Friday, November 26, 2010

A shortage of qualified talent? Really?

The Inc Magazine newsletter today includes an item that caught my eye and made me scratch my head. The author - Esther Dyson, a Silicon Valley invester - posits that many people make incorrect career choices - choosing the entrepreneurial path - rather than working for someone else. Why? "The search for glory." 


I am a bit puzzled by the piece (read it on the Project Syndicate web site), especially given the times we live in. The writer draws contrasts between the U.S. and other parts of the world where entrepreneurism is not glorified. Still, Dyson says, even in those countries there's a lack of qualified talent because "Most people would rather work for an establish company or for the government." 


"The ecosystem of middle managers is starving", she writes, as people who would make "perfectly good project supervisors or salespeople establish their own companies."


While Dyson sees this as a choice, in our economy, it appears more as a defense mechanism. If there is a shortage of talent to fill mid-level jobs, you can't prove it by spending a few hours at your local unemployment office, talking to many of your friends and former colleagues or attending networking functions. 


People I used to see at Networking events who were actively looking for jobs a year to a 18 months ago -- including me -- have given up a fruitless and demoralizing search in favor of hanging out a shingle and hoping to ride the entrepreneurial wave. Many of them would be happier with the steady income and quasi-comfort zone that a full-time job offers. But those opportunities just are not there. 


If I am wrong and there are companies out there struggling to find qualified, experienced middle management candidates, then I throw down the gauntlet. Lines are open and the largest pool of potential candidates - many, if not most, with considerably reduced financial expectations - are ready to take your call. 

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Cut costs with free productivity tools

By Laura Haight

How much money does your company spend on software? How much time do you waste either because you can't afford the software or services you need?

If you're like most businesses, you don't even want to know the answers to those questions. It's time to think differently and take advantage of a number of free tools from software suites to meeting management tools and web conferencing programs.

Learn how your business can take advantage of the many free tools for small businesses that are available to you. What's worth it and what's not. The Greenville Business Strategy and Networking Meetup group is sponsoring my presentation of Freebies on Tuesay, Nov 16 at 6:30 pm at The Franchisemart, 1268 Woodruff Rd., Greenville.

To sign up to attend follow this link.

Are you getting what you pay for? Maybe not and you can be paying a lot less and getting much, much more. We'll look forward to seeing you there.