Posted by: Patricia O'Connell on September 02
A new GfK Roper Consulting survey reveals the top 14 leadership traits according to consumers: They are: Accountable…85%; Knowledgeable...82%; Honest…………….81%; Effective…………..78%; Integrity…………..78%; Good listener……..76%; Flexible…………...72%; People person…… 69%; Visionary…………68%; Inspiring…………62%; Intelligent………..59%; Creative…………..57%; Experienced……..55%; Strong…………….49%
Where it gets interesting is how important different generations rated different qualities.
Continue reading "Gen Y: It's What You Know"
Posted by: Patricia O'Connell on August 29
A friend--an educated, extremely successful executive who has spent her entire career in a male-dominated industry--I was talking to about McCain's pick of Sarah Palin--had a different take on the pick than mine: "I'm tired of old white men appointing women who aren't qualified just because they think that will appease women. It happens all the time in my business."
So, McCain may not be thinking like a CEO , but it looks like he's thinking like a lot of bosses who tap people who don't have the goods. Potential is one thing; proven ability is another.
Within minutes, another friend (also a successful female in a very male-dominated field) called me indignant about what she calls "Palin's utter lack of qualifications."
Continue reading "McCain's Pick Palin: Don't Disqualify Her for the Wrong Reasons"
Posted by: Patricia O'Connell on August 29
So, it appears that John McCain has picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. "Young Governor Gets the Job" is the headline used on AOL.(On the bright side, we've reached a point where pointing out that the running mate is female isn't as interesting, though other news outlets played up the gender angle.)
Palin, at 44, is a generation removed from the 72-year-old McCain. But I'm not as interested in whether she can help McCain close the generation gap or even the gender gap. I wonder whether she can close the technology gap.
I'm assuming that Palin knows how to use a computer, which apparently McCain doesn't. Whatever way the election turns out, I'm hoping that Palin can bring the Senator into the 21st century, at least when it comes to technology.
We've written about it a lot on this blog, but what's your experience working with older people who aren't tech-savvy? If you're one of the not tech-savvy folks, how do you feel about getting training from someone younger?
Posted by: Liz Ryan on August 27
I wrote a column last year about how my teenage daughter was scandalized when she saw my profile on Facebook. "Gross!" was her verbatim reaction.
I never joined Facebook to spy on my kids, and I almost never go to their profile pages. Who has time? And yet I've learned a lot about my kids just by experiencing Facebook for 15 minutes or half an hour every week. I see how kids my kids' ages communicate with one another (sarcastic, jaunty, and sweetly naive) and how they view the world.
Facebook learning goes in the opposite direction, too. "You liked the Barack Roll video, mom?" asked my son after seeing a comment on my Facebook page. "Why wouldn't I like it?" I asked. "It cracked me up." Now my son sends me videos that he likes--except anime, which I find unwatchable. Facebook is a tool for learning a new language. I can destroy my Gen Y friends in the "Name that movie" (famous quotes) quiz and they can obliterate me in any popular-music contest covering the past ten years.
Continue reading "FACEBOOK AND GENERATIONAL LEARNING"
Posted by: Patricia O'Connell on August 23
OK, I was wrong. I thought Barack Obama wouldn't pick fellow Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. I thought Obama would possibly practice age discrimination, because frankly, Biden, at age 65, is much closer in age to John McCain, and that Biden's age would serve to remind people of Obama's youth.
But I underestimated Obama. And I'm impressed with his first major show of leadership since claiming the nomination. He's thinking like a CEO. While you can argue about this from a political perspective (did Hillary Clinton deserve the No. 2 spot, is Biden's past criticism of Obama and support of McCain an embarrassment?) you can't argue about these points: Biden's strengths complement Obama's weaknesses; Obama isn't afraid to surround himself with a big personality; Biden is likely to give Obama straight talk not happy talk; and yes, from a succession standpoint, there's no question that Biden would be qualified to succeed, if God forbid, that were ever necessary.
As one Democratic political insider told me: "Obama is surrounding himself with the best, and he's putting the party's interests first, rather than special interests, which is what choosing Hillary would have been." Like I said, Obama is thinking like a CEO.
What do you think of Obama/Biden? Do you think this dual-generation ticket makes sense? Is thinking like a CEO the way he ought to be thinking?
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