fertile hunting ground.

There was very little emphasis that anyone was very important. In fact the exact opposite was quite true, we like you but we can replace you tomorrow with someone that wasn't here when we paid them properly was definitely the attitude. Promotional opportunities were available but limited to the local leadership's ability to keep you pinned down to what they needed you to do (sell if that was what you were good at). The branch I was at had probably 8-10 of the companies top 20 reps nationally and they all were gone within eighteen months of the formal merge. Territories didn't change for the Minolta employees but that isn't true of most of the Konica employees that ended up in menial jobs and eventually quit to find somewhere else to graze. Minolta had a strong culture of respect and that was only broken by raping the compensation plan to the point that one could see the writing on the wall (you are not getting paid the way you used to so just get over it). It was obvious that Konica Minolta didn't want a huge changeover but really did want to slowly change out all of their employees to new ones that would only remember Konica Minolta and not one or the other. The legacy employees were not good for morale and only brought strife and improper expectations. The original expectation was that if you don't make a six figure income we will fire you. The new expectation was be lucky to have a job and hope you make 65-80k.

IKON and Ricoh's situation was quite different. Ricoh tried to preserve the unique identity of IKONITES. They were very keen on putting value on their individuality and importance. Great steps were taken to try to keep key employees put until the changeover was complete. Leadership was lacking though as IKON had become weak and instable. How can the largest independent distributor of office products in the world get taken over? Who would let this happen? Hedge fund operators that were looking to plunder gold at any cost, that effectively were nothing but corporate pirates. These raiders and marauders slowly and methodically purchased stock and held it for ransom till they were able to manipulate the books till IKON looked like an attractive buy. Leadership had lost the desire to fight and had become fat, slow and lost the entrepreneurial spirit. IKON's growth pattern was like a dwarfed child with no way to grow into the fulfillment of the promise that it had once offered. As a result she became a victim of greatness. Her size and distribution model soon became the desire of others that didn't want to create their own but saw IKON as a cheap alternative since she had become so weak and unprofitable.

IKON was built on the conquering spirit and had become a fierce competitor to do battle with. Over time their success had created greed and sloth. (See the 7 deadly sins of a copier salesmen to fully understand this dynamic) IKON became vain and without potency. Something like 21 companies bid for IKON; Canon, HP, Samsung are some of the ones that I heard of. (If you know where I can find documentation on whom bid for IKON and how that went down please let me know) Now after the acquisition there is much restructuring being done to become the new Ricoh; the new one world leader.

One would have thought that promotional opportunities would have been wide spread as many of IKON's people did leave to places far off. But as the people left the leadership found it more attractive to place "new" talent in place that did not know of the IKON way. The compensation plan was very slowly adapted to a new way of thinking. This new "manufacturers" view of box placement and aftermarket preservation took a while to settle in and is still being implemented now as we speak. Territories have not changed that much as they really have tried to preserve IKON's identity and run it as a "wholly owned" subsidiary for the mean time. People were viewed as an asset and respect was placed on maintaining the integrity of the local branch and employees. But IKON really expects you to take care of yourself, they do not see the value in "getting you paid." If you cannot figure it out for yourself you are surely out of luck. They still believe in the "only the strong survive," and do expect that everyone that comes aboard has a sharp sword and is ready to use it. (Even if it means cutting a few throats in the initial onboarding) I almost find it funny sometimes as I have almost become accustomed to it.

Other employers love to hire IKON employees as they bring the "blood lust" to their people. We revitalize their troops in a way that we will never fully understand, but it is why we get so many phone calls. If you survive you are a "keeper." Leadership at IKON is much more methodical than Konica Minolta but the leadership at Konica Minolta was much more visionary. I can still remember seeing the President of Konica Minolta come to the local branch and taking time to meet and inspire the local people. IKON is the exact opposite they do not have time to be bothered. I have seen people I didn't know walk to the corner office and leave within an hour to only find out that it was the National VP of Sales or some other high powered title to watch them gather their things and leave as quickly as they came. They would rather do a "focus" group then actually meet the people and refocus the troops. This is the mistake that Konica Minolta did in the acquisition of Danka; they did not reach down and pull everyone up this time as they did in the merger.

But I have decided that "acquisitions" are much different that "mergers." In a merger everyone is more hey we are a team that is now stronger to take on bigger foes, in an acquisition you are more the conquered one and must be subservient. People look down but they do not reach down to pull you up. They look at their new purchase in a fish bowl and see how neat their new pet is. In a merger you look over at your new comrade in arms and hope he is carrying a big stick and extra ammunition as you go to slay goliath. Konica Minolta was a 'small' company that had 'big' dreams. Their dream was to become a tier 1 player in the game of office equipment and imaging/document services. Ricoh's dream is to be the 'one world leader.'

So in this I have seen many different approaches and cadences. I have seen good management and poor management, good leadership and poor leadership. I cannot tell you exactly what good leadership is but I know it when I see it. I can 'feel' it. It is the love – hate relationship that you have with overcoming your fears and taking new ground. It is the fear of taking the hill then rejoicing as the hill falls to your power. Good leaders empower their people to conquer and do not hold them back but send them out as berserkers. For those of you that do not understand the reference and its importance; "Berserkers (or Berserks) were Norse warriors who wore coats of wolf or bear skin and were commonly understood to have fought in an uncontrollable rage or trance of fury, hence the modern word berserk."

We now more than ever must come to grips with our fears, overcome our call reluctance and go forth with frenzy. We must take our market share by force and win friends and influence people with the sharp edge of the sword and the tactical advantage of a calculator and well worked spreadsheet. Some days I love the challenge and other days I wish I was dead. Today I was up for the challenge. I will probably reword this blog many times over so you can read it every day and it will change as the season and circumstances change. One thing that you will find out about Pirate Mike is that I am not stubborn in my knowledge. I fully bend and flow as my understanding changes. I hope to evolve my understanding of my circumstances and the events around me and hope to be a survivor and a thriver in this harsh economy and time in our industry.

So WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Pirate Mike

Here is to good hunting… May you kill everything that falls into your sights…

Leading Pirate Style...

Leaders are created and not born just like salesman. Some have more of a propensity for greatness than others. Good leaders have many traits that we can admire and adopt for ourselves. I have had some awesome examples of leaders. I feel like I am very fortunate to have had and still have some great mentors at many different levels.

I believe that leadership can come in many forms, and can be very personal. I take leadership very seriously. I have a tendency to exhibit my individuality in my leadership style. I like to let others know that I am unique and enjoy sharing my passion. I like others to see this through my lifestyle and by the way that I act and react.

I like to extend my hand to those around me to identify myself as one that embraces their humanity. I like to celebrate people’s diversity and be a guiding factor to their success in the endeavors we engage in. I like to lead in little ways. I enjoy being the odd duck and am not afraid to be counted when there is a confrontation. I encourage disagreement and discussion. I do not want anyone to give me a pat answer, when I ask for their opinion I want it as honestly as they can deliver it.

I try to play devil’s advocate in most of my thought processes so allow myself to see both sides of an issue. I am very opinionated, but open minded enough to change my opinion when new facts are evident. I try to participate in the lives of those around me; I do not want to be seen lying around and failing to act. I make decisions quickly and react to my environment as thoughtfully as I can.

I lead by doing; when those that see me respect my thoughts and actions they have given me the greatest gift. I thrive on excellence and cannot stand it when I allow myself to settle. I make plans, plot my actions, hold myself accountable, measure my progress and reassess the situation as often as I can when in a project.

I will do what others will not. This is the key to my success. I will do want YOU will not, this is my advice to you. Look around and see what the masses are doing, then turn about face and go the other direction. As a pirate I tend to be a bit aggressive in my actions at times. Sometimes I do not ask permission. There are many days that I would rather draw a sword than a pen. Not that I forsake the pen, as that would be grossly inaccurate as well. But rather I am not shy to embrace the rule of the sword and understand and comfortable with the eventuality of my fate.

I put the war pain on every day and am grateful for my time that I have to sail and fight. I work in an environment where only the strong survive and where many a want a be warrior gets sacrificed. Over the last 4-5 years I have seen many a college graduate fail do to lack of leadership and lack of passion. You must live with passion and let it fill every area of your life.

Struggle as I may, I enjoy the fight and the feeling of victory. I am no stranger to tragedy and can cope with an emergency with the best of them. I am strong when I need to be and soft as I really am. I do not see the benefit to living as a rogue with no emotions. But yet I love to hold a lady bug as she forages along my hand. I like to watch the sun rise and fall into the water. I am not a stranger to the darkness as it shields my progress toward a common goal of overtaking my enemy.

I never let my goals or enemies out of sight or mind. I keep them close to my heart. I love a good battle and encourage competition from a formidable foe. I will take my steps without looking and draw my arm with passion. I love to put a face with my battles and a name to my failures.

I allow passion to carry me like the winds of the ocean as they sweep me off to my destination. I let emotion riddle me with fleeting thoughts. I like to sit on the bank and think great thoughts. I love to discus great mysteries and allow my mind to discover new avenues of contemplation. A great debate is a treasure. To live with passion is to be an addict to the one of the most powerful drugs of all. To let adrenaline set in is to feed the monster like a junkie.

I am quick to draw a sword and just as quick to lay it aside to embrace friend or foe. I do not take advantage but yet do not allow for mistakes from my competitors. I celebrate a victory and morn a great defeat. I allow myself to make mistakes and support others in their endeavors. I believe in the team concept and am not unfamiliar with taking the bull by the horns and wrestling him to the ground.

I have starred a tiger down and out struck a viper. I have out run a lion and rode an ostrich. I have walked and talked with the animals, and have waited quietly for their responses. I commune with nature and love to teach another my secrets. I do not cast my pearls before swine but am not stingy with the truths that have been revealed to me. My mouth carries my voice loudly but my heart quietly waits the responses of others. I listen as intently as my emotions show my intensity.

I like to lead in the small things and let the large things take care of themselves. I like to be first, and charge the door of uncertainty with the vigor of a dea agent. I believe in others and only seek their respect in return. I like to be the first into battle, and will stay until it is over. I go out in the face of a storm and take off the raingear to be one with my fears. I love to lay by the shore and watch the clouds drift by in mindless shapes.

I love to lead pirate style.