After looking back at the posts of a year now gone by, it’s time for a look ahead. And many thanks are due to Sharlyn Lauby at HR Bartender for the post that started this thread: Let’s Celebrate the End of 2009! It’s short but thoughtful, so be sure to stop by and read it.
I followed a link from that post to Seth Godin’s free and fabulous e-book, What Matters Now. Download it and get inspired. There are snips from dozens of writers—and though you won’t like them all, you are bound to love some.
Overview:
Here are more than seventy big thinkers, each sharing an idea for you to think about as we head into the new year. From bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert to brilliant tech thinker Kevin Kelly, from publisher Tim O’Reilly to radio host Dave Ramsey, there are some important people riffing about important ideas here. The ebook includes Tom Peters, Fred Wilson, Jackie Huba and Jason Fried, along with Gina Trapani, Bill Taylor and Alan Webber.
There’s a page for each author’s contribution—and the goal is to spread the book far and wide. In addition to great ideas, it offers information about Room to Read, a non-profit program that builds schools and libraries for some of the world’s neediest children.
I tried to pick a personal favorite page, but couldn’t get down to just one. (Tip: Turn on thumbnails in the PDF reader so you can easily skip around.) So here are two . . .
Re-Capitalism by Chris Meyer and Timeless by Mark Rovner.
What Matters Now is an example of what will matter more and more in coming days: Pooling talent, thinking deeply, making a difference. And spreading the word via social media.
As for personal looking ahead—there’s an app for that! Revisit Jeremy Owyang’s column about the Intention Web, then check out 43 Things, where people post their resolutions and find others who share their goals. 43 Things is a tag-based social networking site driven by mutual hopes—and it offers an opportunity to see what’s moving people and engaging them.
On the day I’m writing, 10,714 people list “get a job” as their goal—and a fascinating feature of 43 Things is that people follow up with stories of how they achieved their goals, providing inspiration to others. Almost all the users seem to be very young—these folks are not A-level talent or passive candidates. But they might be some day, and 43 Things opens a window into the ideas and attitudes of people who could be visiting the Careers site of your company right now.
So that’s a wrap for inspiration. Next up: 2010 (Predictions)
Cynthia Giles has followed a serpentine career path from academia to publishing to marketing and design to information technology and corporate communications. There’s plenty of detail about this journey at www.cynthiagiles.com, but briefly--the common theme has been ideas, and how to present them effectively. Along the way, she became an accidental expert on data warehousing and business intelligence, and for the past ten years she has combined corporate contracting with an independent consulting practice that focuses on marketing strategy for smaller businesses and non-profits.
Having spent quite a bit of time looking for work, and anywhere from two weeks to two years inside a wide variety of American companies—she has given much thought to what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to creating a great employment fit.
Thanks for the shout out — it means a lot to connect with people…