On Leadership and Legacies

Writing is part of my legacy. I can't explain it. I'm just compelled to write and I love it. Ask anyone who has ever worked alongside me and they'll tell you that I write - a lot!

When I don't write I feel like I'm missing out on something great. I'm at my keyboard now and it feels natural. I don't know where my writing will ultimately take me but I know that I want to leave behind a very long trail of relevant, exciting, insightful, and sometimes comical information while influencing my readers (I love saying "my readers") to learn something new or to take some new action. Writing is a form of creative and impactful expression that for me is like painting on a canvas.

I'm also a mom - an artist - a researcher - an engineer - a strategist - a veteran - a philanthropist - a board member - a friend - a counselor - a mentor - an entrepreneur - a manager - a 21st century leader... 

I'm lots of "things" and I have many different roles and talents as do most human beings. All of these roles and talents are part of my legacy which continues to be shaped with each passing day. Being a one-dimensional human isn't possible yet I get the feeling that we're expected to operate on a one-dimensional plane when it comes to careers (more on that topic in a future post). For now I'm focused on using my talents and skills to build a legacy that my mom would be proud of. She passed on when I was just 3 years old. 

I am my mother's legacy.

On Legacies...

Late last year I lost one of my closest "sisters" after her three year battle with cancer. Her death and the prospect of mine (eventually) are what make me ponder leadership and legacies. Even as I type the words about her death it doesn't seem real to me. I simply can't process that she's not on the planet anymore. Her legacy is very strong. 

She was the wind beneath my wings during my crucial early years as a first-time mom. Being the super-charged career woman that I was at the time, I don't know what I would have done if it wasn't for her support and guidance. She was such a gift. For me her legacy is the love that we all felt when she doted on us - and her sons, and her husband, and her mom and siblings, and her grandchildren, and someday her future generations. She left us with a lot of love in our hearts. 

A legacy worthy of my sister-mom-friend.

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Everyone must leave something behind when [s]he dies...It doesn't matter what you do so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away

- Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

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On Leadership...

This past week President Obama delivered his last State of the Union (SOTU) address. For me he made being president seem really cool - beyond the typical "I'm in charge of the world" complexity, seriousness, and reverence that the office warrants. Terms like POTUS, FLOTUS, and SCOTUS (and many others) became part of my dictionary. Perhaps those terms existed before but I wasn't aware of them. 

In the past the office of President of the United States seemed so far away - over there somewhere. While POTUS is still quite an exhaulted position, it now seems reachable via the American dream. A sense of humor, insatiable drive, and uncommon intelligence are just a few of the necessary traits for someone who becomes POTUS.

By the way - what will we call the husband of our first woman president?

First Gentleman of the United States is the official term. FGOTUS doesn't quite have a cool ring to it, but I'm sure we'll adjust.

President Obama's legacy and tenacity will be the stuff of legend as history turns on the spotlight though many people have mixed and highly charged feelings about him today. Future generations will reflect on the transformational nature of his leadership along with all of the monumental shifts that were happening in our world during his time in office. 

So many monumental shifts...

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We live in a time of extraordinary change - change that's reshaping the way we live, the way we work, our planet, our place in the world. It's change that promises amazing medical breakthroughs, but also economic disruptions that strain working families. It promises education for girls in the most remote villages, but also connects terrorists plotting an ocean away. It's change that can broaden opportunity or widen inequality. And whether we like it or not, the pace of this change will only accelerate.

-President Barack Obama, State of the Union 2016

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No one can say with a straight face that they agree with everything that he did as president, but virtually everyone can acknowledge that he had one of the toughest jobs on the planet. I said "one of the toughest jobs" because being a mom is actually THE toughest job on the planet. 

On Leadership and Legacies...

Leadership is a tough job and few have the stamina that it takes to hold up under such extreme pressure. Many people fold when they get a negative critique from a friend or from a boss. Imagine getting critiqued by the entire planet for every move you make - and still being required to do your job. How many of us would simply walk away? It takes a special kind of energy to be POTUS.

He didn't invent climate change, but he took action along with 190 countries at COP21 in Paris. He didn't invent the need for comprehensive healthcare, but he took action to move a new reality forward for millions of uninsured Americans. He didn't invent coding, but he shined the spotlight on the economic necessity of gaining coding skills for 21st century viability. He's not a veteran of the U.S. military, but he is the Commander-in-Chief who helped to refocus the nation's attention on the highest price paid by women and men in uniform. He didn't create unequal pay for equal work, but he helped to redirect the trajectory of pay equity through executive action. The list goes on.

For me President Obama's legacy is about helping people - all kinds of regular and exceptional people.

On Managing Leadership and Legacies...

Shaping legacies of leadership take time and perseverance. Thanks to the Internet, social platforms, and countless tools and innovations, opportunities for documenting legacies is now easier than ever. I've seen several social profiles of friends that I know have passed on and it's comforting to know that there is a living record of their time on earth beyond the memories of family, friends, and colleagues. While most of the random chatter on social platforms doesn't quite rise to the level of "legacy", it is part of the dust that we leave behind so our presence out here should be carefully managed.

At this stage in my life and work, leadership and legacy are my focus - and I'll continue expand and refine my roles and use my talents however possible while building a legacy that my future generations can be proud of.

Leaders - what will be your legacy?

Thanks for dropping by to read my latest article. It's part of my legacy.

If you like this article and want to read more, support it with a like, a comment, or a share.

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Let's keep climbing!

Technology's Devastating Impact on Women's Jobs

March 8th, tomorrow, is International Women's Day - a day for celebration of women's accomplishments.  The official UN theme for this year is "Equality for Women is Progress for All".

Before diving into the details about the pending challenges regarding women's jobs, take a look at the International Women's Day Doodle video for this year. Celebrate and acknowledge outstanding women. Ah hem - that would be ALL women.

Technology's Devastating Impact on Women's Jobs

 
Topics like are never pleasant to examine, but looking away from them won't change reality. Awareness is the first step towards change, right? Since the changes and challenges are already in progress, it's time to determine next steps.

As I reviewed the recent Oxford study which concludes that 47 percent of US jobs may become computerized in 10 or 20 years, I wondered about impacted demographics like as gender, age, and race - with a sharp focus on women. A close look at data tracked by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2010 (the same year used in the study) shows how devastating the reality may be for women if a fundamental shift in skills doesn't occur.

According to our estimate, 47 percent of the total US employment is in the high risk category, meaning that associated occupations are potentially automatable some unspecified number of years, perhaps a decade or two.

The Future of Employment: How Susceptible are Jobs to Computerization?

 C. Frey, M. Osborne; Oxford University (September 2013

Why my focus on women in particular? Well - because women's productivity is the backbone of the global workforce - clocking 66% of all working hours on the planet. Simply put women's productivity drives global economies.

Women perform 66 percent of the world’s work, and produce 50 percent of the food, yet earn only 10 percent of the income and own 1 percent of the property. Whether the issue is improving education in the developing world, or fighting global climate change, or addressing nearly any other challenge we face, empowering women is a critical part of the equation.

Former President Bill Clinton 

Clinton Global Initiative (September 2009)

...The challenges to gender equality just got a whole lot more complicated.


Disruptive Technologies Are Disrupting Women's Jobs

Disruptive technologies will impact the most susceptible occupations in services, sales, administration, construction, and transportation. Most of these jobs are currently performed by women.

• Services jobs are being replaced by personal and household robots at a pace of 15% to 20% per year.
• Sales and related administration jobs are rapidly succumbing to automation and software advancements.
• Industrial robots may automate 15% to 25% of tasks associated with jobs in construction, maintenance, and manufacturing by 2025.

And on the story goes...


A straight-across look at the percentages by gender and job category show significant challenges for women who hold a majority of roles in sales, office, and services occupations. As if the flags weren't red enough in general, they are particularly red for women.

 

SALES-OFC - Sales and office occupations

SVCS - Services occupations

MGMT-PROF - Management, Professional, Related occupations

PROD-TX-MAT - Production, Transportation, Material Moving occupations

NR-CONST-MNT - Natural Resources, Construction, and Maintenance occupations

Now what? It's time to retool for the knowledge economy.

5 Ways To Increase Your InterNET Worth

Intellectual capital and intellectual property are compelling to think about, right?  We typically go about our lives educating ourselves, working hard, building families, and making a difference in the world without generally considering how much we’re truly worth.  Is this OK?  Sure it is - if we’re not interested in maximizing ourselves or our contributions. I challenge myself to ask better questions and to find different answers other than “that’s just the way it is” or “everyone needs to pay the bills”. Is that really just the way it is? There is overwhelming evidence to the contrary. We really can choose our destiny. Take a closer look.

In his essay titled The Nature of the Firm (Coase, R. H., 1937), Nobel prize-winning economist R. H. Coase (1910 – 2013) defined the legal concept of employee and employer as closely related to  the “master and servant” relationship.  He explored “...why a firm emerges at all in a specialized exchange economy.”  In this context the term firm refers to corporation or organized structure that controls and manages production of goods and services.

This is a complex subject made simpler by Coase’s flashes of insight about an individual’s desire to “...accept less in order work under someone instead of dealing with the stress normally laid on the advantage of “being one's own master.”  I suspect that this is the trap that many of us have fallen into and it can be difficult to get out - but hundreds of millions have taken the step.

According to an article by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM, 2012), the number of entrepreneurs in the world approached 400 million across 54 countries in 2011!  That’s right 400 million—or 5.7% of the world’s population!  Keep in mind that these figures are from 3 years ago.  Let’s break it down further.  Of the millions of entrepreneurs, 39% are Women Entrepreneurs, 40% are Young Entrepreneurs (18—25), and 17% are Innovators, and 4% are Global Entrepreneurs.  Undoubtedly these individuals are dealing with the stress of “being their own master” in order to maximize their contributions and their worth in the world.

Not clear yet what this all means?  Take a look at this INFOGRAPHIC.  What can you do to increase your InterNet worth?  Here are 5 steps that you can take.

STEP 1 - Know Your Industry: Is the industry that you’re currently in growing or dying?  When will major shifts occur?  Who is the competition?  Where are they located?  What do you read to stay on top of it?  Who do you know that can help you stay smart?  If you think these types of questions are just for the “bosses” or strategists, you’re wrong!  These are the types of questions that every person should be asking themselves in order to create winning personal outcomes.

Step 2 - Know Your Numbers: How many people are there in your industry?  Where are the majority of workers located?  Has there been a shift in the number of workers in a particular location?  Is there a clear migration pattern emerging?  What is the market rate for your current position?  What is the top role in your industry?  What is the market rate for that industry top spot?  Is that role in the private sector or public sector - could be either?  Explore it!

Step 3 - Know Your Outcomes: Are you where you want to be in your career?  If not, why not?  Are you in the right industry?  What is your ultimate objective - to make a difference, to make more money, to solve a social problem, to support your family?  What alternative paths have you considered?  How much time do you intend to spend where you are before making a shift?  Have you explored higher education as an option?

NOTE: Higher education is a must-have just to remain status quo.  Don’t believe me?  Check out the competition!

Step 4 - Know Your Support System: Who do you have in your corner that can help you get to where you want to go?  Expand your networks and circles of influence. Do you have mentors or coaches?  Are you on your own?  No one gets to where they want to go on their own. Build a substantial and influential support team.  Don’t wait until the last minute to ask someone to “be your mentor”. Actively seek out individuals who have what you need and borrow with pride. This is called modeling and it’s not a crime. It’s what human beings do.  We model others to learn.

Step 5 – Know Your InterNET Worth: Social media profiles are a great way to let everyone know who you are and what you stand for. Watch your traffic! One of the first things potential employers, business partners, or curious bystanders do is to “google” you to see who you are. Are you leaving a data footprint that you’re proud of?  If not, change course and mind your data!  Clean up what you don’t want to be seen and be proud to tell the world who you really are.  My social media preferences are Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn along with my blog and my website.  Social media profiles are the new “business card” and I’m leveraging the advantages offered to increase my InterNET worth.

Do you know your worth - InterNET or otherwise. If not, find out. You're WORTH it!

Humans and Technologies Collide When It Comes to Jobs

 

For years I searched for details that would show the rate of change between technology innovations and the rate of decline or shift in the number of jobs. I had seen information or predictions circulating about IT jobs, but what I was looking for was an in-depth scientific study that would reveal substantive results across industries. At the time I wasn't in a position to do the research myself. Well - I should be careful of what I ask for.

A recent study by Carl Frey and Michael Osborne (September 2013) examined interactions between 702 job types as defined in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2010 data set, Machine Learning (ML), and Mobile Robotics (MR). Their results are shocking, but realistic.

According to our estimates, about 47 percent of total US employment is at risk.  We further provide evidence that wages and educational attainment exhibit a strong negative relationship with an occupation's probability of computerization. 

The Future of Employment: How Susceptible are Jobs to Computerization?

 C. Frey, M. Osborne; Oxford University (September 2013)

Probability of Computerization

Technology innovations such as industrial robots, friendly robots, data analytics, low cost sensors, vehicle automation, and prefabrication will continue to impact jobs in transportation, manufacturing, farming, construction, administration, sales, and services in the near term.  These are the areas of greatest concern - the 47%. One has to simply catch snips from daily news feeds to confirm the facts. The study cites a plethora of examples showing that the world as we know it has already changed - past tense.

How do we navigate this type of significant shift? By rapidly defining and gaining new skills - skills that aren't in the cross-hairs of ML or MR. The 10,000-Hour Rule (Gladwell, M. (2008); Outliers pp. 35-68) is a challenge but we have time if we start now - right now - to figure out what new skills are required to maintain a sufficient standard of living as the world continues its transformation. Areas requiring a high degree of social and creative intelligence have yet to be conquered by technology. However, it may simply be a matter of time - and human ingenuity - before jobs in these areas also become computerized.

There's a bit of humor in the infographic below, but consider it well. The world has changed.

Everyone Will Become an Entrepreneur [INFOGRAPHIC]

A. Vital, A. Unak; Funders and Founders (September 2013)