The 21st Century And The Nifty Crowd
One of my favorite Jill Sobule songs is, Things Here Are Different. I nominate that as the title of the 21st century marketplace, because compared to the last one, this new one sure is going to be different.If you have your 21st century cornflakes together, you can't wait. If we have to pry your fingernails out of the last vestiges of the 20th century, you can't stand it.
Actually, the good news is it's not necessary to forsake all you know and love about the last century to do well in the new marketplace, but a transition is required. For example:
• Adding technology to your operation doesn't mean you have to turn it upside-down, but you better be able to tilt it in that direction.
• It's not necessary to encourage variable working options like flex-time or teleworking, but you better be prepared to employ that management strategy before you're faced with losing a valuable employee whose life just changed.
• E-business may not be what you need right now, but not offering it to your prospects and customers better be based on an educated decision rather than intransigence, ignorance, or denial.
It Rhymes With Nifty
If you're having difficulty transitioning into the 21st century marketplace, I predict you're close to -- or past -- the birthday milestone that rhymes with nifty. Our world is changing very fast, and the last 10 years have been especially rough on the long-in-the-tooth group. And for the record, I'm part of this group, which I call the Nifty Crowd.
One of the interesting aspects of 21st century small business is the change in the profile of the new owners. Today's newby entrepreneur is more likely than ever before to be female, a member of a minority group, as well as a member of the Nifty Crowd.
Most of these elder entrepreneurs are baby boomers, but many are in the notch between boomers and the GI generation. And as if to prove their reputation as the greatest, not a few proud new proprietors are members of the GI generation.
In his new book, 50 PLUS! Critical Career Decisions for the Rest of Your Life, my friend and Brain Trust member, Robert L. Dilenschneider, writes about us -- the Nifty Crowd. Recognizing that shifts in our culture, the economy, and the marketplace have provided some new challenges and interesting opportunities for those of us who were born in the first half of the last century, Bob's book both advocates our value and admonishes us that in the 21st century, things here are different.
Bob identifies several "21st Century Rules" that the Nifty Crowd should remember, and I want to identify a few of them and offer my thoughts.
Add Value
Bob says in the 21st century, if you don't bring something of value to the table you may find that your seat has been taken.
Some of us started our careers when value meant merely delivering a product or service. Today, products and services are more likely to be commodities than not. Value in the 21st century isn't about your stuff; it's about how you integrate the delivery of your stuff with the requirements of your customers. And remember, your "stuff" might not be a product or service, it might be you. I believe adding value may be the 21st century's prime directive.
Think Globally
"Global thinking," Bob says, "can create unparalleled opportunity."
If you qualify as a member of AARP, the marketplace you started your career in wasn't much bigger than it was for the generation who trained you. Well, that was a nice trip down dusty memory lane, wasn't it? Today, your marketplace can literally be as big as you want it to be, including the entire planet AND cyberspace.
The silver-hair set has to quit longing for the good old days, learn how to operate in a more dynamic marketplace, and effectively meet customer demands and competitive challenges? Otherwise, we will have to make do with the leavings of others.
Think Strategically, Not Just Tactically
Strategic thinking is more about goals than moves. Bob says thinking tactically may win battles, but thinking strategically wins wars.
As a rule, this is an area in which the Nifty Crowd should excel. After all, we've logged a lot of time on this Earth. We have the advantage of wisdom and the benefits of "been there, done that." But the challenge we have is in our future focus. If you remember when hula-hoops first came out, you may have acquired that unfortunate tendency so prevalent in the generation before us: working toward retirement. If your tactic is retirement instead of the strategy of being productive until you die, I don't think you'll have any fun as an entrepreneur, and probably limited success.
One of the wonderful aspects of the 21st century marketplace is -- and will be -- the ability of older owners to have fun AND be productive all their lives.
Be Technologically Able
Bob says, "People who resist technology -- most of whom are north of 50 -- are making a gigantic mistake."
It's true. I have heard people railing against computers because it costs someone a job, email because of spam, and the Internet because of pornography. These people are marketplace dinosaurs and such hidebound attitudes are actually a prophecy of their ultimate professional extinction. If those arguments had merit, why don't they call for a ban on arguably the most dangerous technology in human history, the automobile?
Adopting technology does require us to change -- sometimes radically. But the good news is that we now have technology available in such fine increments and affordable options that no one has to turn his or her world or business upside-down to adopt it. And anyone who wants can learn how to benefit from technology quite easily. Today the only impediment anyone has to success with technology is usually found between their ears.
If you're over 50 and feeling uncompetitive, check your TQ (technological quotient) and your AQ (adoption quotient). If you're lacking in either, as a Dixie Chicks' song suggests, "there's your trouble."
Be Creative
According to Bob Dilenschneider, creativity is no longer the realm of the artsy.
The most important concept in the 21st century marketplace is Bob's first rule and what I've adopted as my prime directive: Add value. You CANNOT add value if you cannot be creative. Any questions?
At age 80, the great Roman statesman, Cato (234-149 BC), began studying Greek. When asked why he would contemplate such a lengthy undertaking at such an advanced age, he replied, "This is the youngest age I have left."
Write this on a rock... If you're over 50, congratulations. You've got the benefit of experience, wisdom, and perspectives that can only come with time spent on Earth. Because of this, and since all the new tools AND rules are just as available to you as anyone else, you have a built-in competitive advantage, and no excuse for not being successful.
