Somewhere theres a pearl hiding in an oyster waiting to
be discovered. It would be worth plenty to the owner but its getting harder
and harder to find these valuable gems. Corporate America might call these pearls
talent elite and the shortage is likely to get worse before it gets better.
Many companies claim to hire
sub-standard management in an effort to fill positions quickly; deja vu the dotcom
explosion of the 90s. In this tech-age some companies cant even define talent.
Enron hired more than 200 MBAs at the height of its fame while others went so far
as to mix Nobel Prize winners among their super-achievers.
Even with the best of the best, some
companies go down in greed and mismanagement. As they all compete for human
resources they fight the fiercest battle in the high-tech fields. And a win
doesnt mean youll hang onto your prize. Loyalty to the boss faded fast
thanks to downsizing and companies dumping their retirement plans. Workers
feel responsible for their own future today.
You can read where Americas
biggest corporations will lose half their senior managers in the next five years due to
the baby-boomers retiring. It would seem deadly important then, to get a line of
younger high-flyers onboard to promote them into these vacancies. With this in mind,
many are now going global in their search and regard universities as ideal talent-catching
machines.
I remember when companies gave
competitive examinations to recruit alpha minds. Its not enough today
you have to work harder to woo potential recruits for high-tech positions. Companies
have added millions to the budget for training and are paying more attention to
employees reasons for jumping ship.
UPS was suffering a huge turnover in
drivers and discovered it was because loading the truck each morning was back-breaking
work. They contracted it out to part-timers who are easier to replace than a good
driver. Smart move UPS -- and a problem-solving high-five!
So okay, I say we get the
picture. While corporate America scrambles to get the brainiacs, what about the rest
of us? I dont have an MBA or a high-tech education. Does that mean that
companies dont want the likes of me? Well no, actually they still need people
to deliver their pizza, change the oil in their cars, and clean their homes.
Thanks, but no thanks. I know
there will always be unskilled jobs but I also know that a percentage of unskilled workers
can learn to retire prematurely if only they will get a bit smarter with their money.
I learned years ago that working forty hours for a paycheck would never cut it!
Residual or leveraged income set me up for monies that result from my earlier
efforts. Now it keeps on coming with little or no further attention on my part.
It all began when I was introduced to
a fellow who retired at age 40. This guy was not a Techie by any means; he did 13
years working along side his dad in a machine shop. Then, the Internet came along
and he spent hours searching, reading, and absorbing every piece of marketing material he
could find.
The Internet has produced a gigantic
bed of oysters and you guessed it a few carry pearls. They are not any
easier to find online than in the boardrooms of companies but they are there if
youre a determined hunter. My friend found his pearl and after enjoying
retirement for five years has returned because, he claims, he misses the excitement of
online marketing success. Do it once and its not hard to do it again.
Talent likes to cluster. They
feed off of each others brainstorms and enjoy the advantage this affords. They
toss around ideas for new software or a new widget. I find them gathered in seminars
taking turns on the mike, giving interviews on DVDs that sell for a pittance, and just
about everywhere in eBooks and testimonials. Here then, is a collection of oysters
and each one holds a pearl.
Blueprint your new life.
Plan your money around it.
© 2006 Esther Smith
|