Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Abundance vs Scarcity

As I was searching for a book that K.C. described, I happened upon Bradford Smith's 1957 book "Why we behave like Americans".  Written in the lens of the post war baby boom beginnings, Smith fills the book with the 1957 "balance sheet" of American cultural facts.  In his ending chapters "Where are we going", he celebrates the American paradoxes - great personal freedom and great conformity; poverty amidst great plenty; great friendliness and shameful brutality; generosity and selfish corruption and graft, easygoing informality and burdensome tension.... and the list goes on. 

"Harmonious diversity is the hallmark of American life - a harmony sharpened by dissonance, a diversity held together by counterbalancing powers".  And so it appears some of the strength in American culture is our ability to disagree in relatively peaceful ways but with the unified principle of equality (and all of its paradoxes of liberty and social cooperation). 

I think much of the framing of American culture has been from of an attitude of abundance. The "New World" -   a vast land of seemingly endless natural resources  was "discovered" and early risk takers (entrepreneurs) took advantage of its abundance to invest in their dreams.  Now 500 years later, not only are America's resources "known" much of the world is "known" and the concept of a "New World" is difficult to comprehend.  Could this mean a transition to an attitude of scarcity?

An attitude of scarcity creates a dissonance around the principle of equality and tramples the hope of the "pursuit of happiness".  Each new discovery illustrates how little we know and presents plenty of "New Worlds" of opportunity.

The paradoxes will continue - attitudes will determine your happiness.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Know it all

For me the definition of wisdom is "knowing that you don't know".  I felt this intensely when I emerged from my orals in May of 1977 at Miami University attempting to "prove" to the PHD panel of experts that I was worthy being awarded a Masters Degree in Statistics.  It was a humbling experience and a eureka moment of how little I knew in the field of Statistics. 

Knowledge is an infinite and deep reservoir present for all of us to experience.  Scientia (Latin term for Knowledge) is a moving target - the body of knowledge itself.  Scientists (which we can all claim to be) engage in activities to acquire knowledge.  The highest award (title) we give in the reservoir of knowledge is PhD (Latin abbreviation for Philosophiae Doctor) of Doctor of Philosophy in ........ (you name the field). 

How appropriate that scientists are really just philosophers swimming in their ocean of knowledge.  Waves of information Piling Higher and Deeper (PHD) and Patiently Hoping for a Degree (PHD). 

The 2011 Survey of Earned Doctorates estimates 49,000 USA degrees from 412 granting institutions.  The twentieth century show explosive growth in doctorates awarded.


Does this mean we (or they) know more? ..... or that there are more, that know more? ....... or that the more they know, the less is known?

How deep is the reservoir?


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Favorite, Favorite, Favorite

I spent some time creating a list of favorite books in my virtual book shelf.  It can now be viewed at the bottom of my blog site.  Constructing a favorites list (just like you can do for websites on your computer) is a challenge of priority and volume (if there are too many favorites then is it really a favorite?).

Ask someone about what their favorite ________________ is (fill in the blank - book, movie, food, color, number etc.) and you will get various responses.  You will never get a straight answer - it will always be qualified with a redefining question that limits the category.  Example - for favorite food: "Do you mean my favorite dessert?". 

I loved Pastor Jim Nathan's sermon on Mother's Day where he retold a story about three sons as they met up to attend their Mother's memorial service.  In the car, driving to meet his middle brother, the oldest son reflected on the letter that his dearly departed Mother had given him. 

Pastor Jim Nathan read the entire letter.  The hush in the congregation stirred  a little when mid way through the letter the Mother said ...... you were always my favorite ......  I will always love you.

Pastor Jim Nathan continued with the story.

As the middle son entered the car, he reached into his forward pocket and felt an envelope containing a letter that the Mother had sent him and wondered if he should mention it to the oldest. 

Again Pastor Jim Nathan read this letter to us ..... and you guessed it ....  mid way through that letter we heard .... and you were always my favorite .....  I will always love you.

And so it went a third time with the youngest son.  You were always my favorite ...... I will always love you.

Three favorites  :)  No limit in the category of love.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Book Redos

What books do you remember that influenced your philosophies, ideologies, morality, and thoughts? Maybe the old quote should be changed to say "You are what you read"
 
A couple of years ago I began to use the app that LinkedIn provided to list books you are reading and/or recommended.  I wanted to do this so I could easily access and remember the title and author of a book when referring recommending it to someone else to read.  Alas - LinkedIn eliminated the app and thereby destroyed some investment of my time.  A lesson learned on placing any data in the cloud - you better back up your investment of time.  For you Facebook and blogging fan's - let this be a warning.

For Amazon consumers there is great history available on purchased books (assuming you read what you purchase).  The library has computer records but the history is unavailable to the library card holder.  Some physical history can be viewed by any books collecting dust in your bookshelves at home (and we have way too many books at our house).

I decided to try to jog my memory of books read in junior high and high school and found that Wikopedia has a great list of books by year published.  Scanning the list I came up with 25 books that had impact on my thinking in the 60's.  I started re-reading "Inside the Third Reich" (see blog Historical Rhyme) and I know at age 16, I understood very little of what Albert Speer was really saying. 

If you are what you read ..... then re-reading redefines you.  Probably why the Bible gets better each time.


Postscript:  Well I was wrong and a "Hat tip" goes to LinkedIn for customer satisfaction.  While they no longer support this app, I was directed in by a representative to Amazon's site www.shelfari.com  where there was a convenient import feature.  Wallah!!  All 137 books and 90 reviews were imported.  Now I can use Shelfari for my virtual bookshelf! If you want to view my bookshelf go to this link  http://www.shelfari.com/garenwisner.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Final Puzzle Piece

Sunday night was a discussion about the "Big Bang Theory" -  not the TV show but the actual science and whether this theory is compatible with Genesis.  Our Sunday evening Study Group is discussing Dinesh D'Sousa's book "What's So Great About Christianity" and the compatibility of science with religion.

I suspect that everything in science that is discovered, ultimately fits into the overall puzzle of life.  Each unique piece of the puzzle has a place.   You could say that everything that is discovered, once studied (and with time), the purpose is revealed.  Everything has a purpose in life.

In fact, each of us (an all living things) are just one piece of an infinite puzzle.  Parts of the puzzle are clear and easy to understand and other parts are difficult to distinguish and determine their place.  Yet, every piece has it's place and role to play in the master design.

This is why I believe there is a Master Designer.  The Master Designer created the puzzle and "knows" where every piece fits in. But precisely when we feel the final piece of the puzzle is complete, a whole new portion of the unfinished puzzle appears -- the puzzle is constantly expanding (like the Universe). The puzzle in life slips on purpose.

For puzzle lovers like me, there is great joy in an infinite puzzle (or purpose).

Friday, May 17, 2013

Parenting - Serious Stuff

Yesterday was power packed with Vistage and a SVP Cincinnati event at the Family Nurturing Center.  When A.S. (Vistage Bud) shared his update he said "Parenting is fun ..... but this is serious stuff".  How appropriate - and the reality is parenting can't be "outsourced". 

Attending the Family Nurturing Center (SVP Cincinnati's 2012/2013 Investee) was fun ....  and sobering.  FNC provides visitation services, programs and education (preventative and remedial) for children who have been abused.  The stories show the complete spectrum of sorrow and joy.  There were seven stations set up at FNC for us to understand the various programs and services that FNC provides.  When I heard the briefing of the "Darkness to Light" program, my memory immediately went back to the day in Columbus where we attended a mandatory training for parents (see "Parent Class" blog entry October 25,  2012").  Maybe this video presentation should have been a part of the program.

On Wednesday, I attended the SVP Education committee planning session for our next "Boot Camp" training for Partners.  Our objective was to educate our Partners about the impact education has in our community for kids and youth at risk (our focus area for our next Investment of time and money).  J.K. had the idea to ask each Partner what ONE educational thing, experience, teacher, or training did we feel provides the greatest probability of a successful outcome for children (or that we believe happened personally for ourselves).  Mine was simple - READING to my children, TEACHING them to READ, and trying to instill a LOVE OF READING. 

Two years ago one of our experts that was briefing the SVP Partners on community issues stated that they can predict prison capacity by third grade reading scores.  While this is likely an urban myth (see "Prisons don't use reading scores to predict future inmate populations"), the statement is so intuitive that no one questions it's accuracy.  We all know how important reading is to life success.


Reading - It's serious stuff!  :)

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Breaking the Rules

Procedures, company policies, controls, and rules in general are how organizations function efficiently, effectively, ethically,  and within the regulations and law of the land.  Yet, I have found that sometimes the rigidity of a rule around exceptions becomes a difficult quandary that the individual will constantly face.  You could call it the "gray area" of life. 

During my years at Accenture,  I felt that each employee had the responsibility to decide where the exception would over-ride the rule.  I learned sometimes that it was better to act (and accept the consequences) that to ask for permission (especially in the gray areas of rule interpretation).  In fact my opinion of employees was based on their confidence (and ethics) of interpreting the rule themselves and acting ( a form of personal career risk taking). 

Equally important to following rules (or breaking them where appropriate) is establishing controls.  Pre controls are the most expensive, cumbersome and time consuming and should be carefully evaluated for risk/return before implementing.  I prefer post controls for the very reason it delegates responsibility to the employees and the efficient procedures and yet maintains a oversight role to catch improper activities or mistakes. 

No control (pre or post) really means no rule.  That is the definition of broken.


Post Blog: 5/22/13  I was listening to a Podcast at www.philcooke.com where he quoted Ernest Hemmingway on rules:
"First thing to do is learn all the rules.  The second thing to do is throw them out the window"

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Phone Spring Cleaning

The amount of data and applications (and integration) on the smartphones means frequent backup is necessary.  Today I moved into the refurbished HTC Windows 8 phone and the reconfiguration process was in hours vs days.  The Windows desktop integration and syncronization made reinstalling applications easy.  The contacts and calendar was synched with little effort (after my emotion fear of losing everything) through my Microsoft Online account. 

Microsoft (and Verizon) have made backup seamless and easy (that is if you have signed up and integrated it with your PC).  My past cavalier attitude about backing up has totally changed.  Now with Carbonite (for my PC) and Backup Assistant (Verizon Phone),  I can feel safe and secure.  I am even willing to pay for this "insurance". 

Actually refreshing the phone is a good spring cleaning exercise.  It gets rid of all the clutter (data and applications) that I really don't use.





Monday, May 13, 2013

Growing up

I always loved G.M.'s comment about his career - "I'll figure out what a want to do after I grow up"  (P.S. G.M. is my age).   Today is a big day for both Jenna and Paul. 

Jenna is "in the air" as I write this blog headed to Florida to meet up with her Miami U. friend and her family to go on a cruise.  It is Jenna's first time flying alone.  On the way to the airport (yes as a parachute Dad, I dropped her off), she asked me when was the first time I flew alone.  My best recollection is the trip I took in 1976 (age 21) to Chicago for my interview with Northern Trust.  I ran out of cash while there (long story).

Paul starts his first day of full time employment at USI.  It's hard for me to remember my first day at Accenture (May 1977) but it was filled with forms and all kinds of decisions - disability insurance, withholding exemptions, life insurance, medical options, etc.  There were all kinds of verbal rules we were informed of -  no eating a bag lunch on Fountain Square, attire and presence, CLM's (Career Limiting Moves), etc.

While college is intended as a growing up transition.  In fact, the first week of work and the first net paycheck is the real "rite of passage" into adulthood. 

Thirty six years ago, I officially was considered an adult.  Yet even now (like G.M. says), I've still never grown up :)





Sunday, May 12, 2013

Mother's Day

The sunshine accents the beautiful landscape.  The freshly manicured lawn (mowed by Susan) looks like a velvet green carpet.  A exquisitely decorated house has the comfortable peaceful feeling of home sweet home.  The smell of freshly baked bread and a crock-pot of brisket fill the house with tasty aromas. 

All the design and product of a Mother's nest. 

Happy Mother's Day Susan

Saturday, May 11, 2013

The Grandparent Thing

Last night Susan and I watched some home movies.  Naturally we would be the only audience willing to view the hours of home movies that I took.  There were times I would just video tape the girls for seemingly endless time (even I had to fast forward through parts).  

We were viewing our lives in 2000 - 2002.  Those years were filled with joy and sorrow and above all transition.  Walt's passing, the house addition at Brill, trip to China for Ellen, Christmas in Woodstock Vt., my career change, potential move, Susan's store opening, Ellen's emergency room visit, and other memories flooded back into our thoughts.  But most apparent was the star of the movies during that period - Ellen's infancy.

Several months ago, I was discussing with A.M. my decade planning project (creating a theme for each decade of life).  We both determined that his journey was a decade ahead of mine.  As I asked for his "eureka" finding for his 50's decade he immediately responded "I totally underestimated this grandparent thing".

My late 40's were filled with joy (re experienced by watching the home movies) and a modified version of "the grandparent thing" of having an infant later in life.  And while I have missed the "grandparent thing" in the 50's maybe there is hope for the 60's :)



Friday, May 10, 2013

No Interest

Remember the days when the Savings & Loan institution offered "toasters" if you opened an account.  Now days money talks and financial institutions spend a great deal of advertising dollars with "teaser" rates to get you to open an account.  Jenna fell for this when a local financial institution offered $150 and a "teaser rate" to open an account with them.

I get various yields on money market, FDIC insured checking, and mutual fund money market municipal but all of them range from .07% to .15%.  So when an institution offers a rate of .5% on the first $100K (with some fine print restrictions) it's easy to get "sucked (or suckered)" in to opening an account.

But hold your breath...... read the fine print and understand "when it's too good to be true .... it's too good to be true".  Look for the catch and above all get out your calculator and determine the real benefit.  Example - good only for first year; restricted number of withdrawals; etc.

If you had the max of $100K the benefit of an extra .4% in interest is $400 per year. Add to that $150 incentive to open an account and you're not talking chump change - at over $45/mth.

That's the benefit - but what's the cost.  (1) The set-up paperwork. (2) Linking checking account to electronic transfers  (3) Establishing a long term banking relationship (for future need or leverage). (4) New account restrictions. (5) New online setup requirements (6) Different banking fees (7) Other banking features (overdraft protection; online banking etc.)

I have no interest - now in my account or in a new banking relationship.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Watch the Birdie

Outside our Family Room Windows is a tree that each spring a Mother Robin inhabits.  The nest this year (because the tree has grown)  is three foot higher and sits at eye level while standing in our family room  (so it sits about 14 feet up in the tree).  Last year it was fun to see the birth and feeding of the baby birds but regrettable they disappeared one day (they seemed too young to fly so I assume the worst). 

Rambo, our female cat, sits on top of Susan's chair mesmerized by the Mother Bird's activity.  It was a picture I wanted to capture - the cat watching the birdie.

Alas - technology destroyed the moment.  My HTC 6990 Windows 8 phone camera would not work.  I rarely take any pictures with this phone so naturally I thought it was user error.  No - after rebooting, reentering the SIM card, using settings to reset the camera, searching the internet for suggestions which included pressing hard on the lens, even uninstalling apps that used the camera and reinstalling apps (that the Verizon rep recommended) - there was no success.

So the dreaded RESET of the phone was necessary before the Verizon Rep would send a new refurbished phone (since it is still in warranty- purchased 11/16/12).  But first I needed to backing up picture and contacts.  I had most of the pictures I wanted on Skydrive but was unclear on whether I was backing up (or where) the contacts.  So the Rep helped me enable Verizon's backup assistant.   It stated that the sync was successful.

Naturally the RESET didn't fix the problem so I will have the "fun" of reinstalling all apps.  While I could accept this, it was the contacts that I didn't want to recreate.  ALAS -----  When I accessed the contacts on the reset phone - NOTHING!!!!!!

The story could go on ... and  on ....  and on .....   as in fact my time did in troubleshooting with Verizon.  After 3 hours of effort and emotional ups and downs --  my contacts were in fact restored (actually thanks not to Verizon but Microsoft Online).

The moral of the story -  just watch the birdie  vs   using the camera phone to watch the birdie!

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Just Because

Back on February 12, I was reading a devotional from "Men of Integrity" that suggested Spur of the Moment Gifts can be much more satisfying than the Big Five gifts - Valentine's Day, Mother's or Father's Day, Christmas, Anniversary, and Birthday. 

"Here's what you do :  Pull out your calendar and mark weeks during which there are no holidays or other days that are special to your spouse.  Mark that week on your calendar and surprise them on that predetermined date with a gift.  When they ask "What's this for?" simply say "Just Because".

Well I didn't follow instructions and a reminder popped up today on Outlook stating that this was the "Just Because" date that I had scheduled back in February.  OOPS - too close to one of the big Five - Mother's Day (this Sunday).  

But it was very convenient as I passed the aisle at Sam's Club and purchased the bouquet of flowers early for Mother's Day.  Now I better follow instructions and plan a proper date - Wednesday July 17.



Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Heard it through the Grapevine

"Can you keep a secret?"  Those spoken words create excitement in the person listening.  What's coming next -- some juicy gossip about someone or something?   Secrets can be good or bad (more often they are polluted into gossip).

When a secret is revealed once (telling just one person) the chain of "Can you keep a secret" enters the exponential world of grapevine gossip.  Each successive retelling creates a different spin or story.  Pretty soon everyone has a different version of the secret.  The initiator who believes the population of knowledgeable recipients is fixed has underestimated the lack of confidentiality in the human condition and the higher probability of an inaccurate account of the secret.

I've always told my girls that anything revealed to a friend is likely to be found on the front page of the paper.  Transparency begins with the wagging of your tongue.  This is why criminals are so often caught.  The secret brews inside them.  The temptation to reveal the secret builds until they feel obligated to let it loose to another. Maybe the sin of pride (being proud of their act) overpowers the initial sin and creates the pressure to tell someone else.

But not all secrets are sins.  There are joyous secrets also.  Good news, secret Santa gifts, even hidden acts of kindness. 

In this world there are very few secrets.  In God's world there are no secrets.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Why Why Why

The classic consultant joke - the guy who borrows your watch to tell you what time it is. 

Recently a group of SVP Cincinnati Partners met to understand the scheduling process for our current investee - Family Nurturing Center.  Reviewing the forms, the reports, the process and exceptions brought back many memories of my consulting days at Accenture.  The advantage of hiring new smart college students with limited experience at Accenture was the fact that as they interviewed clients and gathered data they would always be asking ---- WHY?   Why do you do that?  Why is this form necessary?  Who really reads this report?  Where do you send this data?

In fact the best consultants are those that ask Why at least three times. Why do you do that?   Tell me again why you need that form?  I didn't understand the first time -  Why do you fill it out this way? Who uses this form?

Traditions are hard to break and layers of controls (or one time needs) begin to weigh down forms, reports and processes.

At Accenture the "Just in Time Manufacturing" group had a methodology called - "Eliminate, Simplify, Automate then Integrate.  When reviewing processes it is important to eliminate steps (forms and reports) first.  Then Simplify the step.  Usually this is where 80% of the benefits come from.  Only then should you even consider computerizing - Automate.  And for goodness sakes don't address the most complex (and expensive) step of integration until you have satisfied the first three - or else all you will do is integrate a complex, inefficient, and redundant process.

Why ------- can't this step be eliminated?
Why ------- can't you simplify this form and eliminate some of the data
Why ------- fill this form out manually - let the computer scan it.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

F. F. and PH.

Yesterday, Susan, Jenna and Paul ran in the 5K Flying Pig Race (the Marathon is today).  Now in its 15th year, Saturday's race had over 10,000 people participating.  Jenna was upset that I wouldn't participate.  I said I would run in a race "When Pigs Fly"  :)

Instead, Ellen and I spent the afternoon at Matthew 25 Ministries doing volunteer work (Ellen needed 5 hours of community work in her pursuit of Confirmation at Armstrong Methodist Church). Our job was to recycle paint, taking rusted old cans of donated paint, opening them and pouring the balance into nine different colored 55 gallon drums. I now know how to get rid of my inventory of old paint cans.  

Then the day was topped off with watching the Derby on TV while sipping on a mint julep prepared by A.M.   We had the first official cookout with A.M. and M.M. and during the evening discussion A.M. won the honor of sighting the first hummingbird at our feeder. 

It was a day filled with  friends, fun, and philanthropy (F,F and PH).

Friday, May 3, 2013

Knowing or Nuturing Networks

Social Networking (in the technology sense) is here to stay (see blogs 6/14/12 Referral Network; 6/8/10 Networks; 10/14/09 Your Private Social Network).  When you Google a name -- Linked-in; Google +; Facebook are the first three search results (biased by what search engine you use - Bing, Google, Yahoo). 

Facebook has become the default family and friends (personal social network) while LinkedIn is the default business contacts (replacing the Rolodex file of business cards).  My use of both of these sites is sporadic.  I tend to accept all invitations as I explore how valuable these sites are in relationships.  In fact instead of posting interests and thoughts to these sites, I have preferred to use a blog for that purpose.

A meeting today with J.O. (a new Vistage Chair), caused me to spend some time viewing my own LinkedIn account and all my 201 connections.  I was surprised at some of the features - open vs closed network access; summary tags (by company; location; relationship; industries); and various search features that my free membership priviledges can access.

LinkedIn stock price dropped coincidentally today over 11%, after missing revenue expectations and providing a tepid outlook (which is what you would expect for a company with a  PE over 1,200).  It's power (and valuation) is based on the 225 million members (many of them free - like me) vs the pricey subscription cost (who really pays $75/mo??) for premium features. 

I have 201 connections since joining LinkedIn (June 20, 2005) and all my connections have been from invitations (I can't remember not accepting  an invitation). As I previewed these contacts today - I can't place (name, face, or company) how I met or was introduced to 32 of these individuals.  I have seen, talked to, or emailed 65 of the individuals in the last year.  That leaves 104 dormant people (that I recall) in my network. 

Other statistics :)
(1) Only 75 of my contacts have an "open network"  (open meaning I get to see all of their contacts and not just the ones we  share). 
(2)  82 of my contacts have a network of over 500 people (after 500 LinkedIn keeps this as a premium feature).
(3)  44 of the 82 "big network people" have "open networks" and 38 are "closed"

So what's the point?   Do you really know (or nurture) your network?

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Historical Rhyme

In the summer of 1971, I was fortunate enough to join a church youth group on a mission/educational trip to Europe.  Our assistant Pastor spoke fluent German and created a mini self study abroad focused on the impact of World War II in Europe.  The mission portion of the trip was the dismantling (and salvage of material) of a youth center in Maubeuge, France. 

After our labors we then traveled to Salzburg, Germany to interview Albert Speer (Hilter's Architect), the author of Inside the Third Reich: Memoirs.  Then we traveled to Munich, East and West Berlin, and Poland (Warsaw and Krakow) and the concentration camp at Auschwitz. 

A generation behind World War II, it was our chance to indirectly connect with that time.  My children and the subsequent generations will view WWII as just pages in a history book no different from studying Ancient Greece.  Yes there are actual black and white films but the reality of those are even disguised and shuffled in with the other movies of history.

The last World War I veteran died Feb. 12, 2012 and there are about 1.5 million World War II veterans still around (now in their late 80's).  Before long, those eye witness accounts will be gone.

Time erodes the impact of history. Voices disappear.  Pictures (still and film) even fade into the background of current events.  Will subsequent generations stand on the shoulders of those before them, or does history repeat?


"History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme"   Mark Twain


Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Changes in May

As college graduates finish their commencement celebrations and enter the work force, the month of May becomes an important transition period.  My job decision was to join Accenture in May 1977 and concluded in May 2001 - 24 years later. That started another transition that is now in it's twelfth year - in constant change.

Last weekend the family attended Paul's University of Cincinnati Graduation and he faces his job decision in early May.  My advice to him was to weigh heavily the starting compensation but place even more weight on the outlook 5-10-15 years from now to determine what the career growth opportunities the initial selection might provide.  Naturally this is dependent on various career risk parameters - industry growth, geography, functional area and specific company culture/management.

Call me lucky - but Accenture was a great way to diversify career risk.  Not only was it in a high growth industry, there was the opportunity to navigate other across industries (and their economic cycles) using common technology expertise.  Also during the recession of the '80's, I discovered the power of joining an international firm that had diversity in geography risk,

Even though I remained with Accenture for 24 years (rare in today's career paths), the reality was it was as similar as a person who changed careers 4-6 times.  I worked in five different locations, across eight or nine industries, and four to six functional/technical areas.  It was rapid and exciting change within the umbrella of one company.

My advice to Paul and new college graduates -  Initial selection is not nearly as important as managing career change continuously.


PS - What a coincidence.  Accenture just published the results of a survey of recent college graduates:  "Four of Ten Recent College Grads are Underemployed".