Category: Personal Development

The Old Man and the C(+(+))(*)

Believe me when I tell you that when blood and mud mix in the corporate world, just like that other context, it’ll be the people who are ready, willing, and able to “step up” that will lead the followers “out of the sh*t” and into prosperity.

During a discussion about technology evolution in American business, a subscriber on GaryNorth.com made a statement in passing. The subscriber is a professional software developer by trade:

“Corporate America does not love old people. Their loss.”

From https://www.garynorth.com/members/forum/openthread.cfm?forum=21&ThreadID=281000#281279   (Website subscription required.)

It would appear that this viewpoint is prevalent within the rank and file of American industry. But is it valid? Or to be more accurate, to what extent is it valid?

In response to the subscriber, I offered the following opinion…

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Skill Development At Its Foundation

Discipline as well as its parent, respect, cannot be taught. They can only be learned.

April 22, 2020

A subscriber on GaryNorth.com queried for potential solutions to an immediate skill development problem for his young-adult son:

My unmarried sister has gifted my 17 year old son $1500 in a Schwab account of which I am custodian. I’d like this to be a learning experience for him but I’m in the dark as to how to proceed. My son has inherited from me a lack of self-discipline in financial matters as well as propensity for poor judgements regarding the future. He understands that he is not to touch the money for 5 years, so there’s a little time to work with. I’m not so much concerned with great returns as maximizing the growth of his character & life skills. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.

From https://www.garynorth.com/members/forum/openthread.cfm?forum=1&ThreadID=280337#280337 (Website subscription required.)
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A Tale of Two Animals

The Philosophical Swamp is a rare and scary place, frequented by few animals; but they are very experienced animals. A Fellow by the name of Abraham Maslow named this place Self-Actualization, and claimed that the animals therein had successfully survived prior environments.

How does one go about finding a mentor…

By first, foremost, and always, understanding what a mentor is, and what a mentor is not. That is, if you’re hunting for something, you first need to know what the animal looks like. And you need to understand its behaviors, motivation, and habitat.

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Replace Thyself

Essentially, one prepares to turn over the job as one is learning the job.

A member of GaryNorth.com recently entered the workforce at entry level and has posed a question:

How would I know where I would be least replacable, especially as a young person with few (if any) highly developed skills? (Sic)

The question stems from earlier discussions about the desirability of being irreplaceable in one’s employment, to ensure that one’s employer will have reason to retain one’s employment in a recession economy.

However, irreplaceability is rarely a solution for someone who remains competitive.

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Exercising Muscle Groups

…as our world continues to devolve in so many ways, more than anything, it will be integrity that empowers one to personally minimize participation in and the consequences of that devolvement.

A recent article by Dr. Gary North on his website referred to Harry Hobbes’ posted contributions to the forums on that website as the focal point to advise members of the need to develop and publish information on their own websites, and eventually to sell that information.

The specific passage within Dr. North’s article is:

There is a site member who goes by the name of Harry Hobbes. His answers are detailed. If he were to collect all of the answers that he has posted for free on this site, he could begin to produce the outline of a textbook in either management or followership. Maybe he could produce a textbook that would be half management, half followership. You have to be a good follower before you can be a good manager. On the other hand, to be a really good manager, you had better follow a good manager for several years.

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