When to hire, when to fire...

A big question I always get is, how do you know if somebody is right for the job?

And I always say that the question is flawed. People focus so much on hiring, but hiring doesn't matter to me. It's about knowing when to fire. Jobs, these days, are so versatile. It's impossible to know if somebody will fit in with the culture and interests of your company within a couple interviews.

Besides, anybody can fake it for a couple interviews. My advice. Hire people who seem competent. Don't worry or pull your hair out over hiring. Then, after a bit, see how they fit in at the job and if they're incompetent, fire them. If they're great, then keep them around. It's as simple as that.

You'll be surprised at how much easier your life will be. You just can't be afraid of firing people every once in a while.

Also, sometimes hire a wild card. If somebody feels right for a role but they don't have the perfect resume, give them a shot. Not only will they appreciate your act of generosity, they may surprise the heck out of you.


Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

Empathy, Empathy, and more Empathy

In order to be a great Governor, or father, or anything, you need to employ a ridiculous amount of empathy. I don't care how smart you think you are, it's about understanding what makes people tick and becoming acutely aware of human emotions and nuances.

People always ask me, what's my best trait? The answer is that I listen and I seek to understand. Every employee and person in your life has different wants and needs. It's about understanding those wants and needs and making sure your organization provides them with the ability to respond to those needs and desires.

A lot of the rules for business can be applied to your personal life. And vice versa. BE A GOOD LISTENER. Assume good intent. And make sure, you're focused on the other person. One of my favorites is, 'To be interesting, be interested.'

People love talking about themselves. So let them.


Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

Stop buying self-help books...

I was looking online today at the best selling list for books. 3 out of the 5 top sellers were self-help books. I'm all about improving yourself as a person. That said, I'm growing a little sick of self-help culture. People pay thousands of dollars for seminars and books and one-on-one consulting sessions but ultimately, they don't do anything.

They ride the wave of motivation from a talk for a week or two but then, they just let that motivation die.

Here's a tip.

IT'S SIMPLER THAN YOU THINK.

DO THE WORK.

BLAME YOURSELF.

REAP THE REWARD.

Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

STOP COMPLAINING!

I hate complainers. I hate listening to people whine about their current lives. Here's a simple strategy for your life if you're complaining. Ask yourself this question:

Can I do anything about the problem?

If the answer is yes, then do it!

If the answer is no, then stop complaining and move on.

I know this may come across as dismissive but I find that the majority these days don't take ownership for the problems in their life. I understand many people have to do jobs they hate to provide for their families or to provide for themselves, but you should be trying to change your situation if you truly hate it. Or change how you feel about your situation.

I understand that, to some of you, that may sound crazy. How can you change how you feel about your situation? But trust me, the majority of life is a mindset. I've met plenty of billionaires who hate their lives and tons of people making $40,000 who are happier ever. Therefore, I don't care if you make $10 or a $10000000, I just care if you're complaining. Because...

YOUR PERCEPTION IS YOUR REALITY

Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

Regarding the recent news...

I just wanted to talk about the recent hike in pharmaceutical drugs that has been attributed to the Standard Corp. A lot of individuals have criticized me personally for the campaign contributions the Standard Corp gave to my campaign.

I have not ever received any campaign contributions from the Standard Corp.

Many have linked these fake campaign contributions to a large grant given to the Standard Corp by the state of Ohio.

I had nothing to do with the distribution of said grant.

That said, I heard your anger and reached out to the CEO of the Standard CEO. I nor conversation, I echoed many of your sentiments. It was with a heavy heart that the Standard Corp had to expand the price so greatly. That said, they do and always will have the following policy in place:

If an individual suffers from a certain ailment and requires one of our resources which they can not pay for, they will provide them with said resource for free. They also provide pharmaceutical drugs to nearly 4 million individuals across the globe for free in developing countries.

They care about their customers and they would never allow anyone to suffer because they can't afford one of their life saving medicines.

They also raised the price to pay for future research and development. The Standard Corp has been at the cutting edge of innovation in medicine and they intend to keep it that way. Other corporations have increased their prices in the past couple months and they had to increase their own to stay competitive.

They've, and I've, been relentlessly harassed in the media and news over this decision. I understand the fervor against me but I think we must remain civil in our discussions or else no clear solution will come.



Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

Mr. Business at Work, Mr. Dad at Home.

Sometimes, I find it hard when I go from an intense five hour meeting to putting my little girl to bed and trying to get a quick chat in with my teenage daughter. (That said, sometimes my discussion with the older one can get more intense than the meeting!)

In order to manage both, I have a couple tips for you all!

Tip 1
The most important thing is to have a good partner in crime. My wife understands my schedule and is the most supportive and intelligent person I've ever met. We have a rule that at any time, I can 'tap out.' Tapping out means that the other person takes over all the parenting responsibilities for the moment, giving the other one time to decompress and get their bearings. We also discussed the arrangement before we had kids. Sometimes I have to miss a basketball game and that's okay!

Tip 2
Before you walk into your home, turn it off! Leave the job at the job. Your children didn't sign up for work and don't deserve and don't want a five hour diatribe about Kelvin at work. I'm not saying you shouldn't share your experiences at work with the family but maybe keep the bitter complaining and whining about the new computer policy to yourself.

Tip 3
Try to see a therapist! If you can afford it, therapy can be a great resource for you to express your concerns and issues in a healthy and productive manner. I recommend therapy for everyone but especially for those who lead an extremely busy and burdensome life. You owe it to yourself to take care of your mental health. If you let everything bottle up, it's not healthy and your stress level will be out of this world.

Tip 4
Meditate in the morning! Before you check in on that smart phone, take five minutes to relax and think about your day. Here's one of my recommendations:

5 Minutes off!

Tip 5

Nobody's perfect. There is no perfect balance between work and life. For everyone, your balance will be a little bit different and that's okay. The important thing is not be too hard on yourself and let the small things go!


Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

Saturday Motivation

Hope everyone is having a fantastic Saturday! I'm feeling a little stressed today but that's alright. It's part of the job.

Here's a little motivation for your weekend grind (I find the weekends help to separate the winners from the losers!)

Work hard. It's all about the work. - Charles Anderson

It's hard to manage your life when you have the most important call of your life at 4:10 PM and your daughter's basketball game at 4:00 PM. (Go Pumas!)

Speaking of basketball games, I want to wish my daughter and the pumas good luck for this game this weekend! (Which I sadly will not be able to attend)

One thing you learn as a Dad Governor is that sacrifice and time management is key.


Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

My Life as a Dad Governor

Hey friends, colleagues, family, and strangers!

My name's Charles Anderson. I'm the Governor of Ohio. In our great state, we work hard, trying to build bridges among our citizens and we embrace the culture of everyone. We're also heavily investing in cutting edge research, trying to fight some of the deadliest diseases in the world.

My personal mission statement is to, 'Leave it Better'.

In addition to being a governor, I am also a father to the most beautiful children in the world. On this blog, I want to share my experiences of being a Dad Governor and the kind of challenges that the dual lifestyle presents.

If you're interested in coming along this journey with me, type 'DAD GOVERNOR HECK YEAH!'


Location: San Francisco, CA, USA