Susan Schneider’s Blog

Turkey for you, Turkey for me

I know there are some great traditional songs for the Thanksgiving holiday, but today’s title comes from Adam Sandler’s 1991 “Turkey Song;” one of my favorite SNL moments. As much as I would like to pen something just as creative, I have decided to hand the keyboard over to my nine-year-old daughter who is going to share two Thanksgiving poems with all of you.

Thanksgiving Day will soon be here,
It comes around but once a year.
If I could only have my way,
We’d have Thanksgiving every day.

The little girl said, as she asked for more,
But what is the Turkey thankful for?

I know that I am thankful for so many things, especially my family and my health. Here is wishing a wonderful Thanksgiving to you and your family, and a day filled with whatever you find to be thankful for.

Assume Nothing

This is a saying that I use personally as well as in my work life. I won’t go into the definition of “assume” because I am sure you have heard how some people describe it, not necessarily appropriate for this blog. Yet the phrase “assume nothing” can be quite helpful.

Consider emails. How many times have you received an email and thought you knew exactly what the writer intended, only to find out that you put your own spin on the contents. After a series of back and forth emails, did you finally get to the original point? Or, have you found yourself preparing for a meeting, only to realize that the agenda for the meeting was nothing what you expected?

Maybe we are afraid to ask clarifying questions for fear of coming across as ignorant. Or possibly, we feel that we are wasting someone’s time by requesting more information. Whatever the reason, it is good to remind ourselves that there is no harm in gathering all necessary facts. Whether you find yourself in a team meeting, talking with a client, or responding to a transferee’s e-mail, don’t be afraid to ask questions. No one expects you to know everything, or understand exactly what they are trying to convey. The few extra minutes spent in understanding will pay off in the long run. You will be better served if you “assume nothing but expect anything.”

Serving Soup

For those of us who have the pleasure (ha!) of traveling regularly, you know all about the extra time spent taking off your shoes, getting your “very dangerous” three-ounce beauty products into a plastic baggy, and tossing your laptop into the bin. While you are gripping onto your boarding pass and driver’s license in your teeth, it leaves you plenty of time to make new friends. Well, I had such an opportunity a few weeks ago. I struck up a conversation with a nice gentleman from Europe who was kind enough to listen to my opinions on the upcoming election. I think this was clearly his first mistake.

Anyway, as this gentleman and I were chatting, he must have sensed my “passion” on the issues. He interrupted me and told me that he wanted to share an old German saying that he believed summed up his overall feeling of the election. He said “Just remember, the soup is always cooked hotter than it is served.” And just like that, I got a good dose of clarity. You see I, like many others I am sure, had been processing so much of what I was hearing and reading that I had immediately gone to the worse case scenario. Between watching the news, reading the headlines, or listening to those never-ending political ads (I have never been so happy to see an end to these), we are consistently sent messages of doom and gloom. Worse yet, we fear for our futures. Consumer confidence has been at an all time low, and it is inevitable that this causes us all to question our business and personal lives.

The reality is much of what the media exposes us to, is inflated drama. Drama sells and we buy it. But if I take a moment to get some perspective, I realize that you can’t buy into everything you hear, at least not to the extent that some would like us to believe.  So, going forward I will take these messages with a cup of “tepid” soup.

H.O.P.E. is not a Strategy

At least not for those in the relocation industry. What I am referring to today is the HOPE (Home Owners Preserving Equity) mortgage program. The overall theme of this program is to allow current homeowners who are possibly facing default to refinance their mortgage in partnership with FHA and then share in their current as well as future equity. It is definitely a contract for a long-term relationship considering that FHA will take up to 100% of the equity after the first year and a minimum of 50% after for an agreed amount of time. Borrowers are limited in what they can do in the future as it relates to getting out of the program. I am sure it will be a good answer for some, but probably not those who need to relocate.

You can only imagine the comprehensive paperwork and time it would take to calculate an employee’s equity if they are part of this program, and the possibility of an employee finding out at the eleventh hour that their portion is minimal. So, while I hate to add another task to the ever growing punch list, the question needs to be asked directly. Many might tell you that they are on a FHA, but will forget to share the details.

On a final note, yesterday's elections reminded me of the amazing privilege we carry out when we vote. Part of living in the greatest country in the world means to exercise this responsibility, as our founding fathers intended. Whether or not your candidate was selected, we need to remind ourselves how blessed we are to have the freedom to choose.