The Age of the Free Agent Nation (Part 1)

Welcome to the age of the the Free Agent Nation!!!

HUH? What's that?

I just watched the most disturbing, uncomfortable Dan Rather Report discussing manufacturing jobs in America. In particular, it was talking about the Boeing plant in California that builds the C-17 cargo planes for the US Air Force was in the danger of being closed. The US Congress has kept this plant a float (open) over the pass 10 years, inserting legislation into bills as "pork barrel spending" in order to sustain these manufacturing jobs in America. In these past ten years, the Boeing plant has over-saturated the US Air Force with these C-17 and the Air Force can no long purchase these $250MM planes, so the plant again, is in danger of closing.

So, as I am watching, these unionized workers for this plant are livid that the plant is closing after the have giving 20 - 30 years of service (loyalty for job security). But, wait there's more. President Obama stepped in to save the day (sort of). He was able to negotiate with India to purchase ten C-17 planes from America, which will keep this plant open another year and save over 22,000 jobs in America. This is GREAT news, RIGHT!? Well this deal came at a price. Legislation had to be created to allow India to use our military technology. In addition, unbeknownst to President Obama, the CEO of Boeing plans to downsize by 900 unionized workers, and hire non-union (cheaper) labor to build these final ten planes.

So we are back to square one, but are we? We have failed to realize that the Industrial Age in America is coming to an end. Third world countries around the globe are now having their Industrial Revolution (over 150 years) since we in America have had ours. With newer technology on their side, these third world countries can produce products cheaper and faster, newer technology US companies can't "justifiability" afford. So where does that leave us?

The one thing these third world countries do NOT have is our knowledge of trial and error, our knowledge of failures and successes of our Industrial Age. We call this "intellectual property." A union manufacture worker making $60K in America could probably go overseas and teach these developing countries techniques and hands training on  how to build their products for over twice the current pay. The US (the world for that matter) is now in the Information Age. This blog, the internet, iPhones, Andriod, you name it, information technology has taken over. Remember when? We were still using dial-up modems (some people STILL are) no more than 15 years ago. In 2000, I worked at Motorola, and was using the latest and greatest SKYPager. Streamlined information is EVERYWHERE, thus the birth of a Free Agent Nation by Daniel H. Pink.

To BE

You have reached the career crisis center.

If you are viewing this blog, then you have reached your wits end and are in search for HOPE. HOPE that you find something, ANYTHING to give you a sense of comfort that YOU are not alone, that you are not the ONLY one that cannot find a job, that you are not the only one in career CRISIS.

A crisis is only CRISIS because you were caught off guard, blindsided. So, how did you get to this point? How did YOU get blindsided? I'm pretty sure by now you've analyzed the situation, over-analyzed it, then analyzed it some more. How did I lose MY job? How did I get laid-off? I went to work on time, stayed late, I did what I was suppose to do, I did great on my yearly evaluations, on and on and on, yada, yada, yada. GREAT. Now we've got that out of the way, what you did not see was the pattern. Think back for a minute. Where there some significant changes going on around you? Upper level management changes, groups re-organizing, products discontinued, you been asked to take on more of a work load, trash only being picked up once a week verses every other day, you manager all of a sudden is going to another group or division, or leave the company all together. These can be some of the patterns, the signs that you have missed. What you failed to realized was that change was happening all around you.

After being on your job for 5 years, 10 years, or 20 even years, you developed a false sense of security. You have failed to realize that today's companies, factories, business are NOT the same as yesterday. They have had to evolve, and consequently you did not evolve with it. Why? One viewpoint is that you took on the job model that your parents displayed. Just like our parents, we had planned to remain at that same job for the next 10, 20 years, maybe even retire, work 40 plus hours a week, 8 to 5, good benefits, 2 weeks vacation per year, you buy car , you buy the house with the fence, get a spouse, have kids, and buy another car...ohh the American Dream, literally a DREAM. Nothing prepared you for THAT day, the day the announcement is made, your job has been terminated. Now that DREAM, looks more like a nightmare, the Freddy Kruger kind.

So here we are, living a nightmare, not the dream sort of speak. You want to hear something totally off the wall, you being laid off, terminated, was the best thing that EVER happened to you. I've been there. There is an overwhelming sense pressure being released. The feeling of no longer being trapped. WHY? Why do we feel this way. Maybe because we have yet to define what is meant to BE.

Webster defines BE as:

1 - a : to equal in meaning : have the same connotation as ; b : to have identity with ; c : to constitute the same class as ; d : to have a specified qualification or characterization ; e : to belong to the class of

2 - a : to have an objective existence : have reality or actuality : to live  

In  order to BE, we must find meaning, we must self-identify, we must define our character, we must exist in reality in order to live. This the first step towards turn on you power.  Learn how to BE. You will need a new set of power tools ( and I'm not talking about the Lowes or Home Depot kind). You need to recondition the way you think about business, about your job, about your finances, and about your career. This is a mental boot camp. You must be realigned and redirected because you have been bumped of course.