Your Dad's Career is Redundant! (Dad Version)

As a 52 year old I am always intrigued by the passionate defence of the old symbols that my generation use to define themselves. Existing business models are in serious trouble but more and more money is thrown at it - hoping that that one morning all will be forgiven and business will go back to “Business as Usual”

But there is hope when you see institutions turning on themselves and asking the right questions. One such forward thinker is: Professor Henry Mintzberg who is one of the world's most influential teachers of business strategy. He’s developing a new lesson plan: to change the very essence of business education itself asserting that:-
'You Can't Create a Leader in a Classroom.'

His argument is that the MBA is ineffective and redundant because its attempt to teach Leadership in class has failed. Don’t tell this to those who slogged long hours to obtain this qualification.. I have crossed paths with some of them and I must say the qualification meant more than the transfer of knowledge to the work place – which often was less than 15%. In my book this underscores Mintzberg’s assertion.

I agree and think that historic education are in serious need of change but its almost like asking “Turkeys to Vote for Thanks Giving” , meaning the very acceptance of the need for change can be the signing of your own death warrant.

But it need not be all “doom or gloom”, “us or them” because the convergence and adoption of new technologies to that merge “old brick and mortar” with the new are opening up new possibility. Letting IN those previously on the OUTSIDE

But we need a new Openness to doing things differently – don’t get me wrong a great deal of the old thinking is worth preserving

Blogs are the New Black

A confusing exists, does fashion emanate from the minds of a few fashion geniuses and filter to the collective hive of followers or has it become more complex in recent times. The democratization of fashion is upon us. What would cause any change if their possibly has been a change in thinking? The social networking and blogging phenomenon is taking the world by storm and this has created a collective conscienceness contained in the internet with ideas being shared across the world at a speed previously inconceivable a question has arised. Who is the new muse? Or has the masses become the muse to the design geniuses of the world.

With an endless resource of inspiration from any subculture and corner of this planet has being a creative fashion genius become easier, knowing that nearly every conceivable fashion concept is out there if you look hard enough.

That brings us to Lookbook.nu a platform created by 24 year old Yuri Lee and Jason Su. What they have inadvertently done is create a collective fashion consciousness of creative’s from every part of the world. Granted there are the followers in the pack of users recreating looks already imagined by others but there are those that have placed them on top of the creative pile and done just that create what wasn’t there before.

The war between bloggers and the traditional front row fashionistas has already begun much derision was heaped upon blogging demigod Tavi Gevinson after the realization of the status quo changing where she was seated in front of Paula Reed Grazia magazine’s style director, obscured her view with Tavi’s giant bow shaped headpiece. How is fashions hierarchy now defined?

To think that the designers and fashion editors of our time are not paying attention to these sources are downright daft. There are stylists and creative’s daily updating and hyping looks forecasting how the rest of the fashion world will follow.  

Already bloggers with talent are being given opportunities to style magazine features, being featured in magazines and already have taken the internet by storm. Soon magazines and publishers will realize that their needs to be a equilibrium between these mediums instead of war. The democratization of fashion is definitely here, time will tell to see how well designers begin to use this new found voice to their advantage.

Your Dad's Career is Redundant!

That is quite a statement and most would jump to defend those 20-30 years of experience. Let put this into context though. Think 50 years ago to possibly the work your grandfather was doing. Is any of that relevant in todays world. Granted their are professions, doctors, engineers and sad to say lawyers which are quite perenial careers in terms of standing the test of time.

The world we see today is so far removed from 50 years ago and things are changing at ever increasing speed. Will a time come when graduating from a university institution takes too long? Or has that already happened? Are the new generation being equipped to succeed in the new world or are they being educated with the ideals of the old world which don't exist anymore. Sales and Marketing strategy which were developed in a world before social networking, mobile phones with applications and blogs. Are they even relevant today?

Success in business today will be from innovation and forward thinking this blog represents the future of how things should work going forward. collaboration of the "now" and the "then", youth and experience with a dialouge between the two, the future lies....