After Dark: RUFF Year? THE POLICE ARE HERE!

IT'S MONDAY NIGHT, DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR LINKEDIN AFTER DARK IS?

You've arrived at  the digital party where Social Networking (See our comment section below), Music and Business converge.

Pre-Show Existential Parking Space Search With Matthew McConaughey 

Curtain Time 

 To Lasting Friendships

 Welcome to the Last LinkedIn After Dark of the Year

A year ago this week I learned something about myself on this platform. An influencer wrote an article about success slanted toward women. It was featured on Pulse's Professional Women channel as the word "Women" was in the title. Fine and well except for the fact that the post in question was definitely applicable to men as well.

My inner voice wouldn't sit still for this and an impulse arose to do something: I wrote a comment requesting that the author change the title to reflect the relevancy to a broader audience. I received a "like" from the author for that, but nothing happened. An hour later I wrote a second comment once again requesting a title change which went ignored. I went back and left a third comment a few hours later expecting nothing. To my surprise the headline was updated and the word "Women" was removed!

I'll never know whether the author viewed me as a nuisance or in a more positive light. There's absolutely no way to know for sure. What I do know is that I learned that at times I'm willing to face ridicule and possible scorn to stand up for something that I believe in.  

Many individuals have been featured on LinkedIn After Dark so far and we'll be seeing more in the year(s) to come. For many of you that have engaged-whether frequently or infrequently-whether online or offline, it's been a profound experience. As I reflect where I've been and where I'm headed I'd like to formally acknowledge everyone that hasn't been featured yet but has made a difference in this Mlogger's (Music + Blog = Mlog - thank you for coining the term John White) journey nonetheless.

Alan Geller (Updated Photo)

While there isn't enough room to acknowledge everyone, here's a small representative sample from our engaging community:

 

MaryJane Obichere

 

 

 

 

Lisa Gallagher

  

 

 

Thomas Parr

 

   

 

Timi Nadela

 

 

 

 

 

Timi Nadela ( Photo Above) on a Bad Day

Thom Chow (Stand-In Model)

 

 

Antoinette Capasso

 

 

  Nick Padilla (Photo Below)

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Samira Akpan (Photo Above)

 

 

 

 

Robin A Henderson

 

 

 

Joel Anderson (This Might Really Be Him)

 

 

 

 

Francoise Morvan

 

 

 

 

Edward Hoefing

 

 

 

 

 

Audience Tribute: Here With Me - Susie Suh & Robert Koch

LinkedIn After Dark Intro/Theme From New York City: 

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love, Lisa Fischer and Friends

 

Robyn D. Shulman's Space Needle (The Place for Higher Education) is Now Open

This Week's Definitely Ready for Prime Time Guest Listers: Sou Abbas, Anupriya Abnave, Dupe Adeoye, Rui Aguadeiro, Doug Ales, Qamar Ali Khan, Chase Baker, Justin Bariso, Whitney L. Barkley, Olivia Barrow, Denise M. Barry, Monica Bazi, Amy J. Biel, Mathew Biju, Kaylaa T. Blackwell, Steve Blakeman, Conor Boden, Jennifer Boggs, Andrew Books, Renee Booths, Laurent Boscherini, Larry Boyer, Danielle E. Brockman, John Budriss, Marc Bulandr, Sidney Camargo, Nicola Chambers-Holder, Debesh Choudhury, Ridhard Ciach, Nick Ciubotariu, Kathie Kinde Clark, Michael Clarke, Daniel Cohen, Matthew Cohen, Peter Cook, Cheryl Snapp Conner, Tony Cordingley, Margarita Cramer, Mark Cranney, Marietta Gentles Crawford, Paul Croubalian, JC Cruz, John Curran, Tasha Curtis, Kimberly Davis, Dianne Dawson, Juliet de Baubigny, Tess De Marzo, Marielle de Natris, Pascal Derrien, Milos Djukic,  James Dooney, Paul Drury, Michael Durcan, Kushal Ekbote, Sarah Elkins, Barry Enderwick, Donna-Luisa Eversley, Nir Eyal, Odile Faludi, Gregory Foster, Byron Frayne, Phil Friedman, Dan Galante, Cory Galbraith, Chuck Garcia, Mary Gee, Teagan Geneviene, Jacqui Genow, Tasia Gonsalves-Barriero, Tom Goodwin, Roshan Manjunath Gowda, Marianne Griebler, Karen Gross, Peter Gruben, Bin Guan, Kent Gustavson, Melissa Harmon, Deb Helfrich, R. Leonardo Helton, Julie Hickman, Neil Hughes, Brigette Hyacinth, Shama Hyder, Thomas Jackson, Melvin Jarman, Elizabeth Jeanne Dehn, Rachel Jones, Steve Karlik, Suzanne Kelly, Megan Lucas, Joanne S. Kim, Harley King,  Artur Kozik, George Kripner, Phil Larabee, Jackie Larson, Glenn Leibowitz, Rod Loader, Tod Machover, Juliet Markby, John Marrett, Katie Martell, Catherine McDonald, James McElearney, Bob McIntosh, Brian McKenzie, Arnie McKinnis, Dustin McKissen, Lorena Mena Camare, Laura Mikolaitis, Amanda Mitchell, Kevin Mitnick, Asim Mohapatra, Jim Murray, Rekha Narayan, Ian Nethercott, Danielle Newnham, Kaia Niambi Shivers, Jan Johnston Osburn, Simon Owens, Douglas W. Palmer, Adam Park, Paula M. Parker, Loribeth Pierson, Becky Ponce, Karthik Rajan, Nicola Ray, Justin Reilly, Ralph Richter, Salma Rodriguez, Reno Schembri, Kate Schwid, Trent Selbrede, Vinod Sharma, Siraj Shaik, Soheir Shalaby, Deepak Sharma, Sky Sharma, Vishal Sharma, Gary Sharpe, Jatin Sheth, Pankaj Shrivastava, Melissa Shull, Yvan Sidler, Cheryl Stieffel, Jeffrey Strickland, Joseph David Thomas, Will Thompson, Brynne Tillman, Tai Tran, Thomas Trang, Cindy Tripodi, Shenoy U.K., Amy Wang, Natasha Weisheimer, John White, Kellye Whitney, Kiara Imani Williams, Pamela I. Williams, Martin Wright, Gillian Zoe Segal and... Diane Young 

Meet Dr. Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin

Dr. Howard E. Wasdin

Dr. Howard E. Wasdin (born Howard E. Wilbanks on November 8, 1961) is a former member of the United States Navy who served as a sailor in the Atlantic Fleet as well as a Navy SEAL. Following his honorable discharge, he co-wrote the autobiographical memoir SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper. He also wrote "I Am A Seal Team Six Warrior memoirs of an American soldier". Howard E. Wasdin served in operation Desert Storm and was part of the operation to capture Aidid, a warlord oppressing Mogadishu. It was in the operation that Howard Wasdin was shot and almost lost his leg. He now lives in Georgia after 12 years of service.

He is the author of SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper, an autobiographical memoir he co-wrote with Stephen Templin. The book details some of the extreme training that United States Navy SEALs go through, as well as his experiences in the Navy. (Source: Wikipedia)

Stephen Templin

Since elementary school, STEPHEN TEMPLIN felt a need to write, dreaming of becoming a novelist, and now he is a New York Times and international bestselling author, with the movie rights to one of his books purchased by Vin Diesel. Steve's books have been translated into thirteen languages. He is a "hybrid" author who maintains active book contracts with top publishers such as Simon and Schuster and St. Martin's Press while also publishing independently.

After high school, he completed Hell Week, qualified as a pistol and rifle expert, blew up stuff, and practiced small-unit tactics during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. Later, Steve left the Navy and became a missionary. Then for fourteen years he lectured as a tenured professor at Meio University in Japan, where he practiced the martial art aikido. His PhD is in education, and he lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Feel free to talk with Steve through Twitter and Facebook.

Notes

Through his scope the sniper becomes intimately familiar with his target often over a period of time learning his lifestyle and habits. The target probably has done nothing to directly hurt the sniper, yet when the time comes the sniper must be able to complete the mission. I aimed my Win Mag in the old man's direction 500 yards away. Casanova viewed him in the spotter's scope. "Stand by, stand by. Three, two, one, execute, execute." The target in my sights, I squeezed the trigger on the first 'execute.' Right between the eyes-I nailed the donkey... I felt pretty good about not shooting the old fart.

"Our convoy slowed down, and a booger-eater emerged in a doorway aiming his AK-47 right at me. I brought my six hour across; double tap. I made that double head shot over a thousand times in training. Under the present combat conditions, I rushed the shot. Miss! Adrenaline pumping at full-blast the world seemed to decelerate around me. The booger-eater pulled the trigger in slow motion. The bullet hit my right shin bone practically blowing off my lower right leg. His bolt went back, the empty casing ejected. This guy ain't playing around. I took an extra half second and got on my front sight. Like John Shaw says, "Smooth is fast." Double tap. Both rounds hit him in the face. If I'd have taken that extra half second the first time, I could have capped his ass and saved my leg.

Once again, death had just missed me. Like it missed when the enemy shot down the QRF helo killing 3 men... Like it missed when mortars bombed the CIA compound I had visited the day before. Like all the other misses. I thought maybe Casanova and I could have made a difference if we were riding in the QRF helicopter flight when the three men died. It hadn't occurred to me that maybe I could have been killed. It hadn't occurred to me that God was looking out for us. Now, 48 years old and not as cocky, I wonder. Would I have been able to get the enemy before he got me? Maybe people would have been coming to my memorial ceremony." - SEAL TEAM SIX MEMOIRS OF AN ELITE NAVY SEAL SNIPER

 

Howard and Stephen's SURPRISE! Theme Song: Bad to the Bone - George Thorogood

 

INTERMISSION

 

What SURPRISES! Are In Store For You This Year?

LinkedIn Profile: Meet James Citrin, Author, The Career Playbook & Leader, CEO Practice at Spencer Stuart

Jim Citrin is a noted expert on leadership, executive success, and CEO succession. He is the author of six books, including the critically acclaimed "You Need a Leader, Now What? How to Choose the Best Person for Your Organization," and international bestsellers, "You're in Charge, Now What?" and "The Five Patterns of Extraordinary Careers."

Jim is one of the world's foremost executive recruiters and leads Spencer Stuart's North American Board & CEO Practice. Throughout his 19 years at Spencer Stuart, Jim has completed more than 500 CEO, board director, and top management searches for leading media, technology, communications and consumer companies, as well as private-equity firms and major not-for-profit institutions.

Jim graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College and served as a trustee on the Vassar Board for 12 years and is currently a trustee at Wesleyan University (where two of his three children were/are students). He obtained his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, graduating with distinction.

Notes

"Even when career opportunities are plentiful and you have multiple alternatives, sorting out how to think about your choices, what to do and what actions to take is still a high-stakes game fraught with confusing choices and potential career landmines. Career decisions always have to be made with uncertain and incomplete information and often under significant timing, financial, and emotional pressure. Too often, important lessons become clear only in hindsight.

My hope is that some or many of the questions I write about will speak to your personal situation and that the answers and dialogue with fellow readers will put you on, get you back on, or keep you on the most successful and fulfilling career path for you." - What Do You Want To Know About Getting To The Top — And Staying There?

"The Permission Paradox" - You can’t get the job without the experience but you can’t get the experience without the job - is one of the great career Catch-22s. This challenge will confront you over the lifetime of your career, whether you’re trying to break into the work force or you're to become a CEO for the first time. -  How to Get the Job When You Don't Have the Experience

"It turned out that the vast majority of (Navy SEALs) didn't quit when they were out braving the cold, wet or otherwise inhospitable conditions. They didn’t quit in the middle of the demanding and stressful exercises. Most quit over breakfast or lunch. They quit in anticipation of the difficult conditions to come. They self-eliminated, not because they didn't have the abilities to perform the tasks, but because they feared that the coming challenges would be too difficult and they would then fail (and fail in front of their classmates)." - The No. 1 Lesson from Navy SEALs: 'Don't Quit in Anticipation of Future Failure'

"In doing a CEO search a board can and should have a very tight, confidential process that starts with establishing a project name and shared commitment among the board and outside advisers to keep things strictly under wraps. A spec is developed by interviewing members of the board, reviewing strategic plans, and determining what the forward looking leadership requirements are to achieve the strategy. A targeted list of prospective candidates who meet the criteria is identified, reviewed, and prioritized by the board and a short list is agreed on for outreach. Then either board members or an executive search firm reaches out to the high priority candidates and invites them into the process.

Extensive interviewing, assessment, and referencing is conducted and when there is a candidate of choice selected, negotiations and transition planning ensue. When all goes smoothly, the board has a robust slate of candidates, each representing different trade offs, and decides to put its confidence behind the chosen candidate. All the other candidates go back to their day jobs and hopefully feel well treated and communicated with in the process." - Marissa Mayer’s 2 Years at Yahoo and How Confidential CEO Searches Are Done

See James' LinkedIn Author Page here

James' SURPRISE! Theme Song: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2

 

LinkedIn Profile: Meet Warren Berger 

Author and speaker specializing in innovation, creativity, design, the media, advertising, and general business. Author of five books (latest: A MORE BEAUTIFUL QUESTION: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas), many articles for consumer magazines and newspapers (Wired, Fast Company, The New York Times). Founding editor of ONE, a quarterly magazine on advertising and design. Co-owner of WBLK Media, Inc., handling business projects such as book proposals and ghostwriting, annual reports, custom publications, and speechwriting (Sony, Samsung, Starwood, Ogilvy & Mather, Virgin Atlantic).

Notes

Though he wondered about a great many things, Einstein was deliberate in choosing which questions to tackle. In one of his more well traveled quotes-which he may or may not have actually said-he reckoned that if he had an hour to solve a problem and his life depended on it, he'd spend the first fifty-five minutes making sure he was answering the right question.

"So perhaps the first rule of asking why is that there must be a pause, a space, an interruption in the meeting, a halt of progress; a quiet moment looking out the window on the bus. Often, these are the only times when there is time to question."

"(Ben) Affleck told an interviewer "The question became ok, you can do it. Now what do you want to say?" That right there is a beautiful question for the ages. What do you want to say? Why does it need to be said? What if you could say it in a way that has never been done before? How might you do that?... If it's a question worth pursuing it will likely also be confounding, frustrating, exhausting." - A More Beautiful Question

Ben Affleck

Warren's SURPRISE! Theme Song: Why - Annie Lennox

Grand Finale: Meet Our Official Dance Cam Representative - Jeremy Fry (He IS LinkedIn After Dark!)

Good Night and Happy Holidays. There's no homework and no cliffhanger ending this week so just get out there and enjoy! As for me, I'll be right here on this page for the next two weeks while you're all having fun. 

C U Monday January 4th 2016 @ 8:30 PM Eastern Time

 

Let's Keep Going!!!

It's Raining Again - Roger Hodgson

 Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order