Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Digital Growth We Arent In IT Anymore

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Digital Growth We Aren't In IT Anymore According to Gartner’s2017 CEO survey, organizational leaders are undertaking digital business transformation in huge numbers. While growth was cited as the top business priority (by 58 percent of the nearly 400 CEOs surveyed), IT-related changes (cited by 31 percent of the CEOs) came in second. This is the highest IT priorities have ranked since the inception of the research. Interestingly, almost twice as many CEOs are intent on building up in-house technology and digital capabilities as those who plan on outsourcing it (57 percent versus 29 percent). Gartner called this the re-internalization of IT â€" bringing information technology capability back toward the core of the enterprise because of its renewed importance to competitive advantage. Digital Is Officially Out of Its IT Silo C-suitecomprehension of digital business and overalldigital IQhas also improved. More of them arealigning technology to business goalsand focusing on digital product and service innovation. Twenty percent of CEOs are now taking a digital-first approach to business change, while 22 percent are taking digital to the core of their enterprise models. One-third of CEOs have significantly revised management key performance indicators (KPIs) to drive performance in thedigital economy. Forming a tech or digital partnership was cited as the most-used strategy idea, but creating a venture capital fund was cited as the best-performing one. How do CEOs pay for digital transformation, and how do they solicit the right talent to drive their initiatives? Self-funding from digital revenue was the top source of digital business transformation finance, and CEOs admitted they are not doing enough to develop the necessary talent to most efficiently apply tech-based insights and that their teams lack digital leadership mindsets like open-mindedness, adaptability, and entrepreneurship. For the rest of the piece, have a look at the QuickBase Fast Track blog.

Repulsion is part of diversity

Repulsion is part of diversity One thing I have learned from living on a farm is that you are not really experiencing diversity unless you are also experiencing repulsion. We each have lots of assumptions about what is right and wrong, how the world works, how people should act in a civilized community. When faced with true diversity that is, diversity of experience we have to allow our assumptions to be challenged. Its hard to not feel some repulsion for the person who challenges our core assumptions. But its clear to me that diversity in the workplace is difficult to achieve because we must ask so much of ourselves in order to achieve it. We must allow ourselves to experience repulsion and keep an open mind while doing that. And now, I will write about cats; specifically, the 150 comments people left on my last post about why I killed my cat. Last week I thought I was not really writing about cats because I was writing about dead cats. And anyway, really I was writing about the moral problem of paid links. But in fact, I still have the problem that I now find myself doing the very worst, low level, terrible job on the internet: writing content about cats. In the business world, cats are the topic-non-grata. If I go into an investor meeting to discuss business models for online content, it takes only about five minutes before I hear, I just dont want to see posts about cats. But I think we can all be better at thinking in diverse ways, in diverse environments, if I indulge in one more post about cats. So here I go. 1. Dont shield yourself from complex thinking. If you think killing my cat was absolutely, hands down a terrible decision, then you probably dont have the same moral code I do. So maybe you should just stop reading my blog, but probably you should just not let me take care of your cat. Listening to people who have ideas that are patently different from your own make you think harder. (This is why I read publications like Al-Jazeera and Car Driver.) 2. Diverse ways of thinking can co-exist only rarely. With an open mind. Hard-core questions of morality have no right answer. Can a mother kill someone to feed her child? Can a mother kill one child to save another? Have you never heard these questions from college Ethics 101? These are real issues, and behavioral economist Dan Ariely, author of the book Predictably Irrational, shows that how we answer these questions has more to do with how we are bornhow we were hard-wired to see the worldthan what is objectively right and wrong. Some people will say killing is wrong, so you cant kill anything ever. Other people will see this moment as an exception. This New Yorker cartoon hits the spot because the intersection of humans and animals is fraught with complex moral systems: Often there is no right answer for cats, children or meat-counter decisions but you challenge yourself more in life if you open your life up to people who are wired differently than you are, without trying to squash those differences. 3. Understanding moral context requires placing oneself in unfamiliar situations. Hey, all you cat commenters, have you lived on a farm? Do you understand the problems with farm cats? Do you understand there is a moral question of whether we should even feed babies who are born in the dead of winter? (We feed them.) Do you understand that most cats cannot be spayed because they cant be caught? Our favorite goat broke his leg. The Farmer wanted to slaughter him for meat. He is a little young, but the farm is a business, and financially it makes more sense to take the meat while we can than to bet on that the goat will return to good health. We have a lot of goats, and if they were all pets, we could not afford to feed them. So goat decisions on our farm are often business decisions. But because our farm is a mix of city people and country people people with vastly different sets of experiences moral decisions are often more complex on our farm than other farms. In the end, Melissa decided she wanted to treat the goat as a pet. She loves the goat. So she took responsibility for nursing him back to health. The odds were not good, and the splint is made of two nail files, but she was devoted. And slept with him in the barn. 3. Real diversity is personally challenging. Here are things I thought were patently wrong before I lived on the farm: Drowning cats. Shooting possums. Peeing on the front lawn. Feeding sub-par food to animals. Confining animals in labor. Branding cattle. Notching an animals ear. I could go on forever. Whole Foods has a five-tiered program to let customers know where their animal products comes from. There are five hoops farmers can jump through to get rated by Whole Foods. The Farmer my farmer absolutely loves his animals and he will spend all night in a rain storm to keep one alive for one more day. But he doesnt even meet the first standardthe bottom rungwith Whole Foods. Now that I live on a farm, I see both sides of everything. People are not morally depraved. They are living in the context of their own community. We all grow a lot more personally by trying to understand people rather than judging them. Its no easy task, though. I know this myself, because I still hate cat people. Sorry but its the truth. People who treat animals like humans are people who cannot cope with complexities of human relationships. People who think their cat gives them what they need for companionship are probably right, because they are so underdeveloped emotionally. I am not alone in my thinking. Here is a great parody of a dating video as the perfect illustration of my point: [youtube_sc url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTTwcCVajAc width=549 rel=0 fs=1]

Stuck in Your Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Stuck in Your Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Next step in your career Many of my clients say they feel suffocated in their careers. For whatever reason, they do not like the profession they have chosen for themselves: they feel they’re poorly fit for their careers, and they dislike everything associated with their jobs, their companies, and their bosses. So, the question is, what to do next? Recently, I had such a client, who is a successful and experienced litigation lawyer but completely fed up with the profession and feeling stuck. In his case, we explored and evaluated other options in related fields where a law degree and years of experience could be beneficial. One of his options was to move into the field of negotiation and conflict resolution as a mediator. For such work, his legal knowledge could be helpful. Another option was the banking field, wherein estate planning and tax planning are helpful services offered for depositors. Some lawyers gravitate into academia by teaching law or doing research in the field of law. Many lawyers are good writers too, and so, writing or journalism might be a suitable field. For instance, writing books about the law made John Grisham famous. Other lawyers have morphed into politics by joining the government. For example, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama used to teach courses in constitutional law at the University of Chicago. Some lawyers become entrepreneurs, an occupation in which negotiation skills and knowledge of the law are essential and at times even crucial. Public advocacy is an area in which one influences policy decisions, and lawyers could do well at that. A lawyer could also consider moving into the human resources field by assisting with recruiting and human resources policies. Large businesses always need legal help in their mergers and acquisitions departments. And there are endless other options. How about becoming a Foreign Service diplomat, a law school counselor, or a law school recruiter? As you can see, in this case we explored fields related to the skills and background of an experienced legal litigator, but the same process could be applied to the skills and backgrounds of those in other fields and professions. The process is not simple; it requires due diligence and willingness to accept change. Horses wear blinders to avoid distractions and scares, but looking all around and seeing more than just what’s narrowly in front could be helpfulâ€"especially in the face of a desire to change careers.

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Tips for Getting Virtual Teams to Collaborate More

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Tips for Getting Virtual Teams to Collaborate More Vint Cerf is a long-time innovator known for his natty three-piece suits, his work as Googles chief internet evangelist and as one of the fathers of the Internet. So when this well-dressed Internet pioneers says that collaboration among remote workers is a concern, its clear that more organizations need to pay attention. Cert has expressed concern for Googles remote team members who almost never see one another face to face, often working in different time zones. That means such workers must work harder to stay in sync, he says. Thats why Google started recompiling groups to make them, if not co-located, at least within one or two time zones of one another so that it was more convenient to interact, hesays. Cert says that frequent opportunities for casual interactions among colleagues is important to not only build better relationshipsbut to cross-pollinate ideas among different employee groups. For example, a worker bumping into someone at work and striking up a conversation can help lead to a different perspective about an issue or possibly solve a problem, he explains. Thats not something that can happen in the same way with a virtual team, which is why Cert says its important that remote workers have an opportunity to reinforce workplace relationships with in-person meetings. This ensures that collaborative efforts in the future are reinforced by these personal experiences, he says. Creating opportunities for more interactions among remote teams is something that is a priority for Erin McGinty, director of benefits consulting forTriNet. McGinty herself works remotely, and holds bi-weekly team meetings along with more casual conversations about benefits news with her remote team. She also talks one-on-one with her team members to work on individual development plans, and encourages team members to get together and work things out whenever they need to without asking for her permission or direction. I also try to keep them excited about projects theyre working on, she says. I listen to them and look for clues about something that will interest them. Then, I tell them to get together with one another and work on it. McGinty says that while that encouragement for collaboration is important, she also pays attention to those who may feel theyre not being heard because theyre not as extroverted or boisterous as some team members. Sometimes Ill let that quieter person run the next meeting, she says. Or (read more here)

Career Development Plans in the 2nd Half of Life [Updated] - Career Pivot

Career Development Plans in the 2nd Half of Life [Updated] - Career Pivot Career Development Plan?? When was the last time you had a career development plan? Most of us who joined the workforce during the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s remember sitting down with our managers once a year to work on a career development plan. That was when you started your career with one company and planned to stay there for thirty or more years. I started my career in the late 1970’s working for IBM. I did not appreciate the value of doing those plans back then. Boy, those days are over! I was asked the other day about the value of creating career development plans for those of us who are in the second half of our working lives? Our employers no longer get invested in our career development. After all, the average employee stays 4.4 years. Who cares? I sure hope it is you! This post was originally published in July of 2017 and was updated in January of 2020. Baby boomer career development plan So, sit yourself down and create your own career development plan. You will see at the end of this post why this should look like a business development plan rather than a traditional career development plan. What do you want? The first question to address is what do you want to do in your career and life? For many of us, what we wanted at the beginning and the middle of our career is no longer valid. Listen to the most recent episode What I now want in life is highly correlated with what I want out of my career. Do you still want to work for the “man”? I hit that boundary almost 10 years ago when I had an unethical boss. This can be very hard for many of us. We rarely have thought about what we want to do versus what will employers be willing to pay us to do. If you plan on working into your 70s now is the time to create a career development plan that will get you there. For More:Want to Work in Your 70s at Something You Love? Plan Now. What is the Direction of Your Industry? The second question is what direction is the industry heading? Creative destruction is playing havoc with so many industries. You need to keep track of the pulse of your industry. What are the strategic directions? How do trends in your industry correlate with what you want to do? If they do not match up, you may need to go back to step one OR look at a different industry or career path. Things are changing so fast that you do not want to end up in a career disaster area like a few my clients landed in at the age of 65. For most of us in the 2nd half of life what we did in the past no longer aligns with what we want to do in the future. We just need to make sure our industry outlasts our plans to transition out. For More:Surviving Creative Destruction in the 2nd Half of Life Future Skills The third question is, what skills do you currently have and what skills do you need to acquire? Many of us in the second half of our work-life did not think we needed to acquire any more skills. Boy, were we wrong! Technology is changing the world at an incredible pace and no one can afford to ignore the ways it’s morphing the work world. If you think your career will not be affected by automation or robots, then you are smoking something and you are inhaling. You are probably saying to yourself, “I need to go back to school and get another college degree.” NOPE. For most of us that will be a money pit. Read my post â€" College Degree After 50 â€" Worth It? but make sure you read the comments which are quite fascinating. Start looking at online training, certifications and other forms of online learning. For More: Beware Automation and Robots Will Sabotage Your Career. Past Skills The fourth questionis what skills do you want to leave behind. Many of us have acquired skills that are not tied to our talents. If you are not sure you can differentiate your talents from your skills please readTalents versus Skills â€" Do you know the difference? Just because we are good at something does not mean we have to continue to use that skill. There will be times when we just want to leave things behind. For More: What Skills Will You Use in the 2nd Half of Life? Promoting Your Personal Brand The fifth question is, how do you integrate these new skills into your online presence (LinkedIn profile, blog, Twitter feed …), your resume and your personal brand? How are we going to advertise and actively promote our newly-acquired skills? A good place to start is to create a blog. If you say what, please take the time to listen to my interview with Barbara Weibel, owner of the HoleInTheDonut.com travel blog. Listen to the interview here â€"Inspiring Story from One of the Top Baby Boomer Travel Bloggers [Podcast]. Once you have started a blog, the next logical step is to write a book. When I ask people whether they have considered writing a book, they look at me and go, “huh?” Today you can do this at a very reasonable cost. Russ Eanes, a member of the Career Pivot online community has done this and has started a business helping others do the same. For More:Russ Eanes Turns the Walk of a Lifetime into a Writing and Consulting Career #143 [Podcast] Writing the Plan This final step is the new piece of your career development plan. How is anyone going to know that you know your stuff? Many of us in the 2nd half of life are leaving the corporate world and entering the world of entrepreneurship. If you’re one of them, you absolutely have to add the promotion step to your career development plan. Essentially, you are moving away from writing a career development plan and working on a business development plan. The business is YOU! When you start looking at what you do as a business rather than being an employee the plan changes. When are you going to start working on your career development plan or rather your business development plan? Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Career Crisis where do you want to be in 5 years

Career Crisis where do you want to be in 5 years There I was sitting in a coffee shop having a delightful networking meeting when I was caught completely off-guard by a simple question: where do you want to be in 5 years? My career immediately felt like it was spiraling out of control. In hindsight, it was a wonderful moment a gift, really. Enjoy my story below but first heres one of my favorite career crisis quotes: You cant connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path. -Steve Jobs Many of my readers know that I made a huge career transition to move from the corporate world to my current role as an entrepreneur and Career and Leadership Coach. I had so many  dots that lead to my career transition today. Of course, I did not realize these were all  dots as I was experiencing it. I now have the luxury of looking back and making all of those connections. Heres one of my favorite dot stories  below. It was 2004 and I had just moved to Austin, Texas. I worked in the Human Resources Consulting and Outsourcing Industry and didn’t find a lot of companies in Austin that focused in the market. Here is what I knew: I needed to find a job and knew only two people in Austin. Neither of them worked in my industry. Since LinkedIn was only about a year old at this point and wasn’t the ‘go-to’ place for networking, I reached out to my Alumni database. I then found 100 alumni from Marquette University living in Austin! I emailed all of them individually asking for help in my career transition and many of them responded and offered their help. I am still overwhelmed today by the support I was shown by complete strangers. They all had the same questions for me: What type of job are you looking for? Since I didn’t know of any jobs in my industry, I let them know I was looking for a role that was tangential to my current job: Human Resources. My new network did their best to connect me with individuals in HR. I had a lot of coffee meetings with these individuals to network and build relationships in hopes to land a full-time career. At one of these coffee meetings, my world came crashing downor so I thought. I was introduced to a friend of a friend of my Marquette network who worked in HR and we agreed to meet at a coffee shop to learn more about one another. We had some nice pleasantries and he asked me to talk through my career history. So far, so good! This was a pretty commonplace conversation. Then he asked me this question: Where do you want to be in 5 years? For me, this was not a simple question. Suddenly my head started swirling and I felt dizzy. Answering, where do you want to be in 5 years? shouldnt have been THAT hard! There was a rush of powerful and negative emotions that hit me at that moment as I realized â€" I don’t want any role in HR in 5 to 7 years. I don’t want to work in Human Resources for the rest of my life. Then, my next thought â€" if I don’t want a role in HR in the next 5 to 7 years, what do I want to do? That question kept echoing in my head and there were no answers. What do you want to do? I honestly cannot remember to this day how the rest of the meeting went. Did I coherently explain that I didn’t know? Did I say that I wasn’t feeling well and needed to leave? How did I answer where do you want to be in 5 years? I have no idea. I simply remember getting into my car and hysterically talking to myself about not knowing what I wanted to do. This was the first time in my career journey where I didn’t have a plan or even an idea and I was overwhelmed. That question launched me into a full career crisis. The silver lining of this moment is that I found a career coach who helped me work through a career management process: reflection, finding clarity, creating a plan and taking the actions to achieve my goals. This moment, this dot that led to my overall career crisis has helped me understand what many of my clients experience and what they are feeling when I ask, where do you want to be in 5 years? For example: sheer panic over my career overwhelming feelings fear lack of clarity or ability to focus not knowing what the steps were to obtain clarity not believing in myself being unable to assess my strengths or value 12 years later and I can still tap into the emotions I felt on that day in the coffee shop. It was a turning point for me, but I couldn’t realize it the moment. This was one of my dots that has led to my current career. Dots are not always easy to experience; they can bring a myriad of emotions, thoughts and behaviors. I was lucky to find someone to help me take what I learned in that dot and move forward. I encourage all of you, as you experience some of the negative dots, to reach out for help, seek resources; individuals, books, videos, courses, articles, podcasts, etc.) who can help you navigate this part of your career journey. If you would, please share one of your dot stories below! Or share your answer to, where do you want to be in 5 years?

What Features Do You Need in the Best Software For Writing Resume?

What Features Do You Need in the Best Software For Writing Resume?The best software for writing resume is the one that can effortlessly turn your resume into a brochure or a postcard, which can be easily mailed to the employers who were most important to you. The software can automate the whole procedure and you can get done with all the tedious job of writing resumes fast.It can do the work for you because it can present your end result in a professional way that people can easily see. This software for writing resume will automate the whole process of putting together your resume and writing a resume. You just have to find the right one.It is very easy to use because you can find the features that are available in a good software for writing resume. First, you can choose the length of your resume.If you need to add some information after your resume, you can click the 'add additional fields' option. This feature is available in all software for writing resume. But if you want a ful l-fledged way to put together your resume, you will have to choose a full-featured software for writing resume.Second, you can choose the format of your resume. When you use the software for writing resume, you can put your information in columns or bulleted lists.This feature is also available in software for writing resume. You can use these to organize your information as you will not be put through the trouble of reading through your resume.Last, when you use a full-featured software for writing resume, you can choose your font and type your resume with great ease. All the bold type and fancy fonts you have created for your resume will be automatically transferred to the software and used in your resume.When you have chosen a software for writing resume that can do all the above mentioned features for you, you are almost there. Now you just have to make sure that you have picked the best software for writing resume. All the features mentioned above can be found in a good softwar e for writing resume.