"The First Day of My New Job"

Today was my first day at Kraft. A week of orientation in Chicago before I make the big leap to my new place of residence in Singapore. I can't say I was completely surpised by the melodramatic feeling I had as I entered the building. The feeling was one of solemn existence, an unassuming culture without pretense or pride. The company has fallen on hard times recently and has struggled to meet earnings over its short corporate lifespan. I say "short" because it was the year 2001 when incorporation actually commenced for the company that had long been a wholly owned subsidiary of a big cigarette company called Altria (aka Philip Morris). The price then: $34. The price now: $34.

I was not surprised on my first day to arrive to a place where I had been all but forgotten. The admin tasked with collecting me from the front entrance didn't show up and pawned me off to someone else because he forgot. There was no workstation prepared for me. It was as uneventful an entrance as my exit from my previous employer. It was a stark reminder of the profession I have chosen...a corporate shell is never a place to seek love, friendship, or for that matter, a smile. Anything more than focusing energy on improving the bottom line is futile and unnecessary.

I finally got set up with my computer and desk, but no formal orientation or introduction to the company. Total # of HR reps I saw today -- ZERO. There is very little personal conversation at Kraft. People tend to stay in their cubes. There are more closed doors than I remember at Mills. There is an air of focus that I can appreciate, as it is the aftermath of the liberation of this sleeping giant from an organization whose sole existence depended on the deaths of millions of ignorant people.

I can only say that today solidified the reality that the challenges are immeasurable. This will truly be a test of my inner strength and personal perseverence. However, there is nothing in this world that is more powerful than a person's vigor to follow a dream. And in terms of my job, I KNOW, absolutely KNOW, that the stock price of Kraft when I leave the company will be much higher than $34.

Courage. Candor. Action.