Chris Cicconi

Chris Cicconi Inc

Fraction sales, leadership and business development.

Helping founders and early stage sales orgs build repeatable and scalable processes.

Powered by Gap Selling

Founder & Head of Sales

ARC Roasters

We make speciality coffee fun and accessible.

Co-Founder & Chief Caffeination Officer 

Unicrn

Founding Team Member & Jr Partner
Unicrn is a hand-selected collective of the best freelance sales, marketing, revenue operations, and enablement professionals from the world’s fastest growing companies.

Our mission is to quickly and seamlessly connect growing businesses with the right fractional talent to help everyone get farther, faster. Our GTM Pod system matches business needs with proven industry experts who strategize, document, and execute the GTM motion.

Head of Business Development

983 Media Productions, LLC

Working with 983 Media's founder to build partnerships with both potential clients, as well as other vendors, venues etc in an effort to deliver an exceptional eSports experience to all game developers and players.
Taking a leading role in helping 983 launch it's publishing arm - 983 Interactive. 
On air experience:
Host of "The Frontline" The Official Kards Podcast as well as all Official eSports events (a game by 1939 Games)
Gwent Qualifier Caster and Gwent Partner (a game by CD Projekt RED)
Production assistant for the Parallel World Championships

VP of Partnerships

Replicant

Led a team of 7 business development representatives selling an AI powered contact center automation tool to 5 core industries.
Generated over $48M in pipeline so far this fiscal year.
Promoted 2 BDRs to AE roles

Director of Business Development

Visier Inc.

Implemented a "Pipeline Acceleration Plan" to dig out of a pipeline deficit to meet the $59m OKR for the year, 3 months early.
This included growing the team from 6 to 12 BDRs and 2 BDR leads while implementing improved onboarding & framework to help them see success quickly.
The team set a record for the most pipeline generated in the 10+ year history of the company in July.

Senior Manager, Business Development

HRWize

Within this role, I not only handled the full sales cycle, but also hired, trained, developed and lead the full cycle sales team. HRWize is an HRIS system focus on small and medium size businesses of any industry, mainly within Canada, but with no limit to partner globally.

Sales Manager

Aerotek

While continuing to partner with my clients to deliver the highest quality of talent and service, I also manage our Professional Services division in Montreal. This entails both building out strategy and managing, coaching and developing our team of 10 account managers and recruiters to assure that we provide access to the quality candidates you need to support your business.

Continued to grow the divison to over $13M in revenue

Practice Lead - Professional Services

I became the first Account Executive for Aerotek's Professional Services Division in Canada. 
My role entailed business development and management of the fulfillment team for the Professional Services division. 
Lead a team of up to 6 individuals (recruiters & account managers) and grew the division from scratch to over $8M in revenue.
Archived 5 "President's Clubs" and multiple "Million Dollar Clubs".
Won the Director's Award in 2017

Account Executive - Professional Services

I specialized in technical staffing through Aerotek CE® (contract engineering), a division of Aerotek.

Technical Recruiter

Aerotek® Inc. is a leading provider of technical, professional and industrial recruiting and staffing services. We are part of Allegis Group® Inc., the second largest staffing company in the United States.

Sourcing Specialist

Sports Experts

I was responsible for training employees on the technical aspects of products, supervise them, open and close the store and register.

Keyholder

Paying it Forward 👉 One Day at a Time

Salesperson 💸 --> Coach ✍️ --> Leader 🙋‍♂️
Sometimes a content creator 🎥 - always a goofball 【ツ】

I love building things, but not physical things.

I have a passion for building teams, networks, processes, procedures and revenue but most importantly people. 

This had led me to helping founders pivot from founder led sales to a sustainable and scalable sales engine.

Hit me up if you want to talk sales, fractional leadership, 👟or ☕️.
--------------------
I was once given an opportunity that has allowed me to build my wonderful career.
I want to make sure others have the same chance.
#payitforward

Content Creator

Host of "The War Room: The Kards Pre-Game Show" by 983 Media (a game by 1939 games)
Host for all Kards Official eSports events, including the World Championship Series
Host of "The Frontline" The Official Kards Podcast by 983 Media
Gwent Qualifier Caster and Gwent Partner (a game by CD Projekt RED)

Chris 🦄 Cicconi

I lost 150lbs this year! 

What a ride it has been.

Except I didn't, but AI can make the pounds melt away in 30 seconds or less.

LinkedIn is already filled with enough smoke and mirrors
The "8 figure playbooks" (only $99!)
The made up close rates (seriously, I close at 108%)
The engagement bait "Comment 'clown shoes' to unlock my sales secrets"

Now that we can fake physical reality too....It's getting harder to separate reality from fiction. 

Social media is already a mental health minefield, and it will only get worse when AI can fake fitness, success, and bank accounts. 

Critical thinking isn't just a soft skill anymore, it's a survival skill. 

So don't believe everything you read (or see) on here 🙃

Building Sales @ KnowledgeNow | Still Fixing GTM. Still Roasting Bad Takes.

Imagine getting outed for liking your own post...

By a cold email where they mention you liked "Chris Cicconi's post"

Folks, the bar is so low you can walk over it without even noticing....

I should respond that "Chris Cicconi is an absolute 🤡 " and you probably shouldn't quote him in your cold email.

Cold calling is just as much what you say as how you say it.

You can have the perfect script, but if you don’t believe you’re talking to the right person, your tone gives you away.

You hesitate.
You sound uncertain.
You accidentally ask the CEO “uh….is Bob there?” 

Giulio nails it in this video.
Don’t waste time confirming, just dive into the message.

The problem? 
Most reps don’t trust their data enough to do that.

We’ve been conditioned to double-check because we’ve spent YEARS calling the wrong people.

Back when everything went through a receptionist (yes, I’m old), you always knew who you were getting.

Now? It’s all mobile dialing and half the numbers are wrong.

That’s why I use FullEnrich
Their coverage and accuracy gives me the confidence that I’m actually speaking to the right person. So when I dial, I’m not guessing. 

For a proper cold call, what you say has to match how you say it.
Having the right data is what makes it possible. 

Anybody had success with confirming who you're speaking to?
Or do you traditionally jump right into the message and assume you have the right person on the horn?

Brand partnership • Building Sales @ KnowledgeNow | Still Fixing GTM. Still Roasting Bad Takes.

Thanks for proving my point LinkedIn.

I posted on Friday about how I lost 150lbs this year complete with a before and after selfie.

Except that I didn't, the selfie was AI and all I wanted to highlight was how good AI has become.

And my comments were filled with wonderful people supporting this massive life changing event. 

Not sure if it speaks more to AI being credible or people only reading the hook of LinkedIn posts, but my point was still proven.

Don't believe everything you see, read or hear.

Thanks for proving my point

Warning: Boomer take incoming 

I'm happy I started my sales career with minimal technology.

I had Salesforce and old school LinkedIn and that was about it...

Why? 
I had to enter my own notes into Salesforce (and Siebel before that 🤮 )
I had to dial by hand - punching all 10 numbers in with my fat fingers
I had to learn how to write a proper email
I had to learn how to ask prospects and clients for their cell phone numbers

And I could go on and on, but I truly believe that it has allowed me to learn the fundamentals and appreciate all the new tech.

I can power dial, find mobile numbers with the click of a button and have something automate my CRM notes 🤣 

...I still write my emails by hand because AI ain't it. 

What process or technology dates you as a professional?

In honour of US Thanksgiving, I have a hot take.

Stuffing is the superior side.

It doesn't need to be cooked in the turkey.
It can even be with a base of boxed Stove Top.
Spruce it up and it can't be beat.

Gravy makes it better.
Putting olives in it ruins it.

And you will not be able to convince me otherwise.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends.
We need more excuses to eat stuffing.

You're allowed your opinion.
That doesn't mean I have to share that opinion.
And I'm not wrong for disagreeing.

Vicki here doesn't like being on the receiving end of permission based openers.
That's cool, not everybody does.
But it works for some people.

Should those people stop because one person cried about it on the internet? Absolutely not. 

I do agree with her last point though, be natural, be kind, be yourself and if you deliver a PBO really well, do that too.

My pet peeve?

Meeting somebody for a virtual coffee chat.

A couple days go by and all of a sudden my inbox welcomes their newsletter to it.

Just because you have my email from a calendar invite doesn't mean I want to read your newsletter.

In fact, after spending 30 minutes with you, it's probably the opposite.





...I know I saw my pet peeve as me opening line, maybe I should have written "one of my pet peeves" 🤷

I don't believe in gatekeeping coffee.

...or sales for that matter.

What do I mean?

Sure, I roast my own coffee.
Yes, I prefer a single origin Ethiopian prepared with a V60

But when somebody orders a "Double, double" (look it up, it's a 🇨🇦 thing) from Tim Hortons and looks at me expecting a disapproving look, they won't get it.

It's your coffee, you do what you want with it, you're the one drinking it.

It's the same in sales. 
I like leaving voicemails when I cold call.
I might even use a PBO every now and again.

So when somebody posts that they don't believe in leaving voicemails? 
That's cool, I believe you're leaving money on the table, but it's not my money. 

Where I draw the line? 
When you tell people how they should act.

You might not leave voicemails but don't go running around saying other people shouldn't either.

Just like I won't tell you that Starbucks coffee is basically roasted beyond death and tastes like cigarette butts to me. 

Because they still serve 10 million customers a day and I'm one person with my own preferences.

So Qwilr messaged me the other day and said...
"Hey Chris, we have this Super Mario inspired - "

And that's where I stopped them. 
Because anybody who has seen the giant Lego Bowser and Lego NES in the background of my Zoom calls knows that jumping on this was a no brainer.

I got to relive the highlights (...and lowlights) of my career in all the glory of 8 bit, music included. 

While I'm not entirely sure if Bowser roasts on BBQ night - I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

This was a blast and I love the creativity they put into everything they do.

Check out the link in the comments to play through your own career! 
For better or worse 🤣

Sh!t's simple.

Human's just like to overcomplicate things.

Yes, this is both about sales and not about sales.

I've lost a good amount of weight this year and people have asked
"How did you do it"
Simple --> Calories Out>Calories In.
Hard Part --> Cookies are delicious

The same applies to money, want more savings?
Simple --> Money In > Money Out 
Hard Part --> Getting more money and life being expensive AF

Want to do well at sales?
Simple --> Don't be a 🤡 
Hard part --> The primal desire to say things like "I hope this email finds you well" and "Just following up on this" 

In all seriousness, we want to complicate things with crazy supplements, something called the Smith Manuever (it's a 🇨🇦 money thing and I don't even know that I understand it)  or creating a 47 step automated outbound sequence. 

And we don't even have the basics down yet.

We all want to feel special, or that we're further ahead than we are.
Take a step back, check your ego and focus on the fundamentals.

The bar has become so low sales folks.

And this isn't a knock against this dude giving his talk.

The crazy part about it is that he had to say:
"Prep 1-2 questions for your meetings" 

I can't understand what that isn't just understood. 
To be honest 1-2 questions is still underprepared in my books.

Your prospects have limited time and you have even less time with them, if you can't be bothered to prepare for your meeting, maybe it's best to cancel and save everybody some time...

Can we stop "vibing" with AI please?

Why can't we just, do the thing? 

Actually, Vibe Coding is pretty cool, because I am zero technical.

But Vibe Selling? 
Can't we just sell?

Nothing AI has spit out, thus far, has been worthy of being put in front of another human being in a sales environment. 

Vibe Selling. Vibe Marketing. Vibe Investing. Vibe Product Management (yes I've actually seen this). Vibe Snacking (to be fair, THIS is my forte). 

It's become a buzzword worse than companies slapping "AI" on their product just for stock price bump. 

Yes, AI has plenty of uses in the sales world and in the world in general, but can we stop labeling it "just because"?

I usually hate the whole discounting process in sales. 

Ironically, the end of year discount is something I can support.

Why?

Because you're actually getting something out of it. 

The biggest problem with discounts is reps are handing them out like candy in an effort to close the deal, without rhyme or reason. 

But sales is a negotiation and pricing should be too. I'll happily give a client a discount if that means they can:
-Start earlier
-Start later
-Skip some steps in the approval process
-Pay sooner 
etc.

I give you a discount and I get something in return.

At the end of the year, getting revenue in to hit your number/company number is totally fine in my books (especially in my world of working with small companies)

Because you are trading off a discount with a contract being signed and/or payment being made before the end of the year.

The only caveat? Stick to your guns. If it doesn't happen and it gets pushed into the new year, the discount has to come off.

Reps who ask the tough questions close more deals, faster. 

The sad part? The questions aren't even that tough.

I was on a call this week with a client we were presenting a proposal to for an additional project.

Everything seemed to line up budget, scope etc

They're good clients, we've worked with them for years, so the presenter leaves it off with:
🗣️ "So let us know once you talk to your boss to get approval and we'll be ready to go"

Me, having PTSD from being ghosted forever and always jumps in
🔊  "Could we set up a time to follow up next week once you talk to your boss?"

The response? 
🤑 "Why don't we just go ahead and schedule the kick off call and if something goes sideways, we'll regroup"

We wait from waiting to hear back to scheduling the kickoff call. 

No, not every deal will close that easily, but you better believe next time I'm just going to ask to schedule the kick off call proactively 🤣

Dan Goodman Employment Advisory

I am pleased to announce the launch of the Dan Goodman Employment Advisory (DGEA), a dedicated employee advocacy practice guiding individuals through the intricacies of the working world. Our goal is to empower employees to confront the often unjust, and, at times, illegal actions of employers. It’s time to resist becoming a passive victim and walking away with lasting scars. 

Take a stand - feel like a warrior, not a victim. Regardless of the outcome, you can put this challenging experience behind you and move forward. The important part is to fight back. You owe it to yourself, your family, and your mental health.  Avoid the burden of regret that can linger for years, if not decades, for enduring mistreatment.

Clients consistently attest that the invaluable lessons gained through our process surpass the material gains such as increased severance or recovered commission.  The transformational shift in perspective towards oneself, the employer, and the world is profound.  No longer blindly trusting, clients become proactive in anticipating and averting negative outcomes. 

For far too long, employers have exploited, stolen from, bullied, and intimated their workforce. With high powered attorneys crafting one-sided contracts and experienced HR professional actions acting in the employer’s best interests, employees are left defenseless.  DGEA is here to level the playing field, providing support needed for employees to stand up for themselves. 

No longer should individuals face these challenges alone, susceptible to manipulation and exploitation. I step into the role of advocate, standing alongside employees in their pursuit of justice and fairness in the workplace. Together, we dismantle the culture of silence, empowering individuals to assert their rights.

Founder and CEO

TruCommish

A unique DTC SaaS solution for salespeople to verify the accuracy of their compensation, provide means for remuneration and analytics to enable data driven decision making to maximize earnings.  The first of its kind, sales compensation verification service designed specifically for salespeople.

Acuity Link (acquired by Central Logic)

SaaS-based solution to enable health care institutions to improve patient discharge workflow.  
- Provided strategic direction, pivoting goto market strategy, value proposition & business model.  
- Executed high value partnerships and technology agreements.
- Identified new market opportunities, championed initiatives to drive incremental revenue streams.
- Hired, trained and managed sales team and lead generation activities and marketing initiatives.
- Created all corporate content including web site, pitch decks, collateral, press releases, email campaigns, sales training, analytics reporting and analysis.
- Developed operational business model used to raise funding and strategic planning initiatives.

Executive Vice President Business Development and Strategy

Compensation Consulting

Provided sales compensation verification services for top performing sales people in the value-added reseller markets.  Assisted clients in recouping tens of thousands of dollars in earned but unpaid commissions and bonuses.

Principal

Mazu Networks (acquired by Riverbed Technology)

Network infrastructure software company that helps organizations manage, secure, and optimize availability and performance of global applications.
- Conducted business development, strategic planning and marketing programs. 
- Assisted in developing corporate, sales and partnership strategies, including developing value 
  proposition, customer ROI model, solution selling and flexible packaging and pricing programs.  
- Completed industry assessment and market sizing of the network security and availability market.  
- Developed customer evaluation program including negotiating contracts and setting eval. criteria.  
- Negotiated framework for strategic alliance with Ericsson on network security for wireless networks.
- Developed customer/market feedback program to assist in prioritizing development projects.

Nortel Networks

Multinational telecommunications and data networking equipment manufacturer.
- Identified and managed partner alliances in support of Content Networking Portfolio Group 
- Negotiated and executed on OEM and technology development agreements with Volero
- Worked with senior management to develop portfolio strategy and to identify technology gaps.   
- Project team leader for industry assessment of content management solutions.  
- Worked with Corporate Development and Venture Capitalists in evaluating potential investments.

Senior Manager, Partner Alliances , Carrier and Service Provider Division

Product management liaison to service provider and distribution channel.  OEM Relationship Mgr.  
- Business Development prime for 3rd party security relationships fncluding firewall (Check Point), PKI (Entrust, Verisign, RSA), Compression (HiFN), VPN/IPSec (IRE), and NAT (Wind River).  
- Manage all aspects of 3rd party OEM relationships, including contract negotiations, technology licensing, marketing and support programs, pricing and packaging, and product development.  
- Worked with channel partners to drive business development programs and increase revenues.
- Worked with sales force to develop business cases in support of sales driven development. 
- Renegotiated licensing agreements resulting in annual savings of over $2.1 million.

Business Development Manager, Router Product Management Group 

Provided strategy consultation to Executives and Router Product Management organization.  
- Developed forecasts, market segmentation, and projected market shares.  Presented analysis to Product Group’s strategic planning task force that was used to prioritize development programs. 
- Consulted with product managers in developing business cases for new product development.
- Prepared analysis of competitor’s strategic positions across organizational, financial, marketing, and technological dimensions. Presented recommendations to Executive Management.  
- Provided business, market and technical analysis in evaluating potential acquisitions .

Senior Strategic Planning Manager, Products Bussiness  Group

Progress

Business Development Manager - 	Identified potential acquisition and alliance candidates.  
- Member of team negotiating technology exchange and licensing agreements.  
- Created financing model used to evaluate the feasibility of potential acquisitions
- Worked with strategic relations managers to expand relationships with partners.
- Gathered competitive information and created segmented market share analysis.
- Developed operating model used to create PSC’s long-term strategic plan.

Business Development Manager

Developed systems to improve financial and operational reporting and analysis.  
- Managed team responsible for consolidation, analysis and presentation of operational data.
- Conducted product analysis used to prioritize porting schedules and product retirement policies.
- Researched and analyzed various market segments and drafted business plans.
- Developed systems to analyze and measure the impact of pricing changes on product revenue. 
- Gathered competitor pricing information and made recommendations to existing pricing policies.

Manager, Marketing Financial Analysis

Hale and Dorr LLP

Largest full service law firm in New England - Manager, Marketing Research and Analysis
- Conducted business development, strategic planning and marketing programs. 
- Led initiatives that resulted in more than $2.2 million in new business.  Consulted with attorneys to devise marketing strategies in developing presentations and in drafting proposals.
- Prepared and presented to management analysis on the firm’s client base and financial statements.
- Managed market research and analysis efforts including survey design, market share analysis and customer satisfaction studies.
- Created the New England IPO Report, a market analysis of the initial public offerings market.

Manager Marketing Research and Analysis

Chief Commission Officer 💰 I help salespeople find commission errors 🔥

Dan Goodman has been a fierce and passionate advocate for employees for nearly three decades. What started out as a hobby helping friends and family verify commission pay and identify and recover pay errors, soon became a mission that led to the founding of TruCommish. A commission audit service for salespeople. 

Recently, to help a wider audience of employees beyond salespeople and pay errors, Dan founded, Dan Goodman Employment Advisory. Dan's passion is to encourage and empower employees to stand up against wrongdoing. To not have years or decades of regret for being mistreated and doing nothing about it. 

For generations employers have relied on lack of information or misinformation provided to employees to coerce, mislead, and take advantage of them. Whether it is wrongly using PIPs to terminate employees, the farce of unlimited PTO, the false deadlines to respond to a severance, the façade of compensation plans being legal binding documents that the employer can change at any time without your agreement. The list goes on and Dan is here to shed light on these wrongful practices, educate employees on their rights and help to ensure the best possible outcome when these harmful situations arise. 

Dan assists employees across 8 practice areas: employment agreements, restrictive clause, severance offers, PIPs, stock/equity grants, compensation plans, commission/pay disputes, and general coaching, guidance, and advice. If you need help in any of these areas, book some time on Dan’s calendar for a paid call and he can help you sort through it all. 

Finally, Dan brings his passion for numbers and analysis along with his passion for uplifting the often-downtrodden salesperson at the moment they feel most isolated. Dan naturally has an analytically driven financial mind. He holds a BBA Cum Laude in Finance and an MBA Magna Cum Laude in Entrepreneurial studies from Babson College

Dan’s mission is to provide truth and transparency around the employer/employee relations. Shedding a light on many of the morally and often legally questionable practices by employers.

Dan Goodman

Don’t get drunk at your company holiday party.

Nothing good can come of it, only bad. You could wake up the next morning and find out you don’t have a job anymore.

Or you are suspended without pay based on claims of inappropriate behavior and not remember anything from the evening. 

Just because it is a company holiday party does not mean you should let your hair down all the way. You don’t know who is watching.

If you want to let loose, make a brief appearance at the party and go out with your friends. Use the LIFO accounting method. Last one in, first one out. 

It would seem obvious not to get drunk at a work event, but oh the stories I've heard. From 20 somethings to 50 year old c-suite executives. 

The company holiday party is not the place to get blasted even if it is an open bar or leadership is pushing drinks. 

You are still responsible for yourself and your behavior. Excuses don't fly.

Do you feel pressured to go the company holiday party? 

Would you rather not go at all?

Would you rather have a holiday bonus instead?

🥊Employee Advocate 🔄 Counter to Human Resources 🦸 Severance Whisperer 🤫 Founder/CEO 🔥 Entrepreneur🏌‍♂️ 🏖. I consult on all employment related matters including Job Offers, PIPs, Comp Plans, Equity Grants and more.

26-year-old Founding AE, terminated after 7 months with no severance. 

This after being recruited from a job he held for just 9 months to come here. Now he has two short stays on his resume, both caused by this employer, who took no accountability. 

I had a call with a young AE named Ian, who had a $75k base salary and a pipeline of deals. 

Instead of engaging in our full-blown contingency model, I provided him with a couple of one-off consultations. 

His employer was backed by one of the most well-known VC firms in the country. 

He was being terminated to avoid paying him on his deals that had not closed yet and discarded with no severance as an employee at will. 

We had a call and I dictated him a letter that he used to turn it into a $30k offer. When he shared this my mind was blown despite having heard similar results many times. It just does not get old and still thrills me to hear it. 

Despite being so young, Ian is a smart guy and not afraid to speak up and leverage his situation, including escalating to the VC firm if needed. 

The employer clearly wanted none of that and gave him almost 5 months’ severance after only 7 months of employment and being offered nothing initially. 

Ian’s ROI on his initial consultation with me was 16116%. 

I need to raise my rates.

'Tis the season for terminations. 

PIP’d before Thanksgiving. Terminated before Christmas. 

I mean man, these employers can’t wait till the first week of January? Can’t they let these longtime and dedicated employees enjoy the holidays with their family. 

Not to have to carry the anger of what is often an unfair and blindsided termination through the holiday season. The stress of being unemployed not knowing where and when your next paycheck is coming from. 

It can really leave someone reeling and I’ve seen it firsthand many dozens of times over the last few weeks. 

These decisions impact so much more than the bottom line, yet leadership can somehow block it all out and go and enjoy their holidays vacationing in the Greek Islands with their family. 

The spike in people reaching out for help in the last two months has been shocking. The stories of why they are reaching out even more so. 

Does humanity and decency play any role in the timing of firing decisions anymore? It does not have to be so cold and heartless. 

Why can’t “leaders” put themselves in the shoes of the others they are impacting and make decisions with a little compassion and empathy and not based solely on the all mighty dollar. The impact can have a rippling effect. 

Especially with people who have done so much for you. Made so many sacrifices over the many years they have worked for you, and in many cases whose direct efforts made you wealthy. 

There needs to be accountability in the workplace. At will employment needs to end and employers need to be held accountable for their employees. Not to be able to legally discard them like trash whenever they see fit.

IT professional on mental health leave due to toxic work environment. 

Expected to return from 3 month leave in just a week. Does not want to/can’t return to work. The environment he suffered in caused significant harm. So much so that his therapist strongly recommended not returning.

I consulted with a wonderful man named Eric. He worked for his organization for more than 3 years. Everything went great the first 2 years until, what usually is the case, a new leader came in and did not like Eric. Eric was highly thought of and respected in the organization and his VP viewed him as a threat. 

His VP began a 6-month campaign to misrepresent Eric and his work throughout the organization. After filing many complaints with HR and getting nowhere, the abuse continued until finally Eric could not take it anymore and went on medical leave. 

While on leave, the employer communicated that Eric’s position was not secured, as he was demoted and stripped of most of his responsibilities. A direct violation of the FMLA protections he was entitled to. 

Eric was recommended to me by several people. He reached out and he quickly became a client. Eric worked with me and my team to put together a compelling and empowering document. 

We were quite pleased to see an initial offer valued at more than $50k, which included severance and vesting of all unvested equity valued at more than $15/share above the strike price.

After 3 rounds of negotiations, it was clear the employer did not want Eric back as much as he did not want to come back. Despite not being terminated or offered any severance, Eric was able to negotiate a fair separation and settled for a $70k total severance package. 

Although I was confident there was a bit more to be had, Eric was fully satisfied and could not be happier. He is excited to put this behind him and move onward and upward.

Real leaders boost-up their employees. They don't tear them down. They make them better. 

Micromanaging and nitpicking are not leadership. It's the actions of small-minded, insecure people masquerading around as leaders. It shows a lack of trust and confidence. 

Sadly, there are too many meddling, micromanaging middle managers who think it is their job to ridicule rather than being supportive and uplifting. Often, they do not know what else to do because they lack leadership and vision. 

Too many people are in a position of authority that they should never be. This is one of the biggest contributors to employee unhappiness and retention issues. 

Poor managers need to be monitored and evaluated as thoroughly as they nitpick their employees. Not be allowed to rule with very little oversight that so often is the case.

We all want balance in our lives.

Spending 5 of 7 days of your life chained to a desk during sunlight hours is not balanced. That's almost 72% of your life between 9am and 5pm, never mind commuting time.

Many jobs don't matter where or even when you do them. Society is demanding more work balance. Employers need to step up and provide it,, not go back on their word or commitments.

Yet we see the opposite happening. Non-sensical demands to return to the office for no reason other than control, ego and lack of trust.

Employees being hired into fully remote jobs to now lose those jobs because the employer says never mind.

Short sighted employers will be left behind and have difficulty attracting and retaining top talent.

While those that provide the flexibility will be more desirable and be a place employees want to work.

There is more to life than work. Work hard, play hard. Have both.

Enjoy life. It is short and precious.

It’s critical to have a safety net. A rainy day fund. 

Otherwise you are exposed and vulnerable to the whims of your employer. 

As an employee at will which almost everyone is, employers can blindside you with an undeserved termination and all of a sudden you have no income to live on. 

Without the safety net, when your employer lets you go, you have little choice but to accept the severance that is offered. You often can't afford to negotiate it or ride out the negotiations because you need the money now. 

As a result, you give the employer leverage that they don't have otherwise. It is in your employer's best interest to minimize separation costs and by dragging out the negotiations can often have the desired outcome, especially when the employee can't afford to do so. 

Anticipate negative outcomes and be prepared if they do happen and pleasantly surprised if they don't. Take proactive action to eliminate or minimize their impact.

A safety net gives you confidence and options. Be disciplined and start building one today.

Just curious, is it inappropriate to be putting your makeup on when you are having a paid consultation with me? 🤔 

Yes, it happened once and it was a bit distracting and uncomfortable, but I persevered through it. 🤣 

About 3/4 of the way through the call they asked if I was OK with it. I mean at that point what's the point. It was pretty amusing and certainly out of the ordinary. 

I always try to meet my clients where they are but...really. 

I was not sure if there were some new societal norms that I was behind on the times with. 🤷‍♂️

The Scarlett Letter P.

That’s what PIPs are in many organizations. A PIP is a label that you will never get over. Your chance to rise in the organization has ended. It will be on your employment record with this employer forever. 

If you work for a law firm, in finance or investment banking, or a large services firm hoping to make partner track, it just went out the door with the PIP. You've just been removed from the fast track and passed over by others fighting for the spot. 

One abusive manager who does not like you or feels threatened by you can put an end to your climb up the corporate letter in a matter of moments.

If you have a mark on your employment history at the firm, you will be passed over every time for someone who doesn’t. You will get less important or strategic assignments. You will no longer feel a part of the inner circle. 

Whether it is fair or deserved or not. Sadly, it is just the way things are and don't expect or count on Human Resources to save you. That HR Business Partner is working in cahoots with your manager. 

PIP should be a clear message that it is a Paid Interview Period. Especially if you feel it is underserved or you are being targeted. 

They are often used as a weapon to manage you out of the business to reduce or eliminate separation costs.

Tis the season for company holiday parties. 

Do you love them, can do without them, or hate them?

Do you go to them? Is it out of obligation or do you look forward to partying with your co-workers while someone in HR or leadership watches closely and takes notes. 

Would you rather have a $1000 bonus to spend on holiday gifts or a night of partying with the people you are forced to spend every day with. 

Do you feel guilty of the hypocrisy of partying with your co-workers while former co-workers were recently laid off due to cost cutting initiatives?

Are these parties really for you or to feed the ego of leadership for you to admire and appreciate them for bestowing such a festive event on their underlings. 

Enjoy the holiday season with your friends and family, they won't stab you in the back and you can let your hair down and be yourself without having to worry about anything.

That's who I want to spend my time with. How about you?

Company holiday parties? Love them, hate them, could do without them?

The author can see how you vote. Learn more

How to make writing content easy. 

Make it part of your regular routine. Block off time each week and stick to it.

Trying to do it on the fly when you have a busy schedule leads to stress and frustration. It also leads to writing and posting crappy content. 

It also makes you dread doing it and makes it feel like an obligation or chore. Who wants to do chores all the time?

During the week as content ideas come to me, I dictate the topics into a note application on my phone and email it to myself once a week. 

I block off 6 hours every Saturday morning from 4am to 10am and author and schedule roughly 20-25 posts. There are no distractions. There is very little I would be doing otherwise, and I still have the rest of my weekend. 

It is the only time that I spend all week writing, scheduling or posting content so it frees up a lot of time during the week for client work. 

I also block off time every weekday morning between 4am and 6am to engage in my content, respond to all comments, go back 2 weeks to engage in new comments on older posts, and respond to all DMs and finally emails. 

I’ve even started engaging in comments that people leave on comments I leave on other people’s posts. After all commenting is the new posting.

When you break the bigger time-consuming actions into silos it makes it a lot more manageable and frankly enjoyable. 

It also takes the pressure off and does not allow it to impact or take time away from your actual job. 

With these changes, I actually look forward to writing content each week.

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Chris 🦄 Cicconi

Dan Goodman

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taplio

The Battle

Chris 🦄 Cicconi

Dan Goodman

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Chris 🦄 Cicconi's LinkedIn Performance

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