Archive for November, 2008
Seven Keys to Job Security – Key 1
Posted by: | CommentsThroughout November, I am blogging about the future of work and offering strategies for coping with job insecurity in the “New Economy”. As news develops regarding intervention to revive North America’s BIG THREE auto maker, people in small and large cities all over the continent are dealing with the uncertainty of employment and what the following months/year will bring. This week, the U.S. is celebrating Thanksgiving which traditionally kicks off the Christmas shopping season. Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving in October just as the economic news was hitting the bricks. Because of our cross-border shopping traditions, retailers on both sides of the border are bracing for the unpredictable reaction to the current economic shift (I refuse to use the word “meltdown”).
Thanksgiving is also a time for being grateful for what we have and therefore can be a kick-off point for introspection. I hope that the keys to job security offered over the next week will assist those who appreciate the time to enter serious introspection with the intent to counteract the negativity of the news. I recommend taking these steps with a coach or mentor who can help by providing honest feedback and guidance.
Key 1 Find passion in what you do. Choose work that you can get excited about. You do have a choice. Passion gives energy like no other feeling. When you have passion, you have purpose. You can speak about your work with enthusiasm. Discover on a more specific level what excites you. Find out what you really love doing in your work. Then on a not-so-good day, you can draw on the energy of passion.
“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” [Dale Carnegie]
Gateway to the Information Age
Posted by: | CommentsWhen I walk through the departure level of Toronto International Pearson Airport, I love to check out the Malton Airport Gallery. The black and white mural is a picture of the old Malton Airport and an old prop plane with luggage handlers manually loading luggage. The picture reminds me of the day I arrived in Canada as a five-year old.
The gallery is hosting a fascinating display of antique typewriters. The walls are lined with photographs of people working in offices and stores back to the early 1880s. A poster reads
“Gateway to the Information Age. Today’s keyboards provide an essential entry point for global communication and help define the personal and business technology of our “information age.” The original keyboards – typewriters – have largely been ignored as cultural artifacts but their impact on life in the 20th century was considerable. Along with other machines of communication, the typewriter helped create the modern world.”
If you asked a Gen X, Y, or Millennium to describe a typewriter, many would give you a blank stare. Nor would they believe that their communication technology sprouted from this antique machinery.
Babyboomers who learned to “type” were fortunate to be able to transfer their skills from the mechanical typewriter to the latest version of the keyboard – even the miniature versions on Blackberry’s and other handheld devices. Other shifts from machines to technology have not been able to preserve human labour – an interesting observation. I still value typing or keyboarding as it is now known as the most valuable and transportable skill that I ever developed.
The gallery display also chronicles the story of a typewriter repairman who made his fortune walking from one office to another, then by car. When typewriters when Selectric (IBM), his business adapted. When typewriters moved towards obsolescence, his business adapted. He noticed that computers spawned printers. He didn’t stay ahead of the curve, but he certainly kept his eye open for opportunity as technology changed. His competitors became obsolete just like the typewriters that they serviced. More market share for him.
In this time of technological and enonomical shifts, are you seeing the opportunities or are you wallowing in obsolescence.
If you cannot make to the MALTON Airport Gallery, you can read more about early typewriters at www.antiquetypewriters.com.
All typewriters and accessories on display in the gallery are from the Martin Howard Collection.
Living with Job Insecurity in the New Economy
Posted by: | CommentsNo doubt that tomorrow (November 4, 2008) will go down in history. The world is waiting to see if US citizens acknowledge that BIG SHIFTS are happening in the world economy that requires a BIG SHIFT in leadership. Change has been happening in front of our noses for decades and either the “leaders” have not been clued in or they have been burying their heads in the sand. The workplace and employment as we know it has been and is going through a huge transformation.
Manufacturing, as well as much of the service sector, is undergoing a transformation as profound as the one experienced by the agricultural sector at the beginning of the last century. We are still in the early stages AND clearly we are experiencing a shift from mass labor to highly skilled labor, along with increasing automation in the production of goods and delivery of services. Analysts predict that, in this century, employment as we know it is likely to be phased out in industrialized nations of the world. Human labor is being systematically eliminated from the economic process. A new generation of sophisticated information and communication technologies, together with new forms of business reorganization and management, is wiping out full-time employment for millions of blue- and white-collar workers.In a ruthless, globally competitive market, companies can no longer afford the luxury of holding on to more employees than they need. Because of technology, some jobs are being eliminated completely.The evidence is clear that we are shifting to a new economy – one that is booming for some jobs, and devastating for others.
What do these changes signify for you? Are you taking notice, taking responsibility, and investing in yourself to prepare for change or are you burying your head in the sand?
In future blogs in November, I will offer keys to the new job security.
