Be Brave Not Safe

I recently received an email from one of my nephews (Michael), an avid reader of this blog, who wanted to share a video that was covered in one of his college classes. After reviewing it I must offer a big/huge THANK YOU, for sharing this!!!

It further reinforces a prior post on The Future of Work – Is Here Now! And, I felt the content was so important that I must share it with others who wish to be equipped for the future. Hence the purpose of this post…

The video is a recording of Thomas Friedman, NY Times Foreign Affairs Columnist, best-selling author of numerous books including one that I found extremely insightful (The Lexus and the Olive Tree) and a 3-time Pulitzer prize winner. In short, he is someone who has a (big) clue about the world and where it is going.

Following is a synopsis of what he covers, in this speech at MIT, as shared in the description of the video:

Back in 2000, Tom Friedman recounts, the world began to shrink and flatten, under the influence of digital interconnectivity. Elaborating on his World is Flat thesis, Friedman describes how this new global order puts creative, entrepreneurial individuals in the driver’s seat, and poses distinct new challenges and opportunities. The digital platform that connects Bangalore, Boston and Beijing enables users from any of these places to “plug, play, compete, connect and collaborate,” and is changing everything, says Friedman.

What follows are just a few key points he makes, which will hopefully serve as a catalyst for you to view the video in its entirety. To NOT do so could prove perilous to your career.

First, he shares a comment made by an industrial leader from India:

The world is changing and you Americans are not ready!

He subsequently covers what he calls the 3 rules of this (interconnected) platform:

1. Whatever can be done will be done. The only question is: Will it be done by you or to you?
2. What individuals can imagine really matters! This is the single greatest competitive edge, in this time of individual empowerment.
3. Your success depends upon how well you learn to collaborate.

The video shares so much more. As such, you are encouraged to invest less than an hour of your time to view the full video, which you can do by clicking here.

In closing, if we wish to excel in the future it is crucially important to understand how we fit into the global marketplace as individuals, how we can effectively compete and more importantly, win! The World Is Flat offers keen insight towards achieving this objective!

Here’s to you making 2015 a great year for you and yours!