Making old jobs new and allowing creativity and freedom for passion to play in the jobs of our workers is what makes them new. It makes the old jobs work without the need to keep creating more jobs, especially when the jobs that are being created are just more of the old ones. It gets us nowhere.
More jobs are created when old ones are made new. These people, now with freedom, are able to advance in the job they are working at. In this advancement, they open doors for more people to enter a new job. One that is a stepping stone from which the original person has placed.
People don’t just create new jobs, all they do is create more of the old ones and less and less people are going along with it. (Which is one reason the unemployment rate continues to rise)
It is the creative people who introduce new jobs and I mean new jobs. Not more of the old ones. These people, these marvelous people, are able to follow their passion in their job, in doing so they come across problems we have never had before because we never let our workers have freedom to their potential, never let them be innovative. In their innovation, in their dire need to improve their job, and through their creation of new problems, they need new solutions and that is where new jobs come from.
When people are given the chance to be truly creative, they don’t develop small changes, they manifest huge ones. Ones that require help, a team, a tribe, other like-minded people who have a similar passion, who will work together to produce even bigger newer problems which then calls for more even more remarkably innovative people. And so on.
When we make old jobs new, we make new new jobs.
Making new new jobs will bring this -us, our neighbors, our coworkers, our politicians, our government, our nation, our friends oversees and those who look up to us- closer together.
In this sense, in this slight improvement to jobs, we make progress. Slight progress, but nonetheless, necessary progress.
Stay Positive & Progress For The Sake Of Progress Is Still Progress
The unemployment rate is despicable. It’s not because more jobs aren’t being created, they are. It’s the fact that the new jobs are replicating the ones that have always been used.
If we want the unemployment rate to go down, if we want to do real, honest and passionate work, if we want to look forward to work (something that is necessary to want the unemployment rate down), then we need to make old jobs new, not make new old jobs.
Currently, a worker’s pay is based on compensation, of the hours put into work. What it needs to be based off of is creativity deliberation, not compensation. Simple terms: paid to go in and make a ruckus.
Through that ruckus, we see improvement, new development, a fresh way of thinking, creativity and above all, results that mean something, not just numbers on a financial statement.
That doesn’t mean you need a new job, a better job or a second job, it has nothing to do with making more jobs, it’s about transforming new ones out of the old ones. It’s about doing the ones we do now differently, creatively and passionately.
We’re all self-employed even if we have a job, that’s a given, but to leave it at just “self-employed” doesn’t do any good, it doesn’t call for an action, a direction to take. We’re all “self-employed artists“, capable to be original in our thought processes straight to the core of what we create in our jobs.
Through our artistry, we can change, improve and develop our jobs into something magnificent. Something worth waking up for each day. It is through this that we can discover new ways to do the job better, more efficiently, uniquely and to serve and benefit people even more.
Most importantly, this is the way we can end the idea of an unemployment rate.
Stay Positive & These Are The Jobs We Want In The USA
Before I even share the letter in which Howard Schultz has written to all of America, and before it is posted even more main stream this weekend, you need to understand the simplicity of judging a person like Howard. I have studied many of Starbucks marketing strategies as well as background info on the company and Howard. I have seen a few negative comments about Howard and I’d like to point out two simple details that will eleviate any negativie feelings.
First, Howard spoke at the Aspen Ideas Festival.
Taken from the Aspen Ideas Festival website, “For over 60 years, the Aspen Institute has been the nation’s premier gathering place for leaders from around the globe and across many disciplines to engage in deep and inquisitive discussion of the ideas and issues that both shape our lives and challenge our times. […] Imagine some of the most inspired and provocative thinkers, writers, artists, business people, teachers, and other leaders drawn from myriad fields and from across the country and around the world – all gathered in a single place, ready to teach, speak, lead, question and answer – all interacting with an audience of thoughtful people who have stepped back from their day-to-day routines to delve deeply into a world of ideas, thought and discussion. The week promises to be thought-provoking, meaningful and fun – true to Aspen tradition.”
Would a multimillionaire who is full of greed, who is evil or a terrible person attend this event, give a presentation and seek improvement in the world using this large of a platform? A platform that is centered on growth, on productivity and on trust.
The second minor detail which I hope no longer stays minor is the effort Howard has put towards employing Americans. Along with establishing the Create Jobs for USA organization, Howard has made America-focused choices such as creating a “new roasting plant in Augusta, Georgia that we could have located in Central America or Asia for 15% to 20% less, but we felt that creating 200 or so jobs domestically was more important.” [source]
Howard You Make A Difference
Before I share with you the letter Howard has written, it’s serendipitous that he has written this letter during a time period that I am doing an Unlocking Potential interview series with people who I know will make a different in their passion. It may also be coincidence that he shared the letter while I am in the final editing stage of my book Start Schooling Dreams (to be released at the beginning of August).
In Howard’s closing, he advocates for innovation and making a difference in the community to promote citizenship over partisanship. This is a major center of why I write. Everything I write is innovation, it’s to make a difference, it’s about unlocking potential in others, promoting people who care, really do care about learning, about coffee, about fashion about anything. These are the people who make the difference, these are the people who are like Howard Schultz, who are willing to stand up, speak out and try to create positive change, no matter how much resistance there is.
*More power to you Howard and even more power to those who have similar worldviews for change, whether it’s employment, civility, and politics or education, art and music.
Without further ado, you can read the full letter Howard Schultz has written to all of America below or click here to open it in a new window.
An Open Letter: How Can America Win This Election?
Friday, June 29, 2012
Posted by Howard S., Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer
On Independence Day, our country celebrates the promise of America.
It’s a day to remember that the principles that bind us together vastly outweigh what keeps us apart. The freedom to dream and the opportunity to create a better life – not just for ourselves, but for each other – has always defined our great nation.
I am a product of that American Dream. As a kid who grew up in public housing, went on to get an education at a state university and build a business, I am grateful for what this country has made possible for me. In turn, at Starbucks, we have always tried our best to honor our responsibility to the communities we serve.
And on this Fourth of July, our communities need all of us.
Across the country, millions of Americans are out of work. Many more are working tirelessly yet still unable to adequately care for their families. Our veterans are not being welcomed home with the level of support they deserve. Meanwhile, in our nation’s capital, our elected leaders are continuing to put ideology over real solutions. I love America, but we all know there is something wrong. The deficits this country must reconcile are much more than financial, and our inability to solve our own problems is sapping our national spirit. We are better than this. America’s history has showed that we have accomplished extraordinary things when we act collectively, with courage, creativity, and generosity of spirit—especially during trying times.
As we celebrate all that is great about our country, let’s come together and amplify our voices.
Let’s tell our government leaders to put partisanship aside and to speak truthfully about the challenges we face. Let’s ask our business leaders to create more job opportunities for the American economy. And as citizens, let’s all get more involved. Please, don’t be a bystander. Understand that we have a shared responsibility in solving our nation’s problems. We can’t wait for Washington.
At Starbucks, we are trying to live up to our responsibility by increasing our local community service and helping to finance small-business job creation with Create Jobs for USA. Our company is far from perfect, and we know we can do more for America. But we need your help. We need your voice.
Join the national conversation with #INDIVISIBLE. Starting today, I invite you to share your view of America, and how we can all put citizenship over partisanship. On Instagram, post a photo of the America we all need to see. On Twitter, provide a link to an innovative idea. Blog about who’s making a difference in your community; or on YouTube, share how you made your American Dream come true. No matter where you post, if you use the tag #indivisible, Starbucks will do its part to collect and amplify your voices.
Together, we can set a new tone in America. We hope you agree that doing so is a powerful way to celebrate our nation’s birthday.
In 2012, America needs to win the election more than either party does. It is time now to join together as Americans. It is time, whatever our differences, for us to strive and succeed as one nation – indivisible.
I didn’t know what was going on 10 years ago. I didn’t experience it. I only know what work, employment, the successful were all like because I’ve studied them. What I do know from experience is how difficult it is to grow up knowing that society is dysfunctional. That everything that my parents grew up with worked for them, but not for me. I felt pulled into an abyss because I knew that the world needed, not just someone, but some type of people. I grew up understanding factories and what it took to work there. Until I realized everything turned into a factory, that 2/3 of the jobs I ask friends what they want to do say “factory worker” without actually saying it. In the middle of everything that is no longer working but was being forced, I couldn’t become what I wanted to be until I decided to fight the world back and join the Tribe of Linchpins.
The job market got personal by giving stagnant wages, health insurance and a false illusion of job security. Job security is what everyone fights for, or rather procrastinates for. Every job began as a job where people didn’t have to think until their job was on the line. Then, instead of becoming a linchpin, an artist, a creator, they chose to make the tasks of the job last longer. Job security became self-controlled. This is what I grew up noticing. I say it in past tense because job security isn’t a result of always having stuff on your to-do list anymore. No. Job security has become something else, something better, something beneficial.
Job security is only available to linchpins. The ones who do the jobs and all the other tasks that aren’t getting done. It may not be their job, but to a linchpin, that’s no reason not to do it. This is what job security means. Instead of being told what to do -which is repetitive and produces the same exact dull results over and over- linchpins figure out what to do. Figuring something out taps potential on the shoulder and tells her to get to work. It produces greater, more important, more human results and 95% of the time more profit than dictated results.
Linchpins produce emotional labor, not the kind of work you’re doing now where you come home frustrated and exhausted from doing what you’re told (always more exhausting than doing art). See, cogs are people who have been manipulated and brainwashed not to stop to think if what they are doing is different, human and actually productive above the average standards. Linchpins not only stop themselves, pause and find out how to be more creative, but they have the ability to stop other cogs, redirect then, and turn them into creative linchpins because being a linchpin means being leader and being a leader is about making other people leaders. Leaders are indispensable which means job security is universal. This job security doens’t mean you will stay at one job forever, it means that you will always have a job, a place where it will be your responsiblity to do what linchpins do best.
Stay Positive & This Job Security Is Sooo Much Better
It’s a terrible tragedy when you realize that you love something. So don’t. (This excludes people).
Excludes people? Yea, when you recognize that you love something, you doubt you deserve it and begin searching for its faults.
Maybe that is why you loved your job at first and then you began liking it less and less. Onto the next one,
you find the learning experience of a new job amazing. I sure do, I am sure we all do, it’s in our nature. We love learning new things, love challenges, love accomplishments and that is exactly what new jobs offer. THEN we reach the level of “love”. This level is right around the point that we know enough to rock out a day at work, but we still don’t know enough to not ask any questions. But this bliss is momentary because it is at this time when we realize that we love our jobs.
Something begins badgering our brains and tugging our hearts. I call it “doubt”, doubt that you deserve what you are getting. Doubt that you deserve to love your job. Why we immediately begin doubting why we deserve something so great? I do not know. I do know that when we begin to doubt, we look for our/the jobs faults.
We begin to nitpick and find anything to use as a reason to not love our job. And from there, it is all downhill. When we get in the mindset of looking for faults and surrounding ourselves with negativity, the only way is down.
And until we can truly accept that we deserve the best and we deserve to love our jobs, we are all better off making sure that we do not realize that we love our job in the first place.
Do you know that feeling of seeing the sun rise? How aesthetic and life-energizing it is? The sight of it transports you to a realm of endless peacefulness. It nearly makes you feel as warm as the sun itself. It reminds you the world is a beautiful place. What if I told you that you could have a similar reaction by getting to work earlier than usual? What if I shared with you an idea that you would consider skipping watching the sunrise to partake in? Read On.
We generally don’t get paid for arriving at our jobs early. Or do we?
We never realize the perks and rewards for arriving to meetings, our jobs, or even friendly get-together’s early. We just think “I’m lucky I got a seat” or something of the sort.
Something so simple gives such greater rewards than a good seat. Do you notice them? Do you realize the difference between arriving early and arriving just on time?
Say… you have a meeting to attend this Friday and you already know your boss is going to be there early to set up the presentation. Are you one of the few that sees this as an opportunity? Or are you thinking “I have to make sure I am on time, I can’t let my boss catch me being late again”?
What you should be thinking is the next step to work, relationship, and financial progress. You may consider asking your boss if he or she needs help setting up. Don’t be a suck up. Despite what movies suggest, successful CEO’s are not surrounded by suck-ups. They are connected with activators and those who take matters into their own hands and form them into successful creations. Don’t ask if your boss could use some extra help getting things ready, put yourself in the position. YOU can be the reason that the meeting went effortlessly and efficiently. A good deed never goes unnoticed. Whether you can see that your actions had a positive impact or not, your boss will be mentioning your name when talking to other CEO’s because of your simple contribution of time and energy. — And to think, all it took was getting to work 20 minutes earlier.
Just a thought,
In order to be first, you need to be first!
Stay Positive and remember the alarm does not go off to punish you. It goes off to let you know that an opportunity to succeed -further than you have already- is awaiting for you to grab hold of it.
Though “time” is the only constant in life, it is also the largest change we must adapt to. It’s a bit of an oxymoron isn’t it?
The farthest back that I have experience with the job market is when people walked into a business, asked for an application, filled it there, called them to check up on the application in a week, got an interview, and then got the job if their first impression and behavior was acceptable.This is just one process that was “the right way” at the time.
Though there are hundreds of different processes to acquire a job, job seekers are being grenaded with two specific processes.
1. Know Someone – No one cares about the olden days of apprenticeship and working for your parents. Kids grow up usually wanting to do the exact opposite of their parents. That leaves the fact that to get a job in an area of your interest, you have to know someone in the department. I don’t know why companies bother asking for references on the resume, the only reference they care about is word of mouth. The only opinion they care about is that of someone who they work closely too or that is already in the department. Your focus needs to be on people who love you and could talk about you all day THAT IS IN YOUR AREA OF INTEREST. How do you do this? Well, I can answer that with a couple of options.
Don’t have the bachelor’s degree that’s required for the job you want? Apply free. Send the application in requesting that you would like to be the assistant to the person who gets the job you are after. Make sure that it is clear that you will work for free and help with whatever tasks that are assigned to you to help the person fulfilling the position. You are only after experience — to begin.
Anyone who types or writes a word can call themselves a journalist. So go to the business that you want the job at and request an interview with the owner or highest ranked person. You simply want to write a report on the company for your blog, school, website, etc. Sweet, you got your interview. Don’t let others tell you that your first impression is everything. It’s not. What you want to do is take your 15 minutes you got and turn it into a 30 minute interview. (Have enough questions prepared, but you should be having more of a conversation than an interview). You can talk about your interest in the field, but do not state your education or interest in a job. After you write your article and send it to the business, you can wait a week and call them back for a follow up interview. All of your visible or invisible readers want to know more and were interested in your content and the business itself. You are already on a friendly level with the owner and now you can focus the interview to bring out your knowledge of the business in question. Before you leave, have a card or contact information ready to give to the employer and bring up the idea of working for them for a pay check or for free. If you do not feel you are acquainted enough to accomplish this you can ask that you would like to interview some of the employees. Instead of winning over “the big-man”, win over the employees so they can put a good word in about you. They will only reassure “the big-man” of your qualities and abilities
2. Informal Credentials – Who cares about a piece of paper, a few letters before your name, or how hot it is to be called Doctor “Smith”. What you can do to get a job without a degree is to surprise the employer with a list of different experiences related to the field. In the “education” area of your application write “Check out my experience in my Resume”.
The only way to get a job this way is to step out of your box and travel the world and to go after every experience in the related field. If you are into working for an Environmental group, start traveling to Australia and Ireland to see how they use their green bags and the politics around the topic there. Get acquainted with all angles of your interest from all the different parts of the world. An employer wont turn you down. Better yet, you may end up creating your own business instead.
For more on how to gain informal credentials, I will push you towards Tim Ferris http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2011/09/29/8-steps-to-getting-what-you-want-without-formal-credentials/
My question to you is, why is it not pushed to do these two processes IN ADDITION to getting formal credentials? I’ll help you with the easy questions here..
The only way someone is going to be successful in helping others find jobs is if they focus on a niche area of getting people employed. I have just shared with you the two largest ones. People share these concepts with others because no one will listen unless it is quick and specific. We have since passed the era of receiving all the information on one topic. We only receive all the information on one small piece of the grand topic.
I am not saying that this information is unworthy and not should be followed, I am proposing that you combine these topics to create the original knowledge base that they were taken and separated from. Only then can you truly achieve absolutely any job you want at the same time as being surrounded by incredible people with the same interest and traveling the world.
A person walks into a job interview with a master’s degree in the field required from an Ivy league.
The next person that will be interviewed has the same degree from Australia, has worked in a similar company in London, and created another similar company in Hawaii which made just enough money to make it self-sustaining.
Which one gets the job?
Stay Positive and Self-Credentialed
Garth E. Beyer
I say, ” If you can’t get out of your box, at least take it with you when you travel the world to get your informal and formal credentials.”
