“Are You Relevant in the 21st Century?”

**This is a position paper I wrote a few years ago, but it is still important today. Just wanted to share. **

The Question

I find myself in total amazement as I look at a calendar. It is 2011. We are a decade and one year into the 21st Century.

This revelation reminds me of a multi-city career fair that I attended that was hosted by University of Phoenix and CareerBuilder called the “Re-Invent Your Future” Tour in Philadelphia, PA in August, 2010. The keynote speaker was Stedman Graham, New York Times best-selling author, educator and businessman, also well-known as the partner of Oprah Winfrey. He challenged the audience with a profound question:

                         “Are You Relevant in the 21st Century?”

What exactly does it mean to be “relevant?” 

Webster defines relevant as “having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand.” Synonyms are: Applicable, Pertinent, Relative, Material.¹

Let’s consider these areas:

Are you Relevant?

…As a nation?

…As a company or organization?

…As an individual?

Are You Relevant…As a Nation?

We are The United States of America. We were the SUPER POWER, the absolute best of the best. “Made in America” was a signature of excellence. Our automobile industry was superior. Our education, untouchable. The United States is currently ranked 14th in the world in education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).² We are even ranked 10th in the world as the Happiest Country.³

What went wrong?  Why are we no longer #1?  How did we lose our edge?

Are You Relevant …as a Company or Organization?

2011 began a critical year for our country.  This was the year that over 77.6 million people in the “Baby Boomer” Generation begin to retire.⁴

As a company, are you ready?  

• Do you have a succession plan in place? 
• Have you been grooming individuals to replace them?
• Have you upgraded your systems and processes?
• Do you understand Cloud Technology?  Are you utilizing Social Media?
• Have you gauged industry trends?  Have you asked your customer base to see if your products and services are still useful to them?  
• Are you in touch with your employees?  Are they committed to your vision and mission – or are they looking to leave you?

Do you know?

Are You Relevant…as an Individual?

Many people have been traumatized by this economic crisis we are experiencing.  Individuals who have worked in companies for 20 years have gotten laid off, and are now discovering that the skills they had at the former job are no longer RELEVANT.  

They became top executives working their way up the corporate ladder with only a High School Diploma and hard work.

Yet, they are now being informed that, although they have a wealth of experience, a college degree and savvy computer skills are necessary.

• Have you evaluated your skills?  Have you upgraded them?
• Do you have the education you need?  Are you current with modern technology?
• Are you current with Social Media?  – such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Blackberry; IPhone; IPad; Skype, Kindle, Nook….
• Do you know the current economic and business trends?
• Do you read daily to stay informed?

Our economy is now Global.   Are You??

Thus, the next, compelling question is:

What Can We Do?

As a Nation:

We have to take education as seriously as the rest of the world.  Our archaic education system based on an Agriculture/Farming necessity is obsolete. 

We must have a major overhaul. 

"The 21st century isn't coming; it's already here.... Public schools must prepare our young people to understand and address global issues, and educators must re-examine their teaching strategies and curriculum so that all students can thrive in this global and interdependent society." ⁵

Students in the highest-ranking countries begin their formal education as young as 2 years old.  They attend school 12-16 hours a day, oftentimes 6 days a week….YEAR ROUND.

We have to regain our level of excellence in what we make and produce to once again proclaim “Made in America” has value. We cannot even rest on the notion of being the 10th Happiest Country in the world.  

We must realign with the values that were proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” ⁶

As a Company or Organization:

We must start TODAY mentoring and training employees to back-fill the jobs of the rapidly- retiring, millions of Baby Boomers.

We must get back to the basics of asking our employees and our clients, “How are we doing? Are you satisfied with the products and services we are providing you?”

We must embrace and implement change, not only locally, but globally.

We have to gather, assimilate, and implement information faster.

We have to embrace technology.  With the power of the Internet, your business can expand beyond our borders to elevate you as a global player in the business arena.

And finally….

As an Individual:

You must “change the way you think” and learn how to process information more efficiently. You must do your own self-assessment or seek one professionally by a career counselor, mentor or coach. Go back to school to earn your education. With the enormous popularity of the convenience of ONLINE Education, you can do this in less time than many traditional schools. Learn modern technology – Texting, Smartphones, and Social Media. READ MORE. Be informed by global news shows like CNN. 

"The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." – Alvin Toffler

At the end of the day…..we all have to ask ourselves the question…

Are You Relevant in the 21st Century??

Are You???

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Citations:

1        Relevant.(n.d.). In Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary (11th ed.). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relevant

2        Shepherd, J.(2007). World education rankings: which country does best at reading, maths and science? Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/dec/07/world-education-rankings-maths-science-reading

3        Helman, C. (2011). USA Ranked 10th Happiest Country in the world. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/2011/01/19/norway-denmark-finland-business-washington-world-happiest-countries.html

4        What are the Baby Boomer Statistics? Baby Boomers Generation Retrieved April 24, 2011, from http://www.boomersweb.net/Baby-Boomers-Statistics.htm

5        Aronowitz, S. (2010). 21st Century Skills: Evidence, Relevance, and Effectiveness. The   Journal. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/04/08/21st-century-skills- evidence-relevance-and-effectiveness.aspx

  6       Declaration of Independence. (n.d.) In US History. Retrieved April 24, 2011, from http://www.ushistory.org/DECLARATION/document/index.htm