Our friends call us tiger parents or even worse. What do they mean?
Our daughter Margaux is 12. She went to a Montessori school that didn’t believe in homework. Well, my wife and I believe in homework.
Margaux says it’s unfair because none of the other kids are doing it. Well, we say: “you are not competing against kids in the US, your competition is the kid in Mumbai, India or Hong Kong, China.” Welcome to globalization and our idea of competition for our 12 year old.
How do you keep yourself competitive? Learn something new that someone wants to buy. According to surveys, flexibility and the ability to learn are critical competencies for life and career success. We all have to anticipate changes, discern trends, and predict customer needs. We then must make shrewd career moves that will keep us ahead of the change curve and position ourselves for professional opportunities.
Shared responsibility is the current belief about employment. You provide skills, ideas, and value while the company or customer provides you employment. The employer provides the opportunity for self-improvement as long as your skills add value to the business. More employers promote continuous learning, provide training opportunities, and provide work experiences in exchange for your ideas and value adding work. Only one problem: while all companies promote continuous learning, fewer will pay for it.
Life Lesson Earned: In your client’s eyes, you are not competing with other US consultants, you are competing for value against your equivalent in Vietnam, China, or India. If your personal contribution is not compelling, your client will quickly realize that he/she can save money by outsourcing your work. Are you keeping up even if it’s on your own ticket?