Getting Older and Getting Old

I spent the weekend in DC in a professional meeting. Nice folks. All engineers. All smart. All post 45. All self limiting.

It's interesting that as we get older mental and behavior atherosclerosis sets in. Reactions can be anticipated. Conversations are stultified, instead of free ranging.

The knee jerk response to new things and new ideas is automatically 'no.' "It hasn't been done before." "It won't work." "It's dead on arrival."

Individually - pretty much the same thing. The equivalent is 'why me' instead of 'why not me.'

I wonder if that happens to all folks. The mental language and response tends to be self-limiting. The self imposed mental glass ceiling.

Rock n' Roll from the 60's and 70's is getting a revival. Bono, Jagger and others are gyrating their hips and belting it out like they were 20.

How do they do it. I think it's attitude.

Forever young ... Amen.

Shameless Self Promotion

I've been reading Fast Company Magazine for almost ten years. It's normally a good read.

However...

The folks that they flog in the magazine are becoming a lot different than the run of the mill managers and folks I know. I'm either getting older. True. Or, Fast Company is out -3 sigma.

Most of the Fast 50 folks they flog don't represent people I know or even would want to know. Also, most Fast 50 seem to be into Shameless Self Promotion land. They land a good spread and share their gospel with FC and bingo, they're super heroes.

I wonder how many really are doing well.

Does Fast Company vet these folks and their doables or as Tom Peter's says: braggables.

It seems that a lot of these folks are phonies. They got a good to great idea, but they haven't executed. The rubber hasn't met the road with their idea.

Or, I can be out of it. Who knows?

Or even better, Fast Company call me sometime so I can flog my dream and hopefully become Fast 51.

Word of the Day: Resiliency

Business is tougher. Clients and bosses want more. Complexity is increasing daily. Things are changing all the time.

The result is more uncertainty. We don't have enough time or information to make the best decisions. Sometimes, we have to suboptimzie. We don't have much control over how decisions will be executed. Notice, I'm using the double edged word 'execute.' We have now less control over the inputs, process, and outputs of our decisions. Why? Most our outside our control.

The result is that more of us are feeling stressed and out of control. So, what's the solution?

Resiliency. That's my word of the day. It's a mindset to go with the flow. Don't be an oak that is uprooted in the winds of change. Be a willow that goes with the wind.

Much easier said than done. Many are us react to situations instead of being resilient to them. We want control. We want to know what's going on.

Well, even the top bosses can't control their destiny.

So, go with the flow, breathe deeply and remember the word of the day. Resiliency.

At the Globalization Wailing Wall

I just got an email about the commoditization of engineering. Duh...

The person was bemoaning the fact that middle aged engineers were being surplused. Great word. Less harsh than fired, dismissed, terminated, etc.

Is there a god given right for a job, even if it's a professional such as engineering, architecture, accounting, etc. I don't think so.

For the clueless, read The World if Flat.

Many professionals just don't get it. The entitlement world is long gone. It's all about adding value, bottom line, differentiation, etc. Do I like it. No, but can't fight city hall and can't stop globalization.

Get real because it's happening to all of us and it'll happen to you at the moment you least expect.

Walking and Talking

I give lots of presentations. I have a couple of critical ones next week. Those that can keep or keep away a client.

I'm an engineer and an introvert. My daughter calls me king dork after that best selling young adult book. But, public speaking is a make or break deal for my engineering business. It cements the deal with a client or brings me more clients.

The problem is that many of us engineers self selected into engineering. We'd rather be working on a task or managing a project than speak publicly.

Well, public speaking is necessity for making it into senior management and definitely into executive management.

So, how do you improve your speaking skills?

• Get a coach. Many companies will spring for one if you have a compelling reason. However, if you're a corporate plodder, don't even ask.
• Read books. There a lots of great books on public speaking from working a power point to working a crowd.
• Join Toast Masters or equivalent. These are groups that get you in front of people. Most of them, you don't know. it's safe.

You don't want the reputation of a great professional, but can't walk or talk. Today, that's a career killer.

Global Teaming - Key to Engineering Success

I'm an engineer. I self selected into engineering. I like to deconstruct things. I like problem solving. I was meant to be an engineer.

Many people self select into a profession or vocation, because they were meant to be there. In other words, they are predisposed to be in that profession - in terms of aptitude and attitude.

The problem, I've seen with many engineers is that they like problem solving and have the right aptitude, but all to often comes a passive attitude.

The problem is that the days of the 'lone ranger' engineer working tirelessly in a lab or in a cube is long gone. It's all about teaming - usually on a global scale.

A success ingredient for today's engineer is to think globally, be open to new ideas, and be gregarious.

If you're predisposed to solving problems, engineering is a great profession - with the following caveat.

Join. Contribute. Have fun. Being a loner is not on the critical path to success.

Three Hardest Things for an Executive To Do:

An executive is a manager with a Vice President's title or higher. This person has fought the corporate wars fro 10 or 20 years. The person has succeeded through building high performance teams to develop new products, develop new markets, and 'make the numbers.

People were essential to the executive's success. Most conversations were direct and focused on deliverables. The communications were transactional.

As an executive moves up the corporate ladder, this person must communicate differently. The person now has an enterprise point of view. This person must now speak the language of:

Messaging.
Inducers.
Consequencers.

Many executives don't excel at this because this requires a higher order skill level, than simply communicating person-to-person. It implies the ability to nuance, filter, and intuit. I means moving from a transactional mode to an enterprise point of view. Tough to do. Few do it well.

Most Important Career Skill!!!

What do you think is the most important career skill?

Is it some special knowledge that it's in critical demand?

Is it some special skill that is highly transferable.

Is it some special ability that is highly valued and differentiable? No.

It's resiliency.

Why? Knowledge, skills, and abilities whether they are innate or learned disappear. The market changes. They lessen during the aging process. The dilute because of the half life of knowledge.

Resiliency is the ability to go with the flow.

For advanced resiliency experts, it also implies the ability to see which way the flow is going. It's the ability to see things that are around the bend. The ability to see patterns in the water. The ablity to see and anticipate obstructions. The ability to see patterns, whirl pools, and ebb tides in the water. The ability to see intruders or predators.

Do I have it. No. But, I'm working on it every day

Working It: The Secret of Why Professionals Write!

We are updating a book called Working It. We self published the book 3 previous times. How did it do? OK. Not great. Wasn't a best seller.

The reason why folks go with mainstream publishers is because they are credible, can market, and fulfill orders.

People self publish because they have something to say and can't get the mainstream publishers to pay attention. This is true in non-fiction. In fiction, people have a burning need to share their story.

Why do professionals write non-fiction? Well sometimes, it's because they have a story to tell. Most of the time its because they want visibility. Below is a truism that I learned after a dozen of so books, many of which bombed.

Truism: Visibility through publishing leads to credibility, leading to marketability to brandability, and ultimately to billability.

It's that simple ...

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Sunday. I'm working at Skamania Lodge. The family just finished eating breakfast and I'm working. What's wrong with this picture?

As a matter of fact, I've been working every weekend since we got back from Vietnam. I own the firm - Quality Plus Engineering. And, I'm finding myself working most if not all the time. Playing catch up.

The problem is that people, even my family doesn't get it in terms of what it takes to start a business, keep it going and making margin. It's tough out there.

And, it going to get tougher as expenses rise, clients want more work at lower rates, employees/contractors expect much more, and so on.

The allure or mystique of entrepreneurism is over blown. Screw most (90% of the BS) you hear in MBA school or through mags about what it takes to succeed. It's mainly BS. Most of the stuff and fluff is written by journalists or lectured by academics. They haven't been there. They haven't walked in my mocassins.

So, superbowl Sunday. I'll be lucky if I can get a few minutes to watch it. So, back to work ...

Microsoft Vista: "Wow or Yawn"

I've been a Microsoft evangelist since Windows 95. Great product. Great timing.

Words then were "Wow" "Great" "Exciting."

Well Microsoft has launched Vista. Full page, four colors ads grace every newspaper and magazine.

Words now are "Yawn." Will I invest in Vista. Probably not.

We'll probably buy Apples next time around. Now, there is a "Wow......"

CEO Entitlement: Executives at the Trough

Executive pay has become a big deal

The Ugly: What's the big deal? Chief executives 40 or 50 years ago made about 40 times the lowest salary. Well, now the number is around 400 to 500 or more times the lowest salary.

The Bad: Chief executives and other senior executives think they are entrepreneurs or rock stars. They think they made the company.

The Good: The Dems are in a populist bent to curb it. Executives are worried they will have to reveal more - as if transparency is an evil. Worker - folks feel it is time for some comeuppance.

So, what's the solution. Pay for performance. If executives did something special to enhance market cap or something similar. Great. They are worth the additional compensation.

But basically, we've taken a wrong turn. A lot of senior executives may a lot of money based not on adding value through product development, enhanced market value, or developing new markets.

Basically, a lot of CEO's are home steaders, who survived the bureaucratic wars. They fought harder and smarter. But, did they add value? That's the key question.

The problem is that CEO have a sense of entitlement. The company owes me. Well, things may be changing.

Professional Societies: The Moose Lodges of this Century

My good friend - Hank Lindborg calls professional societies the "Moose Lodges" of this century.

Every profession has professional societies. The financial folks have AICPA, IIA, FEI, AAA, etc. Engineers have IEEE, ASME, ASCE, NSPE, etc.

Professionals join the societies for standards, professional development, and networking. The problem?

Most professionals don't have time to network. They can get standards off the web. Professional development is mainly left to individuals. So, what value do the societies offer?

Back to Henry? What does he mean? Well about 60 years ago, the lodges were very big. There were a number of them from the Masons to the Moose. Now, they are largely a relic of the times. Most folks would rather mingle on the web than in a group.

Sad, but true ...

Is Grad School Worth It?

More folks are trying to figure out if grad school is worth?

When we were in school, our career counselor would give us dry data saying how much we'd make if we graduated from high school, college, got a Ph.D. Well, the counselors forgot to caveat us. What should we be looking for and what are the pitfalls for getting graduate degrees. Also, what is the road map or career arc that most of us will see.

Well, that' s history. There is no such thing as a career arc. Old work rules are dead. Expectations are higher. And, things change ...

There are however, some truisms:

In general, advanced degreses are worth it. However, an advanced degree in literature may be less valuable.

A masters or Ph.D. in psychology may be the professional degree to ply the psych trade. It may also apply to civil engineering.

When I was going to school, a degree in a foreign language such as Chinese or Arabic was considered folly and a sign of immaturity or a big trust fund. Well now, they are killer valuable.

Bottom Line: things change and we all have to be resilient.