Collaboration. Teamwork. Brainstorm.
Anyone whose been in school or the workforce in the last few years knows these words are often attached to positive outcomes for companies and institutions, like increased productivity, creativity, and achievement. However, research shows that these group practices may be overlooking the value of solitude, according to The New York Times opinion piece, “The Rise of the New Groupthink.“
The world of work is changing, and whether it scares or excites you, one thing is for certain: you shouldn’t be surprised if your job doesn’t exist in two decades. Many people are fearful of the changing workforce because it means uncertainty, foreign technology, and possible unemployment. However, the recent Fast Company article “The Career of the Future Doesn’t Include A 20-Year Plan. It’s More Like Four,” shows change can be positive, and something you should expect more of in your career.
A new report shows unemployment rates are lower for recent college graduates than those with less education, according to a recent article by The Chronicle. The study also found, generally, the careers with the highest employment rates are going to graduates with an industry-oriented degree and those pursuing technical fields.
Has the idea of technology taking over the jobs of millions of assembly line workers ever frightened you? Or maybe technology being used to file papers, ticket speeding cars, or checkout your groceries? These are still valid concerns, but technology is now moving beyond low-level tasks and posing a threat to high-skilled jobs as well, according to a recent NPR article.
Funding for college and  low-graduation rates have been hot topics as 2010 comes to an end and we prepare for the political and economic changes of 2011. But what about those students who made it to graduation day in 2010? These grads face a 9.8% national unemployment rate. The National Association of Colleges and Education reported only 24.4% of graduates in 2010 who applied for a job had one waiting for them.
The recent New York Times article, “No Jobs? Young Graduates Make Their Own,†shows us the growing world of online businesses led by young entrepreneurs. These recent graduates didn’t have the corporate jobs available to them that they had dreamt about, but instead of applying for unemployment, they took their skills to the digital world where they already ruled as experts. These new leaders are showing their ingenuity in creating niche businesses like HerCampus: a Collegiettes Guide to Life and SizzleIt a company that produces creative, short reels for advertising, websites, proposals, etc. These entrepreneurs started out in their parent’s basement, coffee shops or apartments with little knowledge of the business world but tech savvy enough to teach themselves how to design a website, hire a virtual team, and network.  Also, they have the critical thinking to negotiate any challenges they might face.
In these difficult times, many of us will be forced to be creative. Those grads who can see possibilities to be creative, follow a vision, and tap into the expansive thought process will be highly valuable working for themselves or someone else. Â In many ways, this time period can be compared to post World War II America when men and women had very little, but created something out of nothing, used their ingenuity, launched businesses, and in the end, prospered despite the initial challenges and setbacks. Â Today we still have many major corporations that started in the aftermath of this significant time in history as well as examples of men and women who started in the mail rooms and rose to run major companies.
- Read the New York Times article “No Jobs? Young Graduates Make Their Own at nytimes.com
Managers may call it creative thinking or divergent thinking; others refer to it simply as creativity. Whatever term you use, with today’s emphasis on innovation, the development of creative thinking is more important than ever. For instance, the CEO of Stewarts Coffee, Bob Stewart, has a sculpted light bulb hanging above his desk to represent what the bulk of his work entails—generating ideas. For the creative thinker, each thought is pregnant with possibilities.
According to cognitive experts, thinking is not something you choose to do, anymore than fish choose to live in water. To be human is to think. But while thinking may come naturally, awareness of how you think does not. The essence of critical thinking is thinking beyond the obvious. Unfortunately, sometimes we get stuck mentally. Options don’t occur to us because we’re so focused on the task at hand, that we forget to ask, “What if?†We may never shift our thinking into synthesis, a deeper mental process that involves combining ideas and information in ways that form completely new solutions, processes, uses, or products.
What about you? Are you developing your creative powers and using them on the job? Companies lament that employees aren’t more creative. Managers say that they could increase productivity and sales if every worker learned “to think outside the box.†Of course, every employee does have the potential to think creatively, but creative thinking, like other skills, must be learned and practiced.
To stimulate creativity, some organizations hire creative consultants or sponsor seminars that teach employees how to imagine. Through his books and speaking engagements, Roger von Oech, author of A Whack on the Side of the Head, presents a variety of methods for improving mental flexibility. One of his suggestions involves changing your viewpoint. So you might ask yourself, “How would someone with an opposing view to mine approach this problem?†Following are other suggestions for enhancing creativity:
• Indulge in a creative process such as drawing, or cooking something you’ve never made before.
• Get away from the office and think about a business problem in the middle of a park, or at a museum.
• Give yourself time to evaluate an idea. Rushing your thought process can be a roadblock to creativity.
• Solicit a variety of opinions on a problem you’re trying to solve. Weigh the different perspectives to help you come up with the best solution.
• Research your idea, and from that, brainstorm as many ideas as possible.
• Read about or participate in a new activity, something novel to you, so that your mind is exposed to fresh ideas.
• Let yourself play. Creative ideas often surface when we allow ourselves to engage in something frivolous, or in an activity that we truly enjoy.
Amidst the slow economic recovery, business start-ups are on the rise. Graduates facing a bleak job market as well as downsized seasoned professionals are finding fulfilling work in entrepreneurship. The U.S. Small Business Administration reports that a staggering 9 out of 10 businesses fail within the first year. Following are five suggestions to help aspiring entrepreneurs avoid the pitfalls on the road to business success.
Bruce Tuckman, psychologist and education specialist, attempted to explain group dynamics by identifying the stages groups typically undergo in the development process. In his research, he found the following 5 stages occurred. Help you and your team by getting familiar with the process so you are prepared to get through the tough times and on to success.
Forming: There is an initial meeting. The group uses this first interaction to get familiar with each other and the project they will be working on. This is an exploration phase.
Storming: The group has had time to work independently and communication between members is down. Ideas might start clashing as well as personalities.
Norming: The group comes together and addresses the problems they are having. They take the focus off their individual problems and put the focus back on the project. The group becomes more committed.
Performing: The group is now aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses and divides the presentation among them accordingly. Then, the group presents their project.
Adjourning: The group has completed their task and might be asked to come together in the future, after showing the company they practice effective team skills.
Think Globally:
Just 15 years ago, it was common for graduates to have to migrate to larger cities to find employment in their field. In today’s business world, new professionals can expect to see jobs spreading around the world. Communicating across cultures, whether it’s on the other side of the world or on the other side of town, takes extra planning. Avoid stereotyping by educating yourself on how different cultures view elements like gender, age, and personal space.
Your Resume:
Research suggests your resume has 20 seconds to make an impression. While you may have the credentials to qualify for the job, the appearance of your resume is the first thing a prospective employer will see and is just as important as the content. Your resume should never go over one page and it should be tailored with relevant information to help you get the specific job.
Create Goodwill:
Be a positive communicator by focusing on the receiver. In face-to-face communication, increase your listening skills by moving from an unengaged surface listener to an active, perceptive listener who picks up on messages through words and nonverbal cues. If you’re using written communication, use the “you†attitude to show the reader they are important. Put the emphasis on your audience by replacing all words that refer to you with words that refer to your audience.
Planning a Message:
Know your audience, know the purpose of your message, and know why your audience should be interested in your message before attempting to write anything. Once you’ve established your purpose, make an outline of what you will need to include to deliver a message that is effective, concise, and establishes goodwill. While you are drafting, consider the best medium to use to send your message. Technology has provided many ways to communicate but not every form of communication is appropriate for every message.
Interpersonal Skills:
Whether you’re going in for an interview or pitching an idea to your company, you must have strong interpersonal skills. In face-to-face communication, it’s important to show respect to the person you are communicating with by being aware of your verbal and nonverbal cues. Maintain eye-contact, don’t multitask, concentrate on listening, ask questions, and don’t busily plan what you are going to say next in your mind. Be present physically and mentally when communicating with others.
Carol’s Summary:
In other countries around the world and in some of the best school systems that exist, 100 percent of teachers are in the top third of their graduating class from college. In the U.S. only 23 percent come from the top third and 14 percent of that number teach in our most needy, low-come and often urban schools.
First, to attract and retain the best minds to teaching, we have to esteem teaching and let more top talent from other fields into teaching. The George W. Bush Institute is opening a model of hiring experienced principals who have proven themselves as leaders in other realms of life. There are models for teaching that are similar to this, but the barriers to entry remain steep.  Second, we need to revamp the schools of education to be places where the brightest minds can grow, contribute, and thrive so that our teachers come out of college with the thinking and problem-solving skills to motivate and inspire the most disengaged students while keeping the brightest challenged to the fullest. Third, we need to strengthen the ability of all teachers to see their job and their world in increasingly broad terms so that they are bringing in current events, world challenges and other meaningful applications to their classes every day.
There are some amazing teachers who are in our classrooms. To recruit more  talented and bright minds of all ages, into teaching over the arc of their careers, we need students to see the best teachers in front of them every day facilitating, asking-questions, maintaining strong participation and providing courageous feedback for growth.
Article: Attracting and retaining top talent in US teaching
Helping teachers to lift student achievement more effectively has become a major theme in US education. Most efforts that are now in their early stages or being planned focus either on building the skills of teachers already in the classroom or on retaining the best and dismissing the least effective performers. The question of who should actually teach and how the nation’s schools might attract more young people from the top tier of college graduates, as part of a systematic effort to improve teaching in the United States, has received comparatively little attention.
Read the full article at: mckinseyquarterly.com