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It's a cliché, now, something we all are aware of: some types of American jobs are moving off-shore in record numbers. What's not a cliché, yet, is what to do about it. So let's say, just for arguement, that you had some planning to do for yourself, or, better, a young adult. What would we suggest to make your - or their - enrichment (both emotional and material) more of a sure thing?
Pink lays out a six keys to meeting the demands of the new era:
DESIGN We used to say "form over function". Pink says, "Not just function but also design (Pink, 65)". He might have said, "The iPod succeeded for a reason."
So what's that got to do with our young person planning her future? Kindergartners know they artists. Just ask them. Second graders still like art. By sixth grade, only a few kids will admit to liking art - now they focus on learning math and language arts. The art of it all is still important. Focusing on art - and design - opens opportunities for growth in the future in occupations that will stay close to home.
STORY We used to say, before you tried to sell anything, make sure you know all the features and benefits of the product or service you are trying to sell. Pink says, more than the features and benefits, know the story about your product - and tell it.
"So what's my product?", your young person says? "You are," is the answer. Tell your story. Enlighten it with your strengths and interests and focus it on where you want to end up.
SYMPHONY We used to make sure our mission statements were focused on one marketplace, or even a niche within a marketplace. Pink says, forget focus, look at the big picture. Re-construct it if you have to, but remember that when you are all done, your re-constructed market niches (made up of bits and pieces from all sorts of marketplaces) need to work together, to play together, like a symphony combines bits and pieces into an "arresting new whole" (Pink, 66). Our young person will combine her interests, both right brain and left brain into new creative occupations that won't ever off-shore.
EMPATHY I thought I knew all about Jerry Ford's Presidency until I read DeFrank's new book (http://mixnerstrategy.com/blog/2008/02/gerald_fords_scoop.html). Jerry Ford did simple things that meant a lot to Americans. When you visited his office, he got up and met you at the door. Seems simple, doesn't it? A couple steps. A little time wasted. But DeFrank got the empathy of it all in that Ford was saying something like, "We're equals. Let's do something good for America." DeFrank got the empathy of Gerald R. Ford, and re-kindled in me an understanding of what leadership really is. Our young person will need to work in a team. The best way to participate in a team - better yet, to lead a team - to show empathy to all the members of your team.
LAUGH My daughter and I used to practice laughing at the dinner table. She thought I was nuts. So did my wife. Pink says laughing is a big part health and professional growth. He says the best CEOs make people laugh more that CEOs who just manage. I'm going to try it more. If you see me laughing in a meeting - and trying to make you laugh - you'll know why. And our young person, what should she do? Don't forget to laugh - and motivate others to laugh as well - as you work your way up the ladder. When you get closer to the top, laughter will serve you just as well as it did on the way up, maybe better.
MEANING My good friend David Gentry used to talk about the continuum from success to significance. Pink's word for significance is meaning. Without having something important to work for, just why are we doing what we are doing in the first place? We all get a choice in what we decide to do. A job with meaning is likely to be a part of the fabric of the community and less likely to be moved elsewhere. High touch jobs like nursing, art (in marketing, for instance), and design aren't going anywhere. Treated properly, they're highly meaningful, as well.
So, what are the possibilities? Think creative, not analytical. Think people, not immediate solutions. Spend more time on things you wouldn't normally consider. Don't become a cliché. And don't let the young people in your life become clichés as well.
Pink, Daniel H. A Whole New Mind. Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. Riverhead Books. 2005.