Leading the Pack With Your Unique Skills!

Each person is born with certain innate skills and abilities that help hem survive in the world. Cultures may determine which skills are rewarded and which are not. Exposure and discovery of our skills is half the battle while the enhancement of such skills is another. If you want to be successful consider finding what makes you unique and capitalize on them.

Most people are creatures of the herd which means they follow each other in fashion, work, mannerisms, and ideas. This is great for social cohesion but not so great if you want to break out of the mold and do something unique. To move beyond the herd requires doing something new that others might not even consider.

Those skills you are born with will naturally have an impact on what things you are good at. Sometimes you can find a match in life and employment. For example, a person who is strong at calculating numbers would make a great accountant, scientist, or mathematician. Another person who is strong at creative writing would be better in journalism, marketing, or similar fields.

The biggest problem is discovering what makes you unique and then determining how to capitalize on such uniqueness by turning it into an advantage. That requires trial, error, exploration, practice and reflection. Sometimes it is possible to take tests and assessments to narrow down where your thinking and physical skills lay.

Don't be afraid of criticism. It is difficult for people to grasp the concept that we are not all born the same, wanting the same things, or doing the same things. History has shown us that people who strike out on their own path are the ones that do things others are likely to remember. Certainly many do fail but those who do succeed do so in a big way.

To advance your career and personal life take some time to think about your skills and try and understand where your strengths lay and how you might better apply them. If you have a knack for some skill try and enhance those skills and incorporate them into your professional and creative output. Over time you will find that you are not only advancing in your career but also feel more fulfilled as a person.

"We are all born with a unique genetic blueprint, which lays out the basic characteristics of our personality as well as our physical health and appearance... And yet, we all know that life experiences do change us." Joan D. Vinge

Are Millennials Becoming Known as “Generation Unemployed”?

A growing crisis is unfolding among Millennials worldwide that could someday have an impact on international business. That is at least according to The Ground Truth Project that includes 21 fellows reporting from 11 countries. Global youth unemployment and few opportunities for training new skills are rising across the world.  Where these Millennials seem to be lacking in opportunity they are also trying to create their own avenues through entrepreneurship. 

They have been nicknamed “Generation Jobless” because they are unemployed and not enrolled in some type of formal schooling. They could someday be the chronically unemployed class of people who are not, or cannot seek, to improve their positions in life through formal channels. This makes them more likely to use alternative paths to achievement. 

Nearly a quarter of the world’s 15-24 year-olds are seriously struggling to meet the day-to-day needs of buying food, affording a place to stay or attending trade/formal post-secondary schooling. This is a generation where a large percentage lives in near despair every day making them a major challenge for business and government.

At present, Millennials should be entering into part-time introductory jobs to learn the necessary skills to earn higher wages later on in their careers. Without out these introductory jobs they will be lacking both education and on-the-job skill training to meaningfully fulfill highly skilled job openings.  

Since this is a phenomenon occurring in multiple countries it has implications for future business recruitment and consumption on a global scale. A generation of young people struggling to find their footing will naturally come along with a desire to change their circumstances. This is also a large generation much like the Baby Boomers that has shown a willingness to protest and support causes. 

Without opportunity many have moved toward starting their own micro and small business enterprises in an attempt to develop their own income streams. Their learning style appears to be more focused on a natural style of development outside of formal education. We can see the same mechanics at work with the initial interest in free MOOCs. 

With a decade of recession and rapid environmental change Millennials live in a different world than their parents and grandparents did. There is no such thing as a life-long job, substantive wage increases, or even a reasonable assumption Social Security will still be around when they retire. They are on their own, globalized, and transient making them one of the first generations forced to someday rewrite all the rules.  

http://thegroundtruthproject.org/2014/10/10/generation-t-b-d/

Teaching Business Graduates to Apply Theory

Students enter graduate school with an abundance of hopes and enthusiasm to transform themselves into the next guru CEO that transforms companies to great profit. Sometimes that enthusiasm dissipates when they realize the equally abundant amount of work that is necessary to learn the skills needed to achieve that success. The ability of students to understand higher levels of theoretical material and apply that material to solve important problems for “real world” performance is beneficial for life success.  Graduates who know how to understand theory and apply it are worth more than those who cannot.

It is through this application that theoretical models are adjusted to working models that adequately function within the business world. When theories are adjusted and refined they provide a level of feedback that helps to ensure the theory continues to adjust to a more practical end. The development and attempted application of theory is part of the process of business development.

Some students, unfortunately too many students, read information and rephrase it without trying to understand the information at a deeper level. Graduate students should be more like working scholars that read, understand, and apply best practice theories to solve everyday workplace problems. Their ability to move beyond simple citation and regurgitation is important for future growth and success. 

Graduate students should receive their Master Degree Diploma’s with a level of knowledge and skills that transfer to the modern workplace. Unfortunately, many business school students’ graduates lack sufficient writing, interpersonal communication, and critical thinking skills to effectively navigate their work environment (Everson, 2014).  Making them seek relevant information and communicate about it is important for their development.

The use of theory to solve practical problems can have strong business implications that can better bridge the gaps between the business community universities. For example, business and communication students at a large university in the U.S. competed to solve authentic business problems proposed by a Fortune 500 Company (Brozovic & Matz, 2009). The company was impressed with some of the recommendations and implemented them into their operations while students were able to learn how to apply theoretical knowledge. 

Such collaborations between the business and the academic world are unfortunately rare. Higher education has a responsibility to adequately prepare students for successful employment while business should ensure that business colleges are teaching appropriate curriculum that suits their needs long-term needs. Building connections between the two worlds can only be helpful for the development of both.

Students may resent having to look in the library for materials, read those materials thoroughly, and then formulate an opinion on how to apply the concepts but this is vitally important for successful business management. Business is about solving consumer and market problems and those future executives that can apply knowledge to difficult problems are not only likely to be more effective but also increase their value through continuous learning. 

Brzovic, K. & Matz, I. (2009). Students advise fortune 500 company: designing a problem-based learning community. Business Communication Quarterly, 72 (1). 

Everson, K. (2014). Shrinking the business school skill gap. Chief Learning Officer, 13 (9).

The Skills that Lead to Employment in Undergraduate Online Education

In higher education employability has come to the forefront of the debate. Arguments revolve around graduate success in finding employment.  Research by Silva, et. al (2013) helps highlight which skills seem to encourage employability in the market based upon the perceptions of students and teachers at a public university that offers online classes. The report indicates that the societal function of higher education is to encourage the highest employment readiness but cannot determine actual employment itself which is dependent on market factors. 

The study was based upon perceptions of employment skills needed for successfully navigating the market. Research subjects were drawn from an online learning center from the Universidade Alberta to help determine the most important employment skills and those skills to be developed in the online undergraduate system. 

It is beneficial to understand what the purpose of higher education is within society. Knowing how higher education fits within society will help provide a conceptual framework for determining proper skills. According to Harvey (1999) higher education should:

-Establish links to employers that assist them with developing strategies to overcome lack of qualifications.

-Contribute to solutions for education and training in highly-skilled areas with a lack of qualified workers. 

-Prepare graduates with effective skills ensuring that employability requirements are explicit within courses of study. 

Higher education follows the same supply and demand concepts within the market as other entities. Where there is a need for educated workers higher education can help fill the gap through adjusting their curriculum for maximum relevance. They cannot control the market but are able to respond appropriate to that market through understanding the needs of employers and reflecting those needs within their curriculum. 

The development of students naturally has an impact on the development of a nation. When job needs are fulfilled the employer is able to move closer to maximum productivity. Think of how low I.T. skill availability is forcing companies to outsource operations or hire foreign workers. Reich, cited by Knight, discusses the need for higher education to enhance natural skills (Knight, 2003):

-Abstraction: Theory and empirical analysis that includes formulas, equations, models, and metaphors. 

-Systems of Thought: The way the brain processes information. 

-Experimentation: Intuitive experimentation and analytical experimentation. 

-Collaboration: Using communication and teamwork to solve problems. 

The study highlights how students and faculty have a slightly different impression of the skills needed to find jobs. Both groups agree that the concepts of problem solving, planning, decision-making, and willingness to learn as fundamental skills that guild them in their careers. Adaptable and transformative profiles should be enhanced. Adaptive employees are able to learn new skills and apply them to their workplace while transformative people are able to move beyond the rules to change the workplace into a higher functioning entity. Higher education has the responsibility to improve upon the process of knowledge attainment and job skill competence but the specific employment opportunity is the responsibility of the graduate and the employer. The closer schools are to businesses and their needs the more likely relevant market skills will be developed.

Harvey, L, (1999). New realities: The relationship between higher education and

employment. Birmingham Centre for Research into Quality.

Knight, T. P., & Yorke, M. (2003). Assessment learning and employability. England:

SRHE and Open University Press Imprint.

Silva, A., et. al. (2013). Employability in Online Higher Education : A Case Study. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 14 (1).

Developing Business Education for Economic Growth

Education has an important role in developing people and nations to higher levels of performance. Business education is a fundamental component of fostering stronger economic performance. A paper by Ugwuog, et. al. (2013) explores how education is beneficial for national development and offers a few tips for colleges to improve upon their teaching activities. 

In general terms, education can be broadly defined as acquiring the physical and social skills needed to function within their birth society. The type of education depends on the society in which one exists. In ancient times this may have occurred informally under a tree while in modern times it could include online classrooms.

Because education improves upon people’s abilities it is considered an investment. The central place of education is to recognize its capital investment in people (Francis & Hezel, 1974). An investment may improve performance but also raise costs which makes strong business curriculum advantageous. 

Business education is even more important in helping individuals find methods of earning income while furthering economic activity. The type of programs can include certificates, skilled trades, and applied management. To continue economic growth developed nations are focusing more heavily on the quality of education. 

The author argues that there are some significant problems in some business colleges. Each college can adjust their methods to raise quality. To encourage the development of skills schools should:

-Avoid hiring unqualified teachers

-Remove obsolete technologies

-Use more computer and technology learning

-Avoid large classes

-Fund programs adequately

 Francis, X. & Hezel, S.(1974). Recent theories of the relationship between education and development. http://micsem.org/articles/education/rectheor.htm

Ugwuogo, C. (2013). Business education and national development: issues and challenges. Journal of Educational and Social Research, suppl. Special Issue, 3 (4).