Full and Still Starving

And I'm grindin until I'm tired
Cause they said you ain't grindin until you tired
So I'm grindin with my eyes wide, lookin to find
A way through the day, a life for the night
-- DeWayne Carter

I really don’t understand my generation’s lack of drive and work ethic. I was sitting in a meeting with a supervisor from one of my two jobs and it was she who planted the seed for this post in my head. It was my second time interacting with her and she mentioned something about the possibility of me taking a leadership role on the team and moving forward. We continued talking and I said “It’s so much harder to succeed these days because everyone is going to college and getting a degree, which is making mine less valuable,” and she replied by saying something along the lines of “That would be true if all you possessed was a degree. What you have and what many people in your generation fail to realize is that old fashioned manners, work ethic and drive will always be valued and that is something that so many of your peers aren’t getting.” So many of us have stacked resumes, but can’t articulate how those positions led to experiences that shaped the way in which we perform. True, I am the president of BBSA, but who cares? If I can’t shape those 4 letters into a reason that Company-X should hire me over the person who was president of WBSA, does it really matter? Didn’t think so.

That goes to speak to ones ability to communicate. Even though every university requires it, a communications course CANNOT teach you how to effectively communicate. It can enhance our ability to do such, but some things must be learned outside of the classroom and communication is one of those things. Sometimes you have to fail in order to succeed, but so many people don’t even take the first steps toward being stable communicators.

I must say, I am disappointed in our generation for the fact that this is true, but all it means is that those of us who have been able to retain our ancestors’ sense of ownership over whatever task is at hand must step up and become that much stronger. Regardless of race, class, or background, a good leader is a good leader and has the ability to step up to the plate when the time comes and, whether he is leading 5 or 500 million, he will do it well. Those of us who are true leaders, let’s do what we do and do it well. Take a sense of ownership and accept nothing less than the best.

Litera scripta manet. - Unknown