DC Power Team (Pfizer) Reunion 2011

O.M.G! I went back into the archives and realized that the DC Power Team hasn’t had a “reunion” since 2007. O.M.G! The crime. How time flies. Life gets in the way. I just have to say that it is a damn shame and I am SOOOOO glad that Marsha & Debbie put together a reunion. I have yet to find a group of people that I worked with/for that became & STAYED friends after 4 rounds of layoffs, job changes and so on. EVER.

 

I love me some DC Power Team & let me not forget The Washington Federals (Ron, Sam, Russ, the Perry Boys & Crew). I swear, those were some of the best times of my life & career.

 

Click here to reminisce with me re: the 2007 reunion. You can even click a link to have some grins an giggles regarding The Power Team’s Mascot – The PowerBot!

From top-bottom/left-right: Joel Brown, Marsha Anderson –DM, Anissa Wilson, Debbie Wallace, Lisa Steptoe

 

We had two members from the Washington Federals join us for the reunion – Ron Steptoe & Sam Harris.

I had a wonderful time hanging with these guys. Let’s not let the years pass us by before we do it again…and we HAVE to get the new, world famous, Dr. Bryan Canterbuy to join us next time. What a hoot that will be.

 

Love you guys. Let me see if I can find our Boogie Nights and Mission Impossible video.

Let the Blood Bath Begin

Three years ago (Dec 2006), I was layed off from this illustrious company in what was one of the largest pharma layoffs seen. NOBODY in the industry thought that "The Blue Football" would layoff anybody, let alone 3000 people, but they did and many large pharma companies followed suit. If P.fi.zer could do it, why not the rest of us.

Well, today began a new Blood Letting at P.fiz.er. Between today & tomorrow, a good majority of the sales force is getting the ole heave ho! A total of 8000 people. I heard from some of my friends over there, some great individuals who got optimized today. While most of them are pretty non-plussed about it (great severance packages), there are still a few wandering around in shock in awe with a deer in headlights look about them. "Why me..how did this happen to me." Happens to the best of us. Seriously. Happened to me twice in under 3 years.

To add a little insult to injury - Not one Black District Manager in the DMV was retained. Hmmmm. How you gonna represent the company in one of the most heavily populated areas for physicians of color and you don't have anybody of color representing/leading the way. I'm just saying. Interesting to say the least. Let see how many of the sales reps of color are left after tomorrows 11am calls begin.

You know what else I find interesting, Pf.iz.er doesn't have money to hold onto their sales force, but they have money to buy another company...and then the audacity to say that once the purchase is complete, they are going to cut some of those people too. Wow.

So, those of you who are part of the downsizing, right-sizing, field force optimizing - WHATEVER they are calling it - best get to dusting off those resumes and re-kindling that network you might have been neglecting. You'd be real amazed at how fast you will run through that severance.

God Bless to all of my Pfired colleagues.

Just Great People...

I have worked with a lot of people during my 18 years in the healthcare industry, but these guys and gals of the DC Power Team & Washington Federals (our district names) were just the greatest bunch of people to work with. Reorganizations, promotions and life have sent a bunch of us on our merry way around the country, but whenever one or two of us is in town (DC is our major meeting hub), then we try to get as many of us together as possible - even if it is only for drinks.

Stanley W came in town for the Career Fair at the National Black MBA and after 2 days of wrangling schedules we were able to get a smattering of us together for breakfast on Friday. All I can say is - WE LOOK GOOD! I love these guys. It was good to see my friends.

Happy "Getting Separated" Anniversary

Exactly 1 year ago today, I was "separated/not-retained" at P.fi.zer. It's still the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Enclosed is my post from that day 1 year ago.

http://salesdiva.blogspot.com/2006/12/farewell-to-pfizer.html

I have been blessed this past year. New position at Sch.er.ing...Ron's business is going VERY well...Celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary...20th Reunion...Jordan made the honor roll....Cara is speaking much better now. Wow!

Just when you think a door has been closed, God opens a window. Happy "Getting Separated" Anniversary to me.

NSN Career Fair, Cathy Hughes, Winning & Howard Hughes

Yesterday was an awesome day at the National Sales Network 11th Annual Conference. We started with the Career Fair. We even offered a one day tickets so people could attend the Career Fair, Networking Reception and Concert. I know I've talked about this enough and sent out enough emails to choke a horse so if you missed your opportunity to attend the Career Fair - YOUR BAD. Just about every company was conducting interviews right on the spot or at least screening you for the next step. It was thrilling to go around and see some of the people from our chapter (and others) really utilize the Career Fair as an opportunity - having 2-3 interviews in one day. FANTASTIC.
(ADP is one of the DC/Baltimore Chapter Sponsors)

I even stopped by the P.F.E booth and just COULD NOT resist messing witht he recruiters. I walked up to the booth and introduced myself. One of the ladies said "Are you interested in a career with P.fiz.er?" So, I planted the huge smile on my face and said, "Well, I recently enjoyed a 15 year career at P.fi.zer and you saw fit to lay me off with a huge severance package...so, no not really. But I will take a few pens for nostalgia sake, okay?" These two ladies stood there with their mouth hanging open not knowing what to say. I thanked them for the pens, wished them luck and moved on to the next booth. HILARIOUS.!!!!!!

After the career fair, there we had our Keynote speakers luncheon and I had the honor of introducing Kathy Hughes, Radio Maven of Radio One. WOW! She was fantastic. Her talk was right on and her side bars (the tangents she went off on regularly) were so funny, I thought I was going to blow a one of my surgical drains out from laughing so hard. She went on for 2 hours (only scheduled for an hour) and nobody wanted her to stop. She commented on everything from OJ, Clarence Thomas, Michael Jackson, Jena 6, hip hop, the N word and more. I just know some of the corporate sponsors were squirmin' in their seats, but don't you just wish that you made so much money (Radio One is worth 2 Billion Dollars and 10 years later she is STILL the only African American woman on the stock exchange) that you didn't give a rats bootie what you said?

All I can say is that you missed one of the best luncheon lectures that I've heard in years.

Later that night we had a Networking reception, sponsored by Anheuser-Busch. They were NSN's very first sponsor and they have always sponsored the Friday night reception and concert. The reception was very nice and they raffled off some awesome prizes ('bout 5 portable DVD players, 'bout 4 30G Ipods, 'bout 6 GPS units, and 5 leather jackets). I have been running around or 2 days, claiming that I was gonna win something. Dell was raffling off computers, Abbott gave away jump drives just if you talked to 4 people in thier hospitality room on Thursday night and a PSP player. I WON! I WON! I WON!. My name got pulled out of the bowl and I chose the 30G Ipod. I had to then protect it with my life. Everyone was wantin' to "see" my pod and I would hold it up and say SEE!

After the reception, we went into the ballroom for the Howard Hewitt concert. He was AWESOME. He did some old Shalamar stuff, songs we all knew and then a song from his new album. We had the best time. He stayed out in the audience to sing and went around to everyone. I was having so much fun and even forgot or a short time that I still had a compression suit on and 2 drains in. I was feeling great! Then the DJ came on and we partied like rockstars, tearing up the dance floor. Wish you had been here!

DC Power Team (Pfizer) Reunion

Last night, Stan Wilson (middle guy, back row), came in town from Texas and wehad an impromptu DC Power Team Mini-Reunion. It was just awesome to see some of my teammates from the good ole days at P.fizer - when selling was selling, when we kicked butt, and won everything...District of the Year, Circle of Excellence, Vice Presidents Club. Ha! We Rocked! We even had a mascot...The Power Bot...with a set district code of ethics and rules of engagement. You can read the HISTORY OF THE DC POWER TEAM by clicking link.

We were only able to get a few of us together last night for dinner at Acadiana's (which was YUMMY), but the stories and memories were great. Two of my personal favorites were when Stan won an award trip to Kiawa (I think it is in NC or GA - can't remember) but he was told that it was an island in Hawaii (as a joke) but he went home and told his wife anyway. He still hasn't forgiven us. Or my man Mike Taylor (1st guy on the left, back row) who has ALWAYS been a Texas Ranger in his heart and hasn't changed a bit...Always wore cowboy boots, the big Texas buckle, etc...you just had to love him...and notice his attire last night...

Nothing has changed at ALL...but at least he has invested in a DVD player and a big screen TV so his family wouldn't have to gather around his Pfizer computer to watch "VCR-CD's" - HE WILL NEVER live that one down either.

The funniest thing last night, was after talking about all the differences at P.fi.zer now and how there are not teams and friends like we used to have (it's definitly CYA time at the big blue now), Ron runs into a friend who works in Government Relations for PFE and he was there having dinner with the damn CEO of the company. You just don't know how much I wanted to go over, shake his hand and say thank you VERY MUCH for the awesome severance package and yes, I'm now kicking your but at a rival company. HA!

Anyway, it was wonderful to spend time with people I used to work with that I actually consider my friends...how many times can you EVER say that.

Well, I'm off to the NSN Conference which starts today officially. I can't WAIT for the Hospitality Suites Tonight.

Ron and Stan RAN DC back in the day. They were a formidable Institutional Hospital Rep Team. You can just see that they ROCKED.Sam Harris (from Ron's old District -"The Federals"), Mike and Debbie.

Now, these are some SHARP brothers. (Stan, Ron, Mike)

Repo'd - The Pfizer Way

The past two days have been a whirlwind of repossessions. Computer, SecurID, Corporate Amex, Corporate ID badge, Infocus machine, CAR, etc. etc. I suppose this means that I am officially a Pfizer has-been if I have had all of my official equipment repossessed - uh, I mean collected. Pfizer, in their infinite wisdom, decided that it would be too stressful and would distract from the mission of acheiving 23.9 Billion again in 2007 (23.9, 24/7) if they had the retained managers check out the kicked to the curb managers. Whatever. Pfizer hired a couple of differend companies and subcontracted the dirty work out...so, this rather nice lady comes over yesterday to collect all of my permanent equipment (computer, printer, IPAQ, ID cards, Amex). She was very quiet and polite and touched everything as if it was made of gold OR as if I would smack her silly if she messed up anything. She did her deed, made me sign a million copies of stuff, and carried it all out to her car herself...as if I was going to help her. I did open the door.

Tonight, a really gregarious guy with a tow truck pulls up to the house, stands in the middle of the driveway and says "Wow, this place is like a castle. My apartment would fit in one of your garages. Doesn't look like this layoff is hurting you much." and then proceed to jack my Chrysler Concord Company Car onto the tow truck. "No need to sign anything, ma'am. Have a great night."

And there you have it. I have so much space in my office now I'm thinking of redecorating - well, at least putting some paint on the walls. We will see. We have our "Official Notification" conference call on the 17th. Stay tuned.

The Lost Dr. Seuss Poem

I always get a kick out of reading this poem - especially lately in light of Pharmageddon at Pfizer...

I Love My Job!

I love my job. I love the pay!

I love it more and more each day.

I love my boss, he is the best!

I love his boss and all the rest.

I love my office and its location. I hate to have to go on vacation.

I love my furniture, drab and grey, and piles of paper that grow each day!

I think my job is really swell, there's nothing else I love so well.

I love to work among my peers, I love their leers and jeers and sneers.

I love my computer and its software; I hug it often though it won't care.

I love each program and every file, I'd love them more if they worked a while.

I'm happy to be here. I am. I am.

I'm the happiest slave of the Firm, I am.

I love this work. I love these chores.

I love the meetings with deadly bores.

I love my job- I'll say it again - I even love those friendly men.

Those friendly men who've come today, in clean white coats to take me away!!!!

Thanks Pfizer 2006 Layoff Gear

This requires no more words from me except what was on the website - edited here--

Welcome!Thanks to the SPEED, AGILITY, and NIMBLENESS of the Internet, (CafePress) showcase of 2006 Pfizer LAYOFF Gear is available just in time for the holidays. (CafePress)offers a number of products, fun for the entire Pfizer Pfamily! Whether your happy, sad, mad, or glad about the 2006 layoffs…you will feel extremely satisfied when you send some layoff gear to your fellow ex-colleagues! Sending a Kindler’s List “You’re Fired” or a "Say Hello To My Little Friend" mug to your favorite CEO at headquarters, might be a great start to the Christmas Holiday.

Absolutely HILARIOUS!

15 Years...

Five days have past since I was "Separated" from Pfizer and last night the first wave of grief or mourning shall we say, hit me like a huge wave at the beach and then passed. Since last night, the emotions ebb and flow just like waves at the beach. I was at a Marketing seminar last night, getting paid $150 for giving my opinion on new credit card offers. When it was all over, I was walking through the lobby of the hotel and started thinking about all the meetings that I used to go to with Pfizer there and that all of that is over. I thought about how casually the company just cast aside 15 years as if it was no big deal, no loss to them and I sat in my car and cried for the loss of part of my life - 15 years, award winning years, performance years, hard work & sacrifice years - and the best they could say was "Here's your hat, don't let the door hit you on the way out."

The worst part is, I really don't have anyone to talk to about it. Most of my friends who were retained feel awkward around me; others who were separated as well are dealing with their own issues - some where not as well positioned as I, some are just down right (and rightly so) angry; and everybody else is trying to get me a job immediately and don't understand why I'm not in a rush.

I tried to talk to Ron about it but he has a way of trying to come up with either a solution or of minimizing/dismissing your reaction/feelings/emotions by comparing your situation to something that happened with him and this is how he deals with it. Baby - it ain't all about you and your perfect world you reside in all by yourself. Don't get me wrong. Ron is a wonderful and compassionate man; however, sometimes I just wish he would stop finishing my thoughts, fixing my thought process (as if his is the only way), and dismissing everything that comes out of my mouth. Irritating. I know he means well, but damn - give a Diva a minute. Just this morning he thought I was depressed, so he decided I need to watch a video called "The Secret" and all my problems would be solved. Without saying a word, he pops it in the DVD player in our bedroom. I just turned around and marched out the door. Time for some coffee and blogging. Pissed me off.

Anyway, I'm fine with what happened and I'm looking forward to the future. I don't think it is unreasonable; however, to have a moment or two to grieve for the loss of an entire section of your life. This too shall pass.

Off to Master Step class...that will burn it out of me!

Farewell to Pfizer

Praise God! The blessings of my Lord & Savior are upon me. It is with a glad & joyous heart that I announce my separation from Pfizer. The past 15 years with Pfizer presented me with many opportunities and challenges and I made numerous friends within the organization. Although I will miss the day to day interactions with my Pfizer colleagues and clients, it is now time for me to embark on a new set of professional and personal opportunities.

This blessing has given me the time, opportunity and most importantly - finances - to pursue my true interests, dreams and desires. I always prayed of being in a position to chase my dreams by the age of 40. Well, PRAISE GOD, this has come to pass. "Blessed is the man who perseveres through trials, for once he is approved, he shall inherit the kingdom of God. "James 1:12.

I wish all of my Pfizer colleagues that have been "retained" the best and as a Pfizer stock holder, I will continue to fully support you and the company in your mission to be the most valued company in the world.

Until we meet again...

What is your status?

Tomorrow is the day I (and all of the Account Managers at Pfizer) find out thier "STATUS" Kinda sounds like I'm sitting around waiting to get the results of my HIV or HepC test. I suppose I'm supposed to be depressed an anxious waiting to hear if I've been "retained. Not in the least. Haven't missed a minute of sleep. All this week the senior leadership was finding out what their status was. No big surprises except for one SVP that got slapped from VP of a sales division back to VP of Learning & Development. Sales is where the money is at and how you get to move up in the company. L&D is pure overhead. SAD. Several others were close to retirement and just decided to go now. My regional manager found out his "status" yesterday but hasn't said anything to us yet. Tomorrow morning is when I'll get my phone call and - God Willing - I'll get the "I regret to inform you that you are not being retained" message. What an opportunity it would be to have the generous severance package and have the time to do some soul searching to find out what your next adventure in life will be. Either way, it's okay.

I'm going to the gym in the morning, coming home to wait for my call, off to Let's Dish to prepare some meals for the family (awesome concept) and then out to dinner with Ron to celebrate either way. Of course we are going to our favorite Restaurant - the Iron Bridge...and I promise...I'll be eating the dessert.

Unemployed Diva?

Well, the day has finally arrived. Pfizer has decided - in the spirit of transforming the company to lead the way into a new dawn - to restructure and resize the sales organization to "support Pfizers key products, meet customer needs, and become more agile." So it finally dawned on someone that we were too damn big to get anything done and "as a result of this restructuring, Pfizer will be reducing the size of their sales organization by 20 percent. In about 5 minutes, I have to be on a conference call with my Regional Manager to get more details, but the bottom line is I will know NLT December 8th whether I'm still "retained" with the company. Here is the question on everyone's lips - "Are you on Kindlers list?" (Jeff Kindler is the new CEO).

The severance package they are offering is generous. Won't have to sweat too much. What is interesting though...I'm not the least bit upset or worried. WHATEVER. What I am is tired - tired of the bulls--t, tired of all the changes every other day, just plain tired. It would almost be a relief if I did not get retained. I'm gonna have to get my act together, draw on some reserves and get re-motivated. Gotta go get on this conference call. Check in with the world later.

TASTE OF COOKING - CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING

At my recent company's quarterly planning meeting we did a little team building event called a Taste of Cooking. After a full day (actually we had already been at the meeting for 3 days) of sitting in a meeting room and frying your brain on corporate knowledge, we went to cook our own damn dinner. We thought we were going to a cooking school or some really nice place and we ended up at some crazy cooking ladies house that was straight out of Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving. The table was like a kids table with folding chairs, silverware you could bend like in the Matrix, paper napkins and mix match china.

And to add insult to injury...we were not allowed to drink the wine while we were slaving over the stove for this instructor.
I got in trouble several times and was eventually put in time out on the living room couch for forgetting to put the mayo in the crab cakes. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD... how will the crab cakes stay together without it. Well, the did and they were wonderful. Others got reprimanded for not cutting an onion correctly - who knew? and for forgetting the potatoes...We will drink the wine for our carbs thank you very much. Despite all of the drama, the company was good and we had a great time with each other. To see all of the pictures from the CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING set your browser to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/nsndcbalt/TasteOfCooking?authkey=DDIOAwbPJCVBtZ8RneZKeEE2itA