Rothacker Reviews

Sir Ken Robinson to Kevin Carroll to You to Who?

The people who you recommend or link out to are relevant to your reputation. I discovered this video on Kevin Carroll's Web site Kevin Carroll Katalyst. Sir Ken Robinson talks about how our school system, which originated in the nineteenth century, is outdated and in need of change. He explains and illustrates that in kindergarten we are creative and that by high school creativity has been educated out of us. It truly is eleven minutes of pure fascination!

Here's the thing, by way of Sir Ken, it's my perception that Kevin feels the same way. Think about this when you recommend or link out to someone on your blog or Facebook.

Sir Ken's talk dovetails into the design thinking mindset within Standing out in a Sea of Sameness, especially starting at the 7:45 mark when he talks about divergent thinking and then goes on to discuss human capacity and collaboration.

 

Remember, the people you associate with are relevant to your reputation. And that's important whether or not your are a high school senior, college freshman, beginning that first job after college or beyond.

Employment After College

What is the biggest concern for you and your friends?

Employment. Overly frustrated to get a job. In Japan, people start becoming serious about "employment" from the winter of their third year at college. I think the pressure is coming down to first/second year people lately.

This quote is from a twenty-year old college student in Japan. It can be found in a white paper titled, The 8095 Exchange: Millennials, Their Actions Surrounding Brands, and the Dynamics of Reverberation, written by Edelman, a global PR firm.

I think it's safe to say many American college students feel the same way.

So college freshmen and sophomores, what do you do? Do you spit out a shiny résumé? Do you cut your hair, buy clothes to cover your tatooes, remove excessive metal and shelf the fun side of college life?

No. You become a story seeker. Go out and find people on the path ahead of you and ask for their stories. Tell me about how you got to where you are? How did you choose? Describe the obstacles you had to deal with. How did it make you feel? Describe how you feel now. Where will you be in five years?

While the intent is to listen and learn from the storyteller, the storyteller is also someone who can tell YOUR story. In your conversation, you should talk one twentieth of the time you listen. Just enough to let that person know and FEEL that you are curious, respectful, have passion and want to make a difference in the world.

Now, about those tatooes and metal... It's a fact of life, you're going to be judged. Keep in mind that the storyteller could be a person of great help to you in the future. If this person is an artist, there's a less chance that your appearance will be a factor. If she is mainstream corporate America, it will be. It's possible that if you're respectful and clean, you can overcome a minimum amount of exposed skin art and metal. You are in the driver's seat. You'll need to decide how much of a positive impact you want to have.

Story seeking is just a start. You'll need to maintain a connection to the storyteller so she'll remember you when someone asks her, "do you know anyone who can...?" More to come on that here and at the Standing out in a Sea of Sameness Facebook page.

For Edelman's report described above, click on White Paper on this page.

Tampa Bay Rays: DJ Kitty

Can DJ Kitty rally the Tampa Bay fans to support our team in the playoffs? According to the Rays' attendance this year, having the second best record in Major League Baseball couldn't do it.

Maybe columnist Norman Chad will create support with his article: Support the Rays, even if theri fans don't.  "So, please, America, let’s rally ’round the team with no fans and no titles."

Rays' third baseman Evan Longoria spoke out recently against the lack of attendance at games. Fans reacted like you might think they would react when a millionaire makes such remarks. While Evan might not have thought out the ramifications of his statement, I love that he spoke up and I love what he said!

The only defense I have towards the fans' reaction is that the ballpark is located in an extremely difficult location for most residents of the Tampa Bay area (me included).

I can only say this, if this same team was located in the Cleveland area (where I am from), the fever to support them would be so hot snow wouldn't stick to the ground for the entire winter.

Go DJ Kitty, go DJ Kitty, go DK Kitty...