Schumacher about 20 years ago wrote a simple and paradigm-busting book called Small is Beautiful. This was a breakthrough book when the business world was thinking big is better. In year 2000, small means entrepreneurial, start-up, paradigm busting, vibrant, customer-driven, free, and profitable. Big, slow, hindering, plodding, and corporate are dead. Entrepreneurship, ‘doing it your …
Make sure the job fits Behave like an entrepreneur Seek feedback Move beyond mentors Think teams Take risks Be a problem solver Balance your life[i] [i] Covey, Stephen, “How to Succeed in Today’s Workplace,” Parade, September 2, 1997.
Increase income Improve your ‘value proposition’ Balance work and family life Learn from special projects Obtain necessary training Satisfy diverse customer requirements Balance peaks in work activity
Professionals used to speak about the forty-hour week. Now, the norm is 50 hours or more a week just to get stuff off our desks. We’re seeing career upshifters and downshifters. Brand U upshifters strive for the golden ring while Brand U downshifters want to decrease life’s volatility, stress, and speed. More of us are …
Almost all work even from the receptionist to the CEO is now knowledge and information based. We, as Brand U’s, may create a new product, offer a unique suggestion, or provide value-added services. We have to use our best judgment, tools, methods, and knowledge in our work. Since the risks of poor attitudes, skills, and …
Code warrior Bitsifter Leadership engineer Content person Brand manager Creativity czar Charismatic leader Organizational architect Notes god Net anything Imagineer Creatologist Change leader Director of reinventing Futurist Organizational skeptic Go-to person Resultant Head geek Global anything Code juggler Competitor analyst Transition manager Empiricist
Johnny Paycheck’s ‘Take This Job and Shove It’ is now the Brand U anthem. And this attitude has now mainstreamed. One of the many new phenomena of this economy is the number of people who are quitting their jobs. Fortune, the capitalist’s magazine, had a piece recently called ‘The Joy of Quitting,” Well, it …
Add value. Add value to the organization, customer, and to yourself. Target and concentrate on fields with the greatest potential. Create new and better ways of working, use time management techniques, and use a day planner. Constantly improve skills, knowledge, and contacts. Be flexible. Be ready for change and opportunities. Look for the best fit. …
So, you’ve done a great job. You expect a promotion! Guess again! You’re rewarded through recognition, a one-time bonus, a higher base salary, time off, or another special project. Another special project you say, when you’ve been busting your buns 70 hours a week on a ‘death march’ project. This isn’t too far fetched! Many …
I remember seeing a training video of a Japanese company whose members sang the company song and pledged allegiance to the company. The company had a lifetime employment contract or understanding with its employees. Could you see that happening in America? Pledging allegiance to a company, which has haphazardly downsized or transformed itself. I don’t …