Not that long ago, telephone conversations, email messages, fax messages, couriered packages and of course, “snail mail” were the principal means of communications in business. I remember being impressed when a major transnational client placed me on their intranet. Even then, the most important meetings took place face-to-face, which involved extensive travel on everyone’s part. Continue reading
Why Martin Luther King, Jr. did NOT say “I have a plan.”
In the past week, I have been reflecting on the 50th anniversary of the historic civil rights march on Washington DC; the one where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. I won’t claim to have been present though I was at the time, in Boston, labouring in the community development trenches. I was more inspired by the speech than the march itself. I took pieces of it with me every day and used it to start conversations and to encourage others to believe in what it described.
During the week, I encountered an article (posted on my Facebook page and LinkedIn company page) written by Daniel Burrus, entitled “Why Martin Luther King, Jr. did NOT say “I have a plan.” Continue reading
We live in interesting times.
A recent Gallup Poll study found that in the United States, 70% of employees are disinterested and/or disconnected from their jobs and goals of their employers. Last year, NISE published a similar finding regarding Barbadian workers.
Last week, in the Barbados Business Authority, I saw a picture of a man standing on the side of the road handing out his resume. Below, was an article pointing out that employers are now seeking to hire people who have a demonstrated ability to work with others to get things done. The Associated Press compiled a study showing that “soft skills tend to differentiate good college graduates from exceptional college graduates”.
The trend is toward candidates virtually being “auditioned” in assessment center exercises to “see how well they work in teams, write and speak with clarity, adapt quickly to changes in technology and business conditions, and interact with colleagues from different countries and cultures.”
LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, has more than 225 million subscribers to its website. The majority are seeking jobs or opportunities to advance their professional pursuits. Amazingly, very few are able to make a compelling presentation of what makes them worth being considered. Those who offer credible proof of their capabilities, find this confirmed in the form of endorsements and valuable connections.
Strong Words 