December 2007

Can entrepreneurship be taught in the classroom? Many business schools (both undergraduate and graduate) seem to think so, and they are booming. In an article in the current University of Cambridge alumni magazine, some entrepreneurs weigh in on what makes them successful.

The always excellent Penelope Trunk has a great article in today's (technically tomorrow's) Boston Globe about the best timeline for different graduate degrees. Check it out here.

It's been a busy weekend, wrapping up Round 2 business school applications and responding to people whose December LSAT scores came out yesterday. (Admissions officers love to mess with our holidays, don't they?) On the LSAT front in particular, there's been some ecstatic news for some, and some not-so-happy news for others. And for the not-so-happy folks, let me remind you not to wrap your whole identities around this test. It's a big world out there, and you don't have to let one test determine your place in it. (More on that here and here.)

In the universe of workplace issues, I gave an interview recently for a human resources magazine about Generation Y in the workplace. If you want to see what's on their minds over in HR, take a look here (SMB Human Resources). The same issue, at the same link, also has an interesting article about Facebook and MySpace in the workplace, and why some employers are saying, "no thanks."

And while I'll likely be posting again before Christmas, in case I don't, I'll close with one of my favorite pastimes, making fun of the worst of academia. From The Independent (London), "The Snowman: A Tale of Modern Masculinity":

Dr Tricia Cusack, an art historian, has, for the periodical New Formations, discerned inappropriateness in the very nature of Christmas: "Some members of cultural minorities in Britain find the central power relationship of Christmas threatening, not to speak of its whiteness - a white Christ, a white snowman."

It is the snowman that bothers Dr Cusack most - not just his threatening whiteness, but also his masculinity, his "phallic carrot-nose", his location in a semi-public space or garden "to substantiate an ideology upholding a gendered spatial/social system, marking women's proper sphere as the domestic/private, and men's as the commercial/public." The snowman "animates the garden or field with an anthropomorphic presence, a household god keeping nature in order."

Surely it was no accident that "in view of the western narrative of actual masculine domination of nature/female, ... out of virgin snow a male icon is built."

Merry Christmas, everyone!

All that talk by Jack Welch about how important it is to feel passion for your job is the perfect segue into an announcement I want to make about a career workshop I'm co-hosting in NYC in January and February 2008:

How to Choose a Career That’s Right For You
2-Session Workshop
Sat. Jan 19 & Sat. Feb 2, 2008
Each from 10am – 3:30pm
NYC Seminar & Conference Center

I'm very excited to be co-hosting this workshop with Sunny Lurie, PhD, founder of Fast Focus Careers. This workshop is designed to help college students and recent graduates discover their career passion, map out a career plan, and avoid years of drifting unhappily from job to job. Older-and-wiser career changers are also welcome!

This will be a rare opportunity to receive undivided attention from a mix of peers, professionals, and career experts to help jump-start your future.

This workshop is perfect for those who:

• Are unclear about what field to pursue.
• Are eager to find a career that’s meaningful.
• Are unhappy or uninterested in their current work.
• Need to develop a solid action plan to attain a great career.
• Want help selecting the right major or degree program while they’re in school or thinking about going back to school (whether college or graduate school).
• Need support to stay motivated and focused to reach their career goals.
• Want to ensure that their college investment pays off with smart career choices.
• Feel “stuck” in a job.
• Are undecided about what to do after college.
• Are searching for fresh career ideas and are tired of the same old choices.
• Are not pursuing college right now but still want a great career.
• Are worried about how to find a career they’ll enjoy.

The workshop will be spread over two Saturdays, 5-1/2 hours each day, for a total of 11 hours exploring you and the working world to discover your career path and help you implement a career plan. There’s nothing pie-in-the-sky about this workshop – it’s all about concrete steps you can start taking immediately. (Be prepared to roll up your sleeves... and there will be homework.)

You’ll also:

• Identify your strengths and interests.
• Combine the wildly different talents you have into an exciting career path.
• Complete the steps to chart your career path.
• Explore thousands of different jobs, trends, and career blends to generate new ideas.
• Connect with others so you don’t go through this process alone.
• Use peer and expert brainstorming to help you make the right decisions.
• Learn networking tips to use immediately.
• Learn how the right career choice dramatically affects your lifetime income, happiness, and lifestyle.

Fast Focus Careers will handle registration, and seating will be limited (we expect to cap the workshop at 20 people). Spots will fill up quickly, so if you’d like to join us, click here to register. 

I wouldn’t have guessed that I’d finish out the year 2007 by giving a talk at an event headlined by Jack Welch, but that’s what happened last week when I was a panelist at the Massachusetts Conference for Women, talking to thousands of women who came to hear about career choices, entrepreneurship, and all kinds of other goodies.

Welch was one of the keynote speakers, and while I overheard quite a bit of grumbling from attendees about the fact that a man was giving the keynote address at a women’s conference, I personally couldn't care less if he were a man, a woman, or an alien sex. A chance to hear what's on Jack Welch's mind? Sign me up. Here are some of the highlights.

What makes a great leader?

Welch says there are 4 E’s and a P of Leadership.
(More on the four E's here, here, and here.)

Energy – Leaders are people who love to "go, go, go." They possess boundless energy and get up every day ready to attack the job at hand.

Energizers – Leaders know how to spark/motivate others to perform. They outline a vision and are able to direct other people to carry it out. Energizers know how to get people excited, and they are able to give credit when due and accept responsibly for mistakes.

Edge - Those with edge are competitive types. They know how to make the really difficult decisions, such as hiring, firing and promoting, never allowing the degree of difficulty to stand in their way.

Execute - The key to the entire model. Without measurable results, the other E's are of little use. Executers recognize that activity and productivity are not the same, and they are capable of converting energy and edge into action and results.

Passion – You’ve got to have passion in your work. If it’s not making you wake up happy every day, don’t do it.

Networking is Secondary

“Networking is nice, but the key is to OVERDELIVER and make your boss smarter. Show your boss you have what it takes.” “Delivering the goods” is huge. Go the extra mile if you want to move up. Do not look for other reasons or ways to get promoted – DELIVER.

Work-Life Balance

“Work life Balance? Who made up that term? There’s no such thing! There are work-life CHOICES.” Then he told a story of how he pretty much never saw his kids when they were growing up because he made the choice to run GE.

How to Recruit Talent – Things to Look For

1. Authenticity – Are they real?

2. Resilience – Not “if” they get back up on horse, but “how well.”

3. See Around the Corner – What’s next? Keep your superstars.

Closing tips from Jack

1. Boredom is deadly. Get pushed by your mentors and peers to the next level.

2. Never be satisfied – keep reaching and stretching.

3. See yourself where you want to be. Jack says: “I see myself as 6 foot tall, with hair.”

The WSJ had a great interview recently with the VP of Industry Relations at the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) about how business schools are adapting to the preferences and quirks of Gen Y. She talks about the same tendencies I've noticed about Gen Y in the workplace ("Memo to Corporate America"), although it's clear to me that some of those tendencies have special significance for MBAs in particular. As I've asked here before: how do you develop leadership in MBA students when they're showing up at orientation with mommy and daddy, even at places like Harvard Business School? What does it mean when a generation of people expects to be doing CEO level work within a few years of graduation and thinks it's above grunt work?

On a related note: I had a conversation with a law school professor the other day who told me, in shock, how a parent had called to argue with her about a grade she had given a student on a contracts exam. I wonder whether those parents are also going to call up and complain to the judge when he rules against little Karen or little Jon on a 12(b)(6) motion? Not to mention that most parents aren't in a position to debate the finer points of contract law with a law school professor (have they even heard of promissory estoppel?), but that's where we are right now. I warned her that she is going to hear from many more parents in the coming years.

There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth after the LSAT this past weekend, so I wanted to share this story abut Sara Blakely, who founded a $150 million company after she choked on the LSAT. The company is called Spanx (cheeky, right?), and they make the insanely popular footless hosiery sold in fancy-pants stores like Neiman Marcus and featured on Oprah's "Favorite Things." Not a bad outcome for someone who "failed," although I'm sure she felt pretty crummy in the days after the LSAT. It's a great reminder not to let one test define who you are or what you're capable of in life.

From the BusinessWeek article: Q: You've said that failure was a huge part of your success—how so?

A: Because I failed the LSAT. Basically, if I had not failed, I'd have been a lawyer and there would be no Spanx. I think failure is nothing more than life's way of nudging you that you are off course. My attitude to failure is not attached to outcome, but in not trying. It is liberating. Most people attach failure to something not working out or how people perceive you. This way, it is about answering to yourself.