Advice to Young Professionals

I received an email from a new graduate that asks for help in determining a career path in Information Technology , which I assume leads up to an email asking for networking contacts.

I took a poetic turn in my response and think it might be worth sharing. And if my children ever ask for my advice, maybe I'll share it with them too.

My career path is a tangled one and I am currently unemployed. My advice is that a temperate attitude is always best. Project management skills and experience go a long way to keeping you employed when technology changes rapidly. And moving on to the next prominent development language and platform, or a new methodology, is wise (although the depth of learning will be dependent on your role).

Both failure and success are momentary conditions. Love is more constant.

Copyright 2010 Harlan R. Cohen MBA,CPIM

How many teachers does it take to change a light bulb?

How many teachers does it take to change a light bulb?

One. A good teacher changes everything, with the support of the parents.


As a public service TV spot or published image, I imagine a close in shot of a teacher screwing in a bulb on a simple overhead fixture with a reflecting shade. The lighting should be low at the opening. The shot opens up to 18 students in Second Grade, sitting on a rug on a floor with books open. The students are in various postures, sitting close together, in no particular order surrounding the teacher. The light encompasses all of them. The shot opens up wider and we see the floor is held up by thirty some parents underneath with outstretched hands. The wardrobe varies from suits and dresses to work jump suits.

Other images (if they haven't been done already) include: a teacher pulling a chain switch to turn on a dark light bulb over a child's head; teachers in classrooms around the world turning on lights; a teacher with a single student reviewing a book in front of them while a light bulb over the student's head glows brighter throughout.

Copyright 2009 Harlan R. Cohen MBA,CPIM

"Business development" - or - "Account management"... which role is the most important to the firm

"Business development" - or - "Account management"... which role is the most (sic) important to the firm

The party who put this question up on LinkedIn suggested that Business Development is hunting and Account Management is farming. Carrying on the analogy I answered the question and I copied the answer below. The complete LinkedIn discussion is in the title link.

No community (business) survives with just hunters and farmers, so why prize one over the other. Farmers are often part-time hunters. Hunters are not always good farmers but a successful hunter can bring his game to the market. In this case, farmers and hunters share the objective of providing calories (money) to the community. When the hunter is searching for furs, it may be a matter of preserving calories (money) during a cold winter or of seeking adornments (recognition) because there is a surplus of calories.

The product life cycle is the landscape. Unless it is replenished it wears out and in that case the community dies off or moves on. A good Chief/Leader learns to replenish the soil early and often to postpone a die off. Not all managers are chiefs and not all chiefs are managers. However,The chief may lead in just one function or several. He is persuasive and farsighted so that the community relies on his judgment.

At some points you need the Inventor / Entrepeneur / Explorer. The hunter living off the land and looking for resources that will benefit the community.

You need the Shaman / Priest who inspires a community through fellowship or fear. This, of course, is the role of the HR Director. :)

There must be a parable out there which highlights this. Anybody know one?

Copyright 2009 Harlan R. Cohen MBA,CPIM