I also have to say, I looked at the real Golden Handcuffs posts, and he/she definitely was not a fan of Steve Thomas. I wasn't there long enough after Steve got there to be able to develop an opinion - though I did get in on the early stages of 2.2, of which I was not a fan. Applying a "catch-all" personnel solution to the myriad of different business mixes a branch could have was probably not going to succeed in the end. On the other hand, he came to the group as a successful GM in Canada. If something worked for him there, why not try it in 62?

There seem to be some embittered and tortured souls out there from 62. I sympathize with you. Personally, I know that it's much easier to look at someone else's flaws than my own, and to commiserate anonymously on a web forum is probably fun for some. However, as a person who errs every day, I would have a serious problem exposing what I perceived to be someone else's flaws on a public website for all to see.

I'm sure I upset my share of people at ERAC for one reason or another - it's the not-so-glamorous part of being "the boss" in the business world. I also hope I was able to help some people to be better businesspeople and better people in general. I know I truly cared enough about people I worked with that I still call many of them friends. And it wasn't because I could gain something by being friends with them, it was because I enjoyed knowing them as people. Looking at one person's "top 5", it seems that is probably the common characteristic (I am humbled to even be mentioned 3 and a half years out of the game).

Later,

Dealer