Business News Daily recently provided their list of top 10 career books every job seeker should read. This is an excellent list. I am honored to see The Leap: Launching Your Full-Time Career in Our Part-Time Economy recommended.
To see the entire list of resources use this link.
I just returned from the Harvard Business School President's Program and one of the topics we discussed was the global need for over 600 million new jobs to be created in the next ten years. Although we are seeing signs of an economic recovery it has largely been "jobless" and real job creation has barely kept up with demand. This demand is going to put an enormous strain on governments and the global economy. Can it be done?
Globalization continues to displace workers as manufacturing moves to the lowest cost area globally and manual labor jobs are being automated at a faster rate leaving unskilled workers in many countries without jobs and without many options. 42.1% of the youth in the EU are in part-time jobs and 23.8% of the youth are unemployed. There are 357.7 million young people globally who are not employed and are not in any type of education or skill development program. We have a global problem and unrest is growing in many countries.
In 2009 I started blogging about the need for people to wake up and take "The Leap" by developing their inner entrepreneur. I felt people needed to start something on the side and to build multiple income streams in their life so they were not dependent on an increasingly unreliable corporate job. This passion project of mine is starting to go mainstream as media and government organizations are talking about the need for entrepreneurial training to help create the jobs of the future.
There is no realistic expectation that worldwide governments can create 600 million jobs in the next 10 years but they can help foster an environment where job creation will take off. They need to help train, empower, and get out of the way of the latent potential on main street and let entrepreneurs young and old take the leap to create the companies and jobs of the future.
This year the World Economic Forum issued a report encouraging massive entrepreneurship training globally. One participant said, "Entrepreneurship education is essential for developing the human capital necessary for the society of the future...it needs to be the core to the way education operates." I must say, I like they way this guy thinks.
Many people are afraid to take the leap. Even if they are not stepping out 100% on their own to start a business, just the thought of starting something on the side can be scary. Where do you start? Who is there to help? And then the self-doubt starts to creep in…can I do it?
Peter Drucker famously said, “Most of what you hear about entrepreneurship is all wrong. It’s not magic, its not mysterious, and it has nothing to do with genes. It’s a discipline and like any discipline it can be learned.”
The World Economic Forum has a five-step education plan. They recommend the following.
1 – Developing leadership and life skills
2 – Embedding entrepreneurship in Education
3 – Taking cross-disciplinary approach
4 - Utilizing interactive pedagogy
5 – Leveraging technology
I am covering the issues of globalization and its impact on local economies and how to build a full-time life in a part-time world more in depth on my website RobertDickie.com. I encourage you to join the discussion. I also encourage you to think about taking the leap if you have not done so already. Start to develop your inner entrepreneur. Think about a side project you would be passionate about starting.
I also encourage you to continue to learn and develop your skills. I recommend Crown’s Venture Academy. I think the program is like a mini-Harvard MBA. Wade Myers, my friend and business partner teaches Venture Academy. He was Baker Scholar at Harvard Business School and is an accomplished venture capitalist. He does a fantastic job of taking a student from the basics to advanced concepts of starting, financing, growing, and evening selling your business. If you are thinking of starting a business this is one of the best investments you can make.
The program costs $150 and I will give the first three people who request it a free subscription to this program. I’d like to hear what you think. Just send me a message on RobertDickie.com.
This graph from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics is telling. I have highlighted on multiple media outlets this year the current problem we have with graduating college students with massive student loan debt unable to find work. It is important to understand I value education and think it is VERY important but I do not encourage students to go into debt to finance it.
I also encourage students to make sure they have taken a Career Direct assessment first to understand where they are passionate and gifted and most likely to be successful. You don't want to get a degree and start a career where you will be unsatisfied or not be able to unleash the God given talents you have been blessed with. If you would like to have a personal assessment done you can contact me at www.RobertDickie.com and I would be glad to help you.
My advice to all high school students is to continue to gain as much education as possible even if you are not going to attend college. Some of the most brilliant and successful people I know are self-taught who sought a great mentor, applied for an apprenticeship, and continued life-long education with self-study. Importantly, these people took the leap early and started their own business. If you are not going to further your education after high school by attending college it is important to be going into a skilled trade or starting your own business.
If you are deciding on a career path, in a mid-career transition, or unhappy with your current employment and thinking of other options this article might be helpful. In my Fox News article 8 Mistakes We Make that Lead to Unsatisfying Work I provide tips to help those in transition to make a decision that will lead to fulfilling next step in your journey. I hope this is helpful.
This is my third installment going deeper into the seven tips I shared for navigating the new economy and job market in my Fox News article Building a Full-Time Life in a Part-Time World. This step could potentially be the most important for those making a transition in the job market currently or trying to be prepared for that in the future.
I have interviewed multiple CEO's of some of the largest and most prominent search and placement firms in the country. They had some very interesting insight regarding the job market, how to be prepared, and the number one place they go on the internet to find new recruits. You want to hear what they have to say.
If you who know someone that will be looking for a job let them know their greatest asset is their network. This article will help them develop and use it. Everyone should be building and developing their network as an asset.
The number one key of networking is that the more generous you are the more valuable your network becomes. I hope you find the article helpful.
To have more functionality and to be able to better engage people in discussions I am starting to move most of my blogging over to my new WordPress website at RobertDickie so click here to read the full article. Please come over to read this article and add your perspective and insight.
http://www.robertdickie.com/
The most successful people I have met in life understand this one principle.
Many years ago I stood with an older colleague on the deck of his beautiful home as we talked about where he was in life, the challenges he was facing, and the stress that was piled on him that most people did not know about. On this occasion, he muttered a phrase that has stuck with me to this day. As the summer humidity hung in the air, he looked out over the city and said, “Bob, most men live lives of quiet desperation and no one ever knows about it.” It had a chilling effect on me that night and it is something I have grown to better understand over the years. Here stood a man who had accomplished so much in life, had every sign of material and corporate success, beautiful family, the life that most people dream about and yet he was miserable.
Being a close friend and confidant, I knew he felt trapped. He was anchored in life, in a career that left him unfulfilled but always yearning for more, trapped by his material success and not even enjoying it. He was on a treadmill where the pace continued to increase and he was tiring but could not jump off. It was easy to see he had all the wrong anchors in life.
There are good anchors like family, faith, and traditions that keep us anchored and grounded on our journey in life. We need to build and protect those anchors. They become the bedrock upon which we can create a meaningful life. However, there are negative anchors that hurt people as they start to build their careers and those are ones we need to understand and navigate carefully.
In my FoxNews article, “How to Build a Full-Time Life in a Part-Time World” I listed seven things people can do to have success in navigating through a challenging economy and job market. The second tip I gave was to avoid anchors. Those coming out of college looking to land a job need to be flexible and to build a life that allows them to transition quickly in their twenties and thirties as they maneuver in this new economy, take different positions, work with multiple companies, and craft a career that will look very different from their parents and grandparents.
The same flexibility is needed for the mid-career professionals and a new growing demographic, the 55+ year olds who are crafting a second career for the next stage in life.
Common Anchors
Over the past year, I have spoken with young and old alike who are navigating this economy and have been amazed at the anchors they place in their lives that prevent them from taking great job opportunities. Here are common phrases I hear:
1) I don’t want to leave this city.
2) I need to live near my family.
3) I can’t sell my house.
4) I need to make “X” so I can’t take that new position because it would be a step backwards even though in the long run it would be a greater opportunity for me.
5) This sounds like a great opportunity but I was looking for something else and this sounds like a difficult assignment.
The anchors come in forms of physical constraints like needing to be locked into geography or having lifestyles that prevent them from being flexible. The anchors can also come in the form of mental barriers such as a perception or fear. Both hinder the individual from being able to seize and maximize great opportunities when they are presented.
Advice for Millennials
My friend and colleague, Calvin Dillinger has written an excellent piece for millennials titled "Upgrade You." He gives great advice on things to avoid and how to save money. If followed, this can help prevent anchors, reduce debt, build cash reserves, and help establish a life where you can be flexible and transition quickly when opportunities are presented.
Don't Build Your Prison
Looking back on that night many years ago with my friend talking about the issues he was facing his anchors will resonate more with the mid-career professional who feels trapped. He had created anchors in his life that became a prison. He was on a career path he could not change because of his lifestyle…multiple homes, boats, and the monthly overhead to keep it all going. He had crafted a public perception of success and he could not walk away from this life. He had created his own prison that he could not escape although he was talented in many other areas and could have been successful at many things. To this day, with a smile on his face and cheerful greeting to those around him he labors down that path but is quietly unhappy and unfulfilled every minute of the day.
His words will stay with me for the rest of my life and I will continue to use them as a cautionary tale to those seeking advice on how to plan a successful life. In my last post, I wrote about making sure that we are in alignment with our gifts, skill-sets, and passions because only then will we be able to work towards a career that is meaningful to us and those around us. Do you want to make a difference in the world? Start with doing something you love and are passionate about. Only then will you really unlock your potential to be able to exponentially make the world a better place.
How to Stay Flexible
With that said, here is my parting advice on avoiding anchors in your life. I have seen these to be big anchors that hinder people from seizing great opportunities that are presented to them.
1) Debt = Work hard to stay out of debt. The more debt you have the less flexible you are and the less options available to you.
2) Geography = Early in your career don’t lock yourself into a location. Be willing to move often to take new jobs and advance within your company or industry. Being flexible so you can move is a key to advance in this economy.
3) Mortgages = Be careful when you do decide to buy a home…this can be a very big anchor in your life. If you do things right this will not be an anchor. Your mentor can help you with one.
4) Lack of Long-term plan = If you are married have an understanding with your spouse on what level of flexibility and risk taking you both feel is okay for your family. Both partners need to be on the same page. Have a plan and be working on it together!
5) Lack of Liquidity = Maintain a cash reserve. In business they say “Cash is king” and in your life “Cash equals flexibility.”
Start with self-awareness about your skills, passions, and goals. Then avoid anchors to help you as you start your career as well as help you transition and progress throughout your career. There is nothing I enjoy more than seeing someone operate within their sweet spot, being passionate about what they do, and helping others do the same.
A Great Example
The best example I have to offer is my friend Jeremie Kubicek who is the Founder of Giant Impact. Jeremie operated for years as the CEO of Giant Impact but he realized his passion was teaching and inspiring others and he wanted to do more of that. He recently sold everything he had and moved his family to London to start a new division in the company that helps executives and leaders maximize their potential. His keen understanding of his gifts and passions combined with his flexibility and alignment with his wife and children has allowed him to embark on an incredible journey and he is impacting world leaders right now because of it. As you take The Leap at the beginning of your career or later in life he is a great role model to inspire all of us.
If you have questions, contact me at RobertDickieIII or via e-mail at [email protected].
As an officer in the United States Air Force I often heard the phrase “If you don’t have a plan, you are planning to fail.” This wise counsel is not only great advice for leaders preparing for combat operations but it is crucial for those in the job market today looking to have success finding a job, launching a new start-up business, or working to reach long-term career goals.
The reality is that without help it can be hard to build a plan and then execute it. With a trusted mentor or advisor helping us it can be much easier but it will still require time and thought to put it all down in a written document so we can reference it regularly and make sure that we are on track.
First of all, we need to know where we are and where we want to go. When you are orienteering in
the woods, knowing your location is a critical first step to getting to your
final destination.
You might think, “I know where I am…I’m a student looking for a job” or “I’m about to launch a new start-up company.” Unfortunately this is not what we are talking about. We need to go deeper. Who you are can tell you where you are. Finding out about who you are, your gifts, skill-sets, desires, and values will tell you where you are in life. This is your starting point. From there you can build a career plan that will maximize your talents and gifts to help you achieve a life of meaning and purpose.
This may sound strange but finding out about YOU is the best place to start. We have all heard wise counselors give advice to people to be themselves, go against the current, take a different path, or don’t follow the herd. This is great advice but I want to tell you about when we should go with the current not against it.
The Bible says that “everyone is fearfully and wonderfully made.” God made each of us as unique as a fingerprint. You and I are totally different and there will never be another person like us…EVER! God has given each of us special talents, skills, desires, and passions in his unique design for our lives. When we understand how we are hard-wired and we pursue a career that is in total alignment with our skills, life is much easier. It is like we are swimming in a river with a powerful current that is helping us reach our destination. If however, we don’ understand how we are made with our unique values and talents, we could find ourselves on a path of study or in a career where we are misaligned and that is when life is extremely difficult. Every day it feels like we are swimming upstream against the current. It is hard work, painful, and sometimes full of misery. If you know someone who is struggling in life and not happy with their job or course of study, it is possible they are misaligned in a key area of their life.
So how do we find out who we are so we can begin to build a life plan and start our journey? Over ten years ago multiple Professors and Ph.d candidates at the University of Georgia set out to design a unique assessment to help people begin this process. After thousands of hours and millions of dollars in investment Career Direct was born. Over 250,000 people have used this assessment to build a life plan and make sure they were in alignment with how God made them.
I highly recommend this service as the starting point to understand your skills, talents, values, and goals. Once you know this you will better understand where you should invest your time in your course work and in the workforce so you can maximize these gifts to help you achieve your goals. You will live a life of purpose and meaning because you will be aligned with how you were made. My close friend, Handre DeJongh from South Africa is a trained Career Direct Consultant having done over 1,200 personal in depth consultations and he says that a person living life that is misaligned is like tasting bitter coffee. Life is too short to live bitter...it is time to live better! Crown offers counselors like Handre who will walk you through this program and help you understand your results and guide you in creating a life plan to reach your objectives so you can live a life of passion and fulfillment.
Once you understand yourself deeper and have clarity on your "life plan" it is now time to build an action plan to achieve your goals. For business owners and entrepreneurs the next step is developing your business plan. I recommend the Venture Analysis. Wade Myers as a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) would charge Fortune 500 clients $60,000 to start this process. He took the exact formulas, charts, and analysis and developed the Venture Analysis and Start-up Financial Model that all entrepreneurs could afford. Whether you are launching a start-up or running an established business you will be amazed at the insights and information this analysis will give you about your operation.
Once we understand our talents and skill sets and have a business plan that we can execute against the next step in our process is all about avoiding ANCHORS! If you have questions, contact me at RobertDickieIII or via e-mail at [email protected].
The unemployment numbers released last week that report an unemployment rate in this country of 7.4% and the anemic creation of 162k jobs in July down from our 2013 monthly average of 192k per month hid startling statistics of the new economy.
In 2013 77% of the jobs that have been created were part-time. When you calculate the unemployment numbers with the number of Americans under-employed (working less than 35 hours a week) our unemployment rate is actually around 14.3% reports the New York Times.
This is the slowest recovery in the past 70 years with unemployment rising, part-time jobs becoming the norm, incomes decreasing, and those with savings facing a “no-margin” investment era. It is official, we have a new economy with new rules. To win and have success in this new era we cannot play the game with the rules of the past. This is not our grandparent’s economy.
This past week I wrote an article in FoxNews titled Jobs hunt getting you down -- how to build a full-time life in a part-time world. I provide 7 tips for those looking to have success in this new era. An interesting aspect I was not able to elaborate on in this piece is the fact that due to the dire jobs situation in this country entrepreneurship is rapidly increasing. From 2000-2007 it has been reported that at the top MBA programs in the country upwards of 50% sought jobs in the finance sector upon graduation. After the crash of 2007 graduates at those same institutions have been rushing to become entrepreneurs with a growth rate that has tripled in the past three years.
Clearly they see the game has changed as well and are seeking the best opportunity available by taking matters into their own hands and creating their future by starting a company and becoming an entrepreneur. The tips I provided in my article apply to both the person looking for a job or the entrepreneur looking to create a company and build value for themselves, their employees, and investors.
Success tip number one is “Plan Deliberately.” Having a plan that is written down that you can execute against is critical to success. It has been said if you don’t have a plan you are planning to fail. As a starting point for all aspiring entrepreneurs and those in the job hunt I recommend taking a Career Direct assessment test and using this as a foundation in your career plan. This tool can be expanded with your mentor or advisor and will help you make sure that you are on the right path based on your skills, likes, and values. Nothing is worse than getting to the end of your journey to find out that you hate the location you have been striving to reach.
Finally, for those who are beginning or are already on their entrepreneurial journey and wish they had more formal business education and training I recommend looking at the Venture Academy video series by Wade Myers. Wade is a Harvard MBA and Baker Scholar (graduated Top 5% of his class at Harvard) and has been a successful venture capitalist that started over 20 companies. Wade had a goal of providing a Harvard MBA style education to the masses using a video based system and online resources. His system uses Harvard cases studies and goes through all aspects of business acumen. You can learn more of about this great program at Venture Academy -- Starting Up. If you have any questions regarding my article or these programs please write me below and I will be glad to answer them for you.
Remember, taking action helps remove fear. If you have been thinking about starting down a new career path or starting on your entrepreneurial journey don’t waste any more time. Take the first step or better yet...THE LEAP!
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