My friend Hong, a successful business executive and academic, believes success in a world going global depends on language.
Ask him how you understand China, do more business and create more jobs connected to the world's fastest growing economy and Hong will tell you, "Learn Mandarin."
Making American kids learn Spanish, French, German, Latin, or Mandarin is a basic requirement. Want to create more business and new jobs tied to those markets? Let's up the ante and teach our kids to be fluent in two, even three of those languages.
But wait! There's more.
Today's global world is digital. The Lingua Franca of the age is XML, Ruby, Go and dozens of other programming languages.
Take a look at this story about how to start businesses and create new jobs in a world going digital.
Parents, students and public leaders worrying about how to compete, create and find jobs nowadays ought to do as Hong suggests.
Learn Digital.
--tim
twitter tjmorin
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Help Wanted
Here's a job posting that'd be great to see.
CHIEF REVOLUTIONARY OFFICER
-Company in search of new growth, business and revenue models seeks leader with experience in ambiguity, chaos, thinking differently than the rest of us, failure, discernment, trust, long-term commitment.
-Must be willing to understand and acknowledge fear in themselves, others and deeply within the organization's culture.
-Enjoys transformation and communicating.
-Solid forgiveness track record with concomitant ability to utter "I'm sorry...I blew it" and take responsibility for miscues periodically.
-Understands revelation and is expert at being prepared to receive / believe blinding insight and compelling inspiration at a moment's notice.
-Is highly motivated into action by "that's not how we do things here" and "we don't have time for this" and "how can you be sure this will work".
-Places high value on the data and the soul.
-Believes in Something larger than themselves and the organization.
-Must be willing to travel and look out the window (40-50%).
-Sense of humor not required but preferred. Willingness to develop a must.
-Position available throughout 21st century.
tim
twitter tjmorin
CHIEF REVOLUTIONARY OFFICER
-Company in search of new growth, business and revenue models seeks leader with experience in ambiguity, chaos, thinking differently than the rest of us, failure, discernment, trust, long-term commitment.
-Must be willing to understand and acknowledge fear in themselves, others and deeply within the organization's culture.
-Enjoys transformation and communicating.
-Solid forgiveness track record with concomitant ability to utter "I'm sorry...I blew it" and take responsibility for miscues periodically.
-Understands revelation and is expert at being prepared to receive / believe blinding insight and compelling inspiration at a moment's notice.
-Is highly motivated into action by "that's not how we do things here" and "we don't have time for this" and "how can you be sure this will work".
-Places high value on the data and the soul.
-Believes in Something larger than themselves and the organization.
-Must be willing to travel and look out the window (40-50%).
-Sense of humor not required but preferred. Willingness to develop a must.
-Position available throughout 21st century.
tim
twitter tjmorin
Friday, May 6, 2011
Whaddya Know?
Usually it's a throw away line.
Whaddya know?
It shouldn't be.
Couple it with "where's life?" and "where's the dead zone?" and it's the most important question of all.
Whaddya know about where's life? About the passions. The dreams. The imaginations. The hopes.
Whaddya know about where's the dead zone? The yah-buts. The who-do-you-think-you-ares. The policies and procedures. The fears.
Whaddya know?
It's worth a minute and change everyday.
By itself. Without data. Analysis. Formulas. Templates. Group think. Stuff that looks good on paper.
Just you and the question.
Whaddya know?
--tim
twitter tjmorin
Whaddya know?
It shouldn't be.
Couple it with "where's life?" and "where's the dead zone?" and it's the most important question of all.
Whaddya know about where's life? About the passions. The dreams. The imaginations. The hopes.
Whaddya know about where's the dead zone? The yah-buts. The who-do-you-think-you-ares. The policies and procedures. The fears.
Whaddya know?
It's worth a minute and change everyday.
By itself. Without data. Analysis. Formulas. Templates. Group think. Stuff that looks good on paper.
Just you and the question.
Whaddya know?
--tim
twitter tjmorin
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Innovation Theology
Ever wonder about the spirituality of innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, leaders of great movements large and small, poets, painters, writers, and revolutionaries all?
My favorite monk, Thomas Merton, gives the best summary for innovation theology in a post to his diary in May 1967,
What is wrong in my life...is unawareness, lostness, slackness, relaxation, dissipation of desire, lack of courage and decision, so that I let myself be carried along and dictated by an alien movement. The "current of the world," which I know is not mine...is not going where I am called to go. And only if I go where I must go can I be of any use to "the world." I can serve the world best by keeping my distance and my freedom.
Great words from the monk.
They leave a simple question, when thinking of successful innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, leaders of great movements large and small, poets, painters, writers, and revolutionaries all who seem to go where they are called to go.
A simple question that lurks,
What do I really know?
--tim
twitter tjmorin
My favorite monk, Thomas Merton, gives the best summary for innovation theology in a post to his diary in May 1967,
What is wrong in my life...is unawareness, lostness, slackness, relaxation, dissipation of desire, lack of courage and decision, so that I let myself be carried along and dictated by an alien movement. The "current of the world," which I know is not mine...is not going where I am called to go. And only if I go where I must go can I be of any use to "the world." I can serve the world best by keeping my distance and my freedom.
Great words from the monk.
They leave a simple question, when thinking of successful innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, leaders of great movements large and small, poets, painters, writers, and revolutionaries all who seem to go where they are called to go.
A simple question that lurks,
What do I really know?
--tim
twitter tjmorin
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Revolutionary You!
"You bring out the revolutionary in me!"
My friend said this the other day.
Hard words to shake when you watch places like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and the Arab Spring. When you watch China building five to ten new liberal arts universities per year (the US might build the same number in the next decade). When you see stubbornly high unemployment here at home.
The revolutionary in my friend raises a big question.
If he can meet the revolutionary within, is the same true of you? And even me too?
If true, what would it take for me, for you? To look and find and scratch this itch, to get up and get out, to do?
What if we started little revolutions?
If I met the revolutionary me and you, the Revolutionary You, would we have the guts to pursue whatever we'd dream to do?
--tim
twitter tjmorin
My friend said this the other day.
Hard words to shake when you watch places like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and the Arab Spring. When you watch China building five to ten new liberal arts universities per year (the US might build the same number in the next decade). When you see stubbornly high unemployment here at home.
The revolutionary in my friend raises a big question.
If he can meet the revolutionary within, is the same true of you? And even me too?
If true, what would it take for me, for you? To look and find and scratch this itch, to get up and get out, to do?
What if we started little revolutions?
If I met the revolutionary me and you, the Revolutionary You, would we have the guts to pursue whatever we'd dream to do?
--tim
twitter tjmorin
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The American Spring
There's a lot of talk about the Arab Spring these days. And for good reason.
How great when you get to watch gutsy people revolutionizing a better world with trust, belief and commitment in themselves and one another. And revolutionizing life by taking down oppression, fear, death.
Time now for America to join in. Sunday's heroic action took out an evil guy. Let's pray it'll take down the darkness he embraced.
Time now for America to turn the page on desolation, fear, death. Time now for passion, creativity, life. For trust, belief, commitment in ourselves and one another. For us to rediscover our revolutionary groove.
Time now, America, for The American Spring.
--tim
twitter tjmorin
How great when you get to watch gutsy people revolutionizing a better world with trust, belief and commitment in themselves and one another. And revolutionizing life by taking down oppression, fear, death.
Time now for America to join in. Sunday's heroic action took out an evil guy. Let's pray it'll take down the darkness he embraced.
Time now for America to turn the page on desolation, fear, death. Time now for passion, creativity, life. For trust, belief, commitment in ourselves and one another. For us to rediscover our revolutionary groove.
Time now, America, for The American Spring.
--tim
twitter tjmorin
Friday, December 31, 2010
Nuts
There's a great moment in history from World War II when U.S. Army General Anthony McAuliffe responded to a Nazi demand for Allied surrender in the midst of The Battle of the Bulge.
"Nuts" said the General to the Germans after reading their demand.
Nuts.
What a great word for us to call on right now in the 21st century.
We've had two-plus years of economic and political and psychological schmugg.
Enough already.
Here's to 2011 and your chance to say or scream or go NUTS on or with anyone who says it's too tough out there.
Or who says China's winning.
Or who acts like "I'm afraid" just because.
Or who wants to shoot for the moon with little or no rocket fuel.
It's the New Year. No time like the present moment.
Go Nuts.
Happy New Year!
--tim
twitter tjmorin
"Nuts" said the General to the Germans after reading their demand.
Nuts.
What a great word for us to call on right now in the 21st century.
We've had two-plus years of economic and political and psychological schmugg.
Enough already.
Here's to 2011 and your chance to say or scream or go NUTS on or with anyone who says it's too tough out there.
Or who says China's winning.
Or who acts like "I'm afraid" just because.
Or who wants to shoot for the moon with little or no rocket fuel.
It's the New Year. No time like the present moment.
Go Nuts.
Happy New Year!
--tim
twitter tjmorin
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