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Who Will the Superstars of the Next
Boom Be? Someone You Know? Will It Be You?
Call it a downturn, recession, slump or whatever. But the
economic slide of 2001 won’t last forever. They never do.
However, things also never come back in quite the same form
as before. The tough-minded budget-busters of the 80s suddenly
seemed quaint and old-fashioned, as they were replaced by the
high-flying technocrats and Internet wizards of the 90s.
And—even
more suddenly—the dot-commers of the late 90s who were
praised one day—were vilified the next.
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Carol Kallendorf, PhD |
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So who will the superstars of the next boom be? Why will they
dominate? What will their professional backgrounds be? What will
their lifestyles be? And what should you do when you meet them?
Looking at what healthy muscle seems to be surviving in the
bust, the next likely "class" of business superstars
might look like this:
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- A passion for running a business—their turn-on
is business. For them, technology and finance are
important only in as much as they serve the ends of
building and running a profitable enterprise. They
will exploit technologies for maximum business
impact—rather than rush to early adoption of new
technologies.
- Consummate managers—the next boom may well be the
decade of the manager.
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- Homed in on basics: meeting customer needs, sales,
quality, and process improvement. It will be a great era
for people in marketing and sales—if they focus on
defining and meeting fundamental customer needs.
- In search of a compassionate workplace, but a
business-like one. They won’t shy from tough decisions,
if the business demands it. But day-to-day, they expect a
workplace that acknowledges they have a life beyond work.
- Older than the last superstars—mostly in their late
30s and 40s—with a breadth and depth of industry
experience. Will they be the same people as last time
around—just a decade older? Some will—but on the
whole, I doubt it.
- Prefer a home in the ‘burbs with access to good
schools, rather than the urban living scene—which will
wreak havoc on the downtown residential development
projects of many a "high-tech city," like
Austin, Texas. Visualize empty high-rise condos and
fire-sale prices. See related article in this issue,
"Intel
Not Inside".
- Centrist in their views on just about everything—from
the environment to social issues. They’ll go left as
easily as right—which will introduce even greater
unpredictability into the political process. Neither party
and no single issue will be able to take their support for
granted.
- Unimpressed by conspicuous consumption—but willing to
pay the price for value at work and at home.
- Skeptical—looking for long range potential, not
options. They will be known more as wise than glamorous.
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The value these people will add to the workplace in creating
and sustaining the next boom is being honed right now, by their
experience in the 90s and early 2000s—and by what they make of
that experience.
These are the people BizWatch thinks will dominate the next
boom. Be on the lookout for them.
And when you find them, hire them and keep them--even if it
hurts right now. They may be the best investment you make. And
there won’t be too many of them around.
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