Saturday, April 24, 2010

“Job change can cause drama in friendships; an ... - Crain's Chicago Business” plus 3 more

“Job change can cause drama in friendships; an ... - Crain's Chicago Business” plus 3 more

Job change can cause drama in friendships; an ... - Crain's Chicago Business

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 11:57 AM PDT

For a year-and-a-half, Tina Bishop and a close friend spent nearly every day together, lunching, running errands and taking care of their kids.

Ms. Bishop, a registered nurse who works part time, met Christine Colbrook when their children shared a babysitter in Lombard, where they both live: "Our friendship just developed," says Ms. Bishop, 41. "We'd call each other every day."

But in November, financial circumstances forced Ms. Colbrook to find full-time work. Ms. Bishop was torn between "selfish" feelings of loss and supporting her friend: "It was hard," she says. "I knew our relationship was going to change."

It did. Because Ms. Colbrook is busy at work, "it can't be fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, like it was," Ms. Bishop says. She misses the camaraderie and support Ms. Colbrook offered. "She kept me on track, and now I feel like I've lost that."

Her friend agrees that her full-time job puts a strain on their friendship. "We try to keep in touch every day, if only by sending a text message," says Ms. Colbrook, 42, an administrative and accounting consultant.

Still, the friendship isn't as "in-depth as it was," Ms. Colbrook says. "I miss her a lot. I miss her terribly."

A change in a work situation affects friendships as surely as getting married or having a baby, and for the same general reason: logistics. Some are surprised by the impact — after all, isn't friendship deeper than your job title? — while others see it coming.

Vickie Austin, a Wheaton-based business coach, has seen clients turn down a job or promotion for fear of the effect it would have on their friendships: "People in mid-career have a calling . . . they feel compelled to explore it and possibly make a big change," Ms. Austin says. "But that threatens everything they've built."

Promotions accompanied by big raises can be especially threatening: "You're not in the same social circle anymore," Ms. Austin notes, adding that she believes women are especially vulnerable to changes that might upset the power balance in relationships.

Plus, friendships rely on routine more than people like to admit: "People underestimate the power of logistics," Ms. Austin says.

Teresa Fincher knows that all too well: Friends drifted away when she left her sales job at a magazine publisher 10 years ago to stay home with her children. "The people you see on a daily basis, those are the people you build relationships with," says Ms. Fincher, 43, who lives in St. Charles. "You can't build relationships with people if you don't see them."

The "out of sight, out of mind" principle played havoc with Justyn Howard's social life.

Mr. Howard left a group of good friends when, in 2005, he resigned from a position at a Rosemont software-training firm to work for Learn.com Inc., which sells learning-management software, out of his Chicago apartment.

"I didn't think (the change) would affect friendships at all," says Mr. Howard, 30, founder and president of Sprout Social Inc., a Chicago-based company that helps firms grow via social media.

But it did, and Mr. Howard blames himself. He drifted away, refusing invitations to after-work gatherings if it meant a drive out to Rosemont and backing out of social plans when he wanted to work late.

By mid-2006, Mr. Howard was virtually friendless. "I didn't give enough credit to the proximity factor — making time to hang out, things like that," he says.

TOO DISTANT

Since launching Sprout Social a year ago, Mr. Howard is making more of an effort to organize social events and accept invitations. He's also reconnected with his old friends, but their once-close connection has evaporated and the conversation is mundane and repetitive.

"It's always like we're re-catching up," he says. "I really value their friendships, but if I see them twice a year — that's a good year."

Nancy Gerstein and Marcie Lance, friends for years after meeting in college, went into business together against the advice of pretty much everybody: "They said it would destroy our friendship," says Ms. Gerstein, 51, CEO of Creative Marketing Associates Inc. in Highland Park.

"I had business associates say, 'Don't do it — I can tell you horror stories,' " agrees Ms. Lance, 51, who is president of their firm.

Six years later, Ms. Gerstein and Ms. Lance's business is thriving, and the two women remain close. But to their surprise, their closeness has put a strain on other friendships.

"People are almost disappointed that we're together and still speaking to each other," Ms. Gerstein says. One friend in particular is jealous of their friendship to the point of making Ms. Gerstein choose sides.

Other friends are uncomfortable getting together with the two "because all we talk about is business," Ms. Lance says. "People feel left out." As a result, their group of friends has shrunk.

Job changes can also bring misunderstandings to the surface.

Wendy Tynan and Marcia Metzcus have been friends since the early 1990s. When Ms. Metzcus retired in 2004, the two came to realize they had different expectations of friendship.

At the Chicago office of DDB Worldwide Communications Inc., where both had worked, "we did the best thinking together," recalls Ms. Tynan, 56, now director of client services at CBIZ MHM LLC, a Chicago-based accounting and tax advisory firm.

But Ms. Tynan felt her friend drift away after retirement: few or no phone calls or e-mails, plus refusals of invitations to impromptu lunches or get-togethers in Indiana, where they both own homes.

After a year or so of dwindling communication, Ms. Tynan confronted her friend, only to find that each woman had expected the other to shoulder the burden of keeping in touch.

A year ago, the two women patched up their friendship, thanks to a work-like venture: a blog Ms. Tynan keeps about her struggles with weight loss. Ms. Metzcus, 62, contributes to the blog, and they brainstorm ideas for it.

"We have the cool thinking partnership we did when we were working together," Ms. Tynan says, and Ms. Metzcus agrees: "It's given us something to connect over and work on."

Some friends find their relationship strained not when they stop working together, but when they start: The required professionalism inhibits their say-anything closeness.

NO PERSONAL TIME

Julia Billen and Vickie Wash have known each other since their grade-school days in Baltimore. For years, they maintained a long-distance friendship, with Ms. Billen in the Chicago area and Ms. Wash in Baltimore.

Five years ago, Ms. Wash left her job to work for Ms. Billen at Warmly Yours, a Lake Zurich-based maker of heated floors that Ms. Billen helped launched 11 years ago.

They now see each other every day but miss spending personal time with each other. "Our friendship is more during office time, less out of the office," says Ms. Billen, 49, who lives in Lake Zurich. "I used to see her on weekends, or we'd take vacations together. That doesn't happen anymore."

Their conversations are different, too. "I was able to tell her about my day — I could even complain a little bit," Ms. Billen says. "Clearly, I don't do that anymore." Pieces of important information sometimes fall through the cracks.

Ms. Wash no longer offers her friend business advice, as she did in the past. "Before I came to work with her, we would talk very freely about what happened at work," says Ms. Wash, 49, who lives in Volo. "Now I respect those boundaries more."

But witnessing Ms. Billen's everyday life has its benefits: Now I see, "up close and personal, what happens in her life every day."

Her friend's life, Ms. Wash says, "is more real to me."

©2010 by Crain Communications Inc.

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Vick draws crowd at signing, gets big ovation at Lane ... - Roanoke Times

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 12:19 PM PDT

BLACKSBURG — Michael Vick returned to Blacksburg for the first time in five years on Saturday, garnering a warm welcome from fans at his alma mater.

Vick received a standing ovation from an estimated crowd of 40,000 at halftime of the Virginia Tech spring game, the longest and most vociferous cheer of any of the 14 former players who were introduced.

Earlier, roughly 400 fans paid $25 or $30 for Vick's autograph — with a portion of the proceeds going to charity — at Tech Bookstore prior to the Virginia Tech spring game. Others had to be turned away after the line snaked through the store and created waits of 90 minutes or more.

"It's great," Vick said of the reaction at the bookstore. "This is a place where I spent three years of my life and I was able to build relationships with people and put myself in my position where I could take care of myself for the rest of my life and also further my education. It's a great group of people here, and I've still got a lot of love and respect for them."

Other than one man outside who asked people to sign a petition to build a dog park, the event was free of controversy or protest. Vick, who now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, served 21 months in federal prison on felony charges related to dog fighting.

"It doesn't really bother me anymore," said Tech junior Tadd Haislop, who lined up at 6:30 a.m., four hours before the start of the event. "He served his time. He did what he had to do. I do believe he changed."

Vick's management company has promised at least a $1,000 donation to the Humane Society of Montgomery County from the signing.

For more quotes from Michael Vick, visit http://blogs.roanoke.com/rtblogs/pressbox/

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Workforce / Project Manager - Herald Tribune

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 02:10 AM PDT

Classifieds

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Cegedim Dendrite CRM Solution, Mobile Intelligence ... - Businesswire.com

Posted: 20 Apr 2010 06:57 PM PDT

Mobility is Key to Increase Effectiveness & Productivity of Commercial Teams

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cegedim Dendrite today announced the availability of its flagship Customer Relationship Management (CRM) suite, Mobile Intelligence, for iPad® and iPhone® users. Cegedim Dendrite, the world's leading provider of pharmaceutical CRM with a 35% market share, continues to deliver innovative and industry specific solutions to immediately increase its customers' effectiveness and productivity.

"Our customers are focused on increasing their teams' effectiveness and productivity while on the go. Mobile Intelligence for iPad® and iPhone® enables them to maximize their interactions with their stakeholders by leveraging real time customer data and location-based services through state-of-the-art devices"

Increasing Commercial Teams' Productivity

Individuals in commercial teams within Life Sciences companies travel every day to build deeper relationships with their stakeholders across multiple locations in a given territory. Successful Life Sciences companies focus on leveraging proven mobile devices to increase their commercial teams' effectiveness and productivity as these tools deliver a competitive advantage by enabling these individuals to stay permanently connected to their CRM solution, access real time data, update customer profiles, leverage map location capabilities and deliver rich, multi-media presentations on complex topics.

"Our customers are focused on increasing their teams' effectiveness and productivity while on the go. Mobile Intelligence for iPad® and iPhone® enables them to maximize their interactions with their stakeholders by leveraging real time customer data and location-based services through state-of-the-art devices," explained Laurent Labrune, Chief Executive Officer of Cegedim Dendrite. "The convenience of carrying a super lightweight device, while having off-line or on-line access to the robust functionality of Mobile Intelligence, enables our customers to do what they do best - build relationships with their stakeholders."

Mobile Intelligence for iPad® or iPhone® devices is available via multi-tenant SaaS delivery or priced as a perpetual license, giving customers the maximum flexibility in selecting the option that best fits their needs.

The iPad and iPhone families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Apple, Inc.

About Cegedim Dendrite

Cegedim Dendrite (Paris:CGM) is the Life Sciences industry's leading provider of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions. Designed specifically for Life Sciences, the company's innovative business solutions incorporate a thorough understanding of local, regional and worldwide trends. Cegedim Dendrite enables more than 200,000 users in many of the world's most innovative companies to stay ahead of market challenges. In addition to CRM, Cegedim Dendrite also provides marketing, data optimization and regulatory compliance solutions in more than 80 countries.

Cegedim Dendrite is part of the France-based Cegedim S.A. Group.

To learn more, please visit www.cegedimdendrite.com.

About Cegedim

Founded in 1969, Cegedim is a global technology and services company specializing in the healthcare field. Cegedim supplies services, technological tools, specialized software, data flow management services and databases. Its offerings are targeted notably at healthcare industries, life sciences companies, healthcare professionals and insurance companies. The world leader in life sciences CRM, Cegedim is also one of the leading suppliers of strategic healthcare industry data. Cegedim employs 8,600 people in more than 80 countries and generated revenue of €874 million in 2009.

Cegedim SA is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: CGM).

To learn more, please visit: www.cegedim.com

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