I might agree with Possum... if this were 1954!

It used to be such that being "captain of the football team" rewarded you with the social skills to manage a workplace. You were a "team player" in every sense of the word. But the game has changed, and so has the office.

Today the workplace is filled with email, voicemail, text messages, instant messages, conference calls, telecommuting, training videos, performance reviews, management seminars and a host of modern nightmares that have invaded our once-simple offices. We're not talking about CEO's of technology companies, even the most basic office assistants need at least half of these skills to do their jobs.

How does your department head know the "real" desires of the middle manager? She works from home, 300 miles away. Does the IT guy you've never met consider you a "real" client? What "real" problems are you better at solving, I wonder? Here, when a computer locks up, it's a "real" problem.

If you can't decipher the tone of an email, if you can't write a review for an employee you've never met in person, if you can't coordinate a conference call or an online project, if you can't create a virtual seminar or an in-house video, then it's likely going to be you, Possum, in a long unemployment line.

Why did you suppose these guys, with their MMO Leadership skills, why do you think they would EVER come to you looking for a job? These guys are already writing reports for the Harvard Business Review!

I have a clue for you, Possum... get tuned for Kara and get with the game!