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The indispensable Century –Why Chine and Germany reign supreme
China is now officially the second largest economy in the world and it is predicted that by the end of the decade, China will surpass the United States and become the world's no1 trading economy.
What did China do that Japan did wrong? What is China doing that rest of the world needs to stop and take notice of?
China over the years has made herself indispensable to the rest of the world. China is the capital of crab production in the world. You might say those Chinese are producing rubbish and dump it on the rest of the world, that is true but they have made themselves the best in the world at crab production.
When the rest of the world was struggling during the recession the German economy was growing fasting than anyone could imagine. While the rest of Europe including Her Majesty Britain is in intensive care on life support Deutschland is flying high. Why? Germany is the capital of quality. The Germans have made themselves synonymous with quality. In the UK, entire towns are being laid to rest as factory after factory go belly up. While the Germans are struggling to find enough space to construct additional factories.
When news of Steve Jobs illness surfaced, Apple's share price plummeted. Apple is a multi- billion dollar global company why do its prospects hang on the services of one employee? Because that one employee is indispensable!
Whilst relaxing in the sauna at my local health club I had a discussion with a young female student. She was about to complete her Masters in two weeks' time and she was wondering if she would ever be able to find a job in the current economy climate. I informed her that there were jobs to be had; however the people who got those jobs are those who author Seth Godin describe as "Linchpin" – the indispensables.
This young student was about to graduate with a Masters degree and she looked at me as if she didn't have a clue about what to do next. I explained to her that the problem with most professionals is that they are only "one skill away from being wealthy" but many of them lack that single skill that when added to their current skill level would make them rich beyond their wildest dreams.
She studied marketing, so I told her all she needed was to learn how to market herself. She debated with me that she has a friend who graduated from Cambridge University two years ago up till that point had not found a job. "It is not about what you know it all depends on luck" she exclaimed. I wondered if she felt that success depended on luck why did she bother to go to university. The problem with her friend I explained is that she lacked the shills necessary to land her a job.
Gone are the days when graduation from Oxford, Cambridge or any of the prestigious universities meant automatic employment. These days university degrees only mean you get the chance to compete, it does not mean automatic employment opportunity.
The difference between a university graduate and a non-graduate is that the graduate knows where to find information. People put some much faith in degrees hoping that a degree is an end in itself; no it's only a means to an end. If those professors knew how to apply the information in the books they would be working on Wall Street or in the City of London. The only difference between professors and librarians is that librarians only know where the books are located. While the professors may read the books but they themselves do not know how to apply the information contained within them. Therefore, if anyone thinks they will find answers in university, they need to ask themselves why, if their professors are so clever are they still driving Ford Model T? They are not indispensable.
Very recently I was contacted by a company in the Middle East who wanted me to assess their business to see how our services could be of help to them. I sent them a questionnaire as I always do in order to have a brief understanding of their situation before my arrival. For some reason the questionnaire was never returned. I sought advice from a friend of mine as to what should be my reaction to this lack of response. He advised that I should just go there and wing it, in other words I should just go bluff my way, get paid and leave.
On the surface it seemed to be good advice, after all it was the prospect who was not giving me the necessary information that I had requested. However, I thought to myself that the CEO of a multibillion pound operation is not someone you can easily bluff. I called another friend of mine who just said to me "Romeo when you get what you are looking for, you'd better be prepared". He was right, during my conversations with the CEO it become only too clear that he was completely clued up on our subject matter. I'll be honest and say that I was pleasantly surprised to realise this guy in the Middle of the Arabian Desert had all the answers to my questions. After the meeting I thought to myself what if I had listened to my friend and not taken the time to prepare? It would have been catastrophic.
It used to be said that 80% of success is showing up, that saying no longer applies in this indispensable century. In this century, 80% of success is showing up prepared and the other 20% is the result you produce. Talking of results, in this indispensable century, success is measured by the following criterion: result, solution and answer. I speak to consultants who say they have been consulting for 15-20 years yet still struggling to make a living. The problem with those consultants is that they do not produce results. They are the ones who according to my friend just wing it never producing any solution to their client's problem. They can be found in many professions: doctors, accountants, lawyers etc. These professionals are still trying to navigate the 21st century with 19th century strategies and attitudes.
Albert Einstein once gave a test to a group of student. On the way back to his office, his assistant asked him "Dr. Einstein was it not the same test you gave to the students last year". "Yes" Dr. Einstein replied. "But how can you give the same test to the students two years in a row "Because the answers have changed from last year" the great doctor answered. Yes the great doctor was right, the answers keep changing and it is only those who realise this simple fact will succeed in this indispensable century.
Arab leaders who have not yet caught up with this fact are facing the wrath of their people. The likes of Col. Gaddafi continuous to scream like a madman hoping to intimidate his people. He cannot see the writing on the wall, naturally he is facing the music. We have entered the Phychozoic age, the age of information it is those with better information that will succeed in this century. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter managed to do what the CIA, MI6 or Mossad has been struggling to do for years remove Arab strongmen. The 21st Century would be for the indispensable who know how to produce answers, result and solution? Are you indispensable? As I was completing this article Portugal was on its knees with collection plate begging for hand-out from it European friends. The question on everyone's mind is who will be next? Answer those countries that are not indispensable
About the Author
Romeo Richards is the CEO of Retail Profit Protection Experts a division of Richards International Group (RIG). Romeo is a co-author of the bestselling retail loss prevention book: 84%: The most effective strategy for retail profit protection. For more articles, whitepaper, best practices guide and ebooks written by Mr. Romeo Richards please visit: http//www.theprofitexperts.co.uk.
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