Are You One of the Top 10%?

This past weekend, I had an engaging conversation about the younger generation with one of my best friends who serves as an HR Manager for a major Fortune 500 company in Denver, Colorado. Are discussion began with leadership in relevance to Generation Y and quickly moved into an in-depth conversation about recruiting the Top 10% talent in the college market.

Although this topic of discussion has not been of much interest to me as a leadership speaker who focuses mainly on issues that revolve around leadership, I was curious to hear how my friend defined the Top 10% because I personally did not believe the Top 10% should just be based on attending the best college and achieving the best grades in your class. Surprisingly to me, my friend felt the same way as me about the Top 10% and explained to me how being in the Top 10% from HR standpoint dealt with so many other factors beyond the college you attend and the grades you achieve in your class. He also agreed with me that everyone has the ability to be in the Top 10% if they are able to receive the proper training in their area of expertise.

As many individuals graduate college, aspire to move up within their company, and be the best they can be within their area of expertise, I wanted to share with you twelve key things that my friend and I believe people must possess in order to be considered the Top 10% in their area of expertise.

Strong Skill Set

If you are going to be considered Top 10% talent in your area of expertise, you must possess a strong talent and skill set for your specific professional arena. This can only happen for people who know what their skill set and work continuously to be the best they can be with their skill set.

Positive Attitude

If you are going to be considered Top 10% talent in your area of expertise, you must possess a positive attitude on the job, which means that you focus on the positive instead of the negative and possess an attitude that impacts others around you!


Great Character

If you are going to be considered Top 10% talent in your area of expertise, you must be someone that possesses great character. Great character means that you are someone others can trust, you are someone that has integrity, you are someone that fair and just, and you are someone that does what’s required of you in your area of expertise.

Passion

If you are going to be considered Top 10% talent in your area of expertise, you must be someone that possesses passion for your work. This ultimately means that you are someone who cares about your job, loves your job, is willing to go the extra-mile to be the best at your work, and refuses to let anyone or anything stop you from achieving great success in your area of expertise.

Team Player

If you are going to be considered Top 10% talent in your area of expertise, you must be someone that is an exceptional team player. Being an exceptional team player means that you are someone who works well with others, understands how to work effectively in a team setting, gets along with others on the job, and is willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the entire team.

Strong Leadership Skills

If you are going to be considered Top 10% talent in your area of expertise, you must be someone that has strong leadership skills. As a leadership speaker, there are many different aspects of becoming a strong leader, but one key thing to understand is that great leaders are not born, they are developed, which means at some point you will have to work on your leadership skills in order to be a great leader. This process can occur in college or in your area of expertise.

Teachable

If you are going to be considered Top 10% talent in your area of expertise, you must be someone that is teachable. This ultimately means that you are a person on the job that is willing to learn, is willing to hear positive and constructive criticism, knows how to listen, and does not believe that he/she know everything. Although this concept seems easy to do, many people fail within various organizations and companies because they are not teachable.

Professional Etiquette

If you are going to be considered Top 10% talent in your area of expertise, you must have professional etiquette, which is ultimately adhering to the company culture in which you work and being an example of the standards set by the company to others. For instance, as a business professional, if its required for you to wear a suit and tie, make sure you wear a suit and tie to the job. Also, if its good business within your company to respond to emails within 48 hours, make sure you are someone that responds in 48 hours. Basically, professional etiquette is doing what is professionally required in your area of expertise to the highest level.

Problem-Solver

If you are going to be considered Top 10% talent in your area of expertise, you must be a problem solver which is someone who is not only effective at solving problems on their own or in groups, but its someone that focuses on solutions to problems rather than the problem itself.

Strong Work Ethic

If you are going to be considered Top 10% talent in your area of expertise, you must have a strong work ethic, which consists of someone who works hard at their job and works at being better at what they do on a consistent basis. Since it’s basketball season, the greatest example of this concept is Kobe Bryant because he is not only one of the best players in the NBA, but he is also one of the hardest workers in the NBA as well.

Strong Decision Making Skills

If you are going to be considered Top 10% talent in your area of expertise, you must have a strong decision making skills, which consists of someone who is extremely effective at making good choices and making the right decisions in tough moments. For instance, if your on the job and your friend is not doing his job effectively, are you willing to make the tough decision to replace him with someone else for the betterment of the team or will that be something to hard for you to do? This is just one of the many tough decisions that talented people must make within their company or organization.

Great Communication Skills

If you are going to be considered Top 10% talent in your area of expertise, you must have a strong communications skills, which consists of being able to communicate effectively to the members of your team, being able to effectively communicate to people of different backgrounds than yours, and being able to effectively communicate in front of an audience as a public speaker. Although some areas of expertise require less communication than others, at the end of the day, the talented 10% are able to communicate their message effectively to others in a group setting or one on one conversation.

Like most people, I believe that are several others key factors as well, but applying these simple twelve basic things effectively in your area of expertise can really position you as a great candidate or leader within any company or organization!

Solution-Focused Leadership

For the past five years, I have not only had the amazing opportunity to travel the country speaking to several different emerging leaders in high school and college, but I have been an avid-student of leadership as well who has worked very hard to increase my knowledge and understanding of effective leadership. Throughout this leadership journey, I have not only learned about several different leadership concepts and principles, but I come to BELIEVE that effective leadership is the key to success within any organization, business, and team.

Although there are many powerful leadership experts, consultants, and speakers in America that empower leaders to make their organizations and companies successful, there is one KEY leadership concept that I have heard few experts, consultants, and speakers talk about in the leadership arena. This KEY leadership concept is Solution-Focused Leadership, which is the leader of any organization or company understanding that one of their key roles and responsibilities is to develop powerful solutions to problems that exist within several different companies, organizations, and businesses. In essence, this is the type of leader that develops solutions to various problems within companies and organization verses complaining, whining, and blaming others.

When you think about great leaders of the past and present, you will find that one of the main reasons why these men and women have become great leaders is because they have been able to develop powerful solutions to various problems that existed within their society and culture. For instance, one of the reasons why people celebrate the leadership of FDR is because he was able to develop a solution to the Great Depression, the reason why people celebrate the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is because he was able to develop a solution that led to the equality in America, the reason why we celebrate the leadership of Ghandi is because he was able to develop a solution that led his people to independence, and the reason why people celebrate the leadership of Susan B. Anthony is because she was able to develop solutions that led to the equality of woman. In addition to these great leaders of our past, you will also find that leaders who use Solution-Focused Leadership not only achieves great success as a leader, but they elevate to high levels within their field of expertise because they have powerful solutions to problems that others can not seem to figure out.

As our nation moves forward, I not only believe in effective leadership, but I believe we will need more leaders who are focused on developing solutions to various problems we see within our community and nation verses complaining, whining, and blaming everyone for the current issues that are greatly affecting our nation. If you believe that you are one of these emerging or seasoned leaders within our community and nation, be the solution-focused leader verses the leader who complains, whines, and blames others for the different issues that affect various companies and organizations.

What is the Greatest Challenge Facing Generation Y?

Over the past few years, I have not only read and heard several experts talk about a variety of different things as it relates to Generation Y (those born between 1977-1994), but I have been involved with many different discussions that revolve around this emerging Generation in America. Although most of these conversations and articles about Generation Y increased my knowledge and understanding of Generation Y immensely, the one question that has been hardest for me to answer about Generation Y is, "What is the greatest challenge facing Generation Y?"

The reason this question challenged me so much is because I believe there are several different challenges that are facing this emerging generation in America. For instance, we have several Americans living in poverty, several men and women without health insurance, an education dropout rate that is staggering, an economic crisis that is horrendous, and some of the strong morals and values that have been built for years in America have been lost. Although these challenges above along with many others are serious issues that need to be addressed by the leaders of our generation, one of the challenges that I believe is greatest amongst our generation is an "instant gratification mentality," which is believing success is an overnight thing rather than a process that can take quite a bit of years. In essence, this mentality that success in life comes quick in life rather than through a long process is an issue that our generation will have to overcome in the years to come if we desire to build a greater future for generations to follow and make a greater impact in our community, nation, and world.

Even though there are many different reasons why our generation has adopted this attitude, one of the key reasons why I believe we have this belief in life is because my generation has grown up during a time where things are given to us much faster than previous generations. For instance, we had the microwave oven that warms food up in minutes, we've had fast food restaurants that provide food for us immediately, we've had an internet that allows us to research lots of information instantly, we have cell phones that allow us to contact someone at any moment of the day, and we have been bombarded with many role models and celebrities that have became overnight successes within one year.

Although these stories, inventions, and experiences have been great for our generation, the reality is that most people who become very successful are developed over time rather than born overnight. We know this statement is true because when you study great companies, organizations, and people, you will always find that there was a long process that took place before these companies, organizations, and people became very successful. Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers, confirms this notion when he states in his newest book that it takes at least 10,000 hours of practice before a person becomes a success.

Even though many successful men and women understand this concept, based on my research and experiences with Generation Y, I do not believe that many men and women of our generation share this important aspect of truth. For instance, over the past few years, there has been more talk about a quarter life crisis amongst twenty-somethings because they are frustrated with things not manifesting the way they had planned in high school and college. In another article that I read about in reference to the Generation Y worker, I found that many men and women of Generation Y not only love instant gratification and expect frequent rewards for their work, but can become disengaged with their work if there is not advancement or rewards within the company for their work. Although I do not believe it's bad to want things done quickly and to be rewarded for your efforts frequently, in order to build a stronger nation for generations to come and to bring about great change within our communities, nation, and world, it's crucial that the leaders of our Generation understand that great things will not always occur overnight, but will take hard work, diligence, patience, and time to manifest most of the time.

As many leadership experts continue developing leaders of Generation Y, I not only believe it is important for leaders to develop the common leadership qualities that we hear about consistently, but I believe it is essential that we develop an attitude that is contrary to the "instant gratification mentality" that I have seen amongst many different members of our Generation. Listed below are three key things that leaders of Generation Y can do to help develop an attitude that does not think in terms of instant gratification, but long-term success.

Idea #1

When you assist men and women of Generation Y in setting goals, do not just have them create short term goals, but have them create long term goals as well that take at least 10-20 years to accomplish. This one exercise will challenge these emerging leaders to think bigger and think further down the line.

Idea #2

When you talk to emerging leaders about great leaders of the past, do not just talk to them about the accomplishments of the leader, but talk to them about the process as well so that they can see the good and power that comes to leaders who can make it through the process.

Idea #3

Make sure that every emerging leader understands that great leaders who leave legacies for future generations and make a positive impact in the world had to possess endurance to survive the challenges of things not happening as quickly as they may have preferred at the outset of pursuing their vision in life.

THE NEXT STEP FORWARD!

Like so many other men and women in America, a couple of days ago I sat in my house excited, joyful, and thankful to be a witness to the first elected African American President in American Modern History. Like many of you, I was not only memorized by the amazing event, but for me personally, it was a great moment to see in America as we move forward into the 21st Century.

As I sat there like many other Americans watching the television screen during this historical event, I was highly engaged with the political pundits as the night progressed. Although there were many memorable comments made by the different political pundits, one of the key points that struck me the most during this amazing experience were the comments made about the impact of young voters on the presidential election. Over and over again on various networks, I consistently heard various political pundits talk about how young voters played a key role in the election and I even heard some political pundits talk about how President-Elect Obama would create jobs for members of this younger generation in his current administration.

Learning about the impact of young voters and the opportunities that will arise for many young men and women in America not only excited me, but caused me to think about a powerful book that I read several years ago entitled, The Fourth Turning. In this powerful book written by William Strauss and Neil Howe, these insightful authors talk about the different generational cycles in America and how each generation falls into a specific category. Surprising in 1997, they not only predicted in their book that our country was headed into the Crisis Cycle, but they predicted that this time of Crisis would begin in 2005. During these moments of Crisis in America, they not only talked about different problems that could arise during this period, but they also considered this emerging generation of young voters in America as the HERO Generation because they believed this would be the generation used to overcome these different challenges that would emerge in America.

After thinking about the different challenges and problems facing our nation at this point and the new era of leadership in America with President-Elect Obama, I could not help but begin to believe that we are living in this moment that was articulated by William Strauss and Neil Howe almost ten years ago in this excellent book entitled, The Fourth Turning. The reason I feel so strongly about this belief is because crisis is evident everywhere in America and months of extensive research on this emerging Generation in America has consistently revealed to me that many young men and women have become more civically engaged over the past few years, many want to make an impact in the world, many have a progressive mentality, and several desire to change the world, which I truly believe they will.

As Americans, I believe our next step forward during this new era in American history is not only to be a part of the change that we will see in many different arenas across America, but its to become leaders who will serve others in love and pursue the visions we have for a new and better America that will benefit and bless future generations to follow! As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Be the Change You Wish to See in the World!"

YOUNG VOTERS ARE NOT AS SHALLOW AS SOME PEOPLE MAY THINK!

Just two weeks ago I was at home on a Saturday night with my wife flipping through all the different channels offered on Direct TV attempting to find something interesting to watch on television. After flipping through 200 plus channels, I finally discovered an interesting special on Fox news that talked about the impact of Generation Y on the 2008 presidential elections. Throughout the entire news special, I was not only extremely engaged into this intriguing show, but I was a little disturbed because of the lack of proper representation from our generation on the show and some of the erroneous information that was stated throughout the entire show.

Although I have my issues with the show, I am fully aware that most people who viewed the special on Fox news probably viewed it more positively than I because it did have some good points and it attempted to give our generation a voice on a national news station which is rare. But, as an expert of Generation Y, there were several reasons why I became disturbed and annoyed during the show. One of the main reasons why I became disturbed during the show was because various experts stated that Generation Y voters are more likely to vote for Senator Obama instead of Senator McCain because Senator Obama is portrayed as the coolest out of both candidates. Even though I could possibly see some young voters voting for Senator Obama instead Senator McCain, because of Senator Obama’s popularity and rock star status, the truth is that a majority of young voters are voting for Senator Obama instead of Senator McCain because Senator Obama’s policies are more favorable to the young voter than Senator McCain.

For instance, four top issues with young voters revolve around the Economy, Education, War In Iraq, and Environmental Issues. Even though Senator McCain can argue that his economic and environmental plans are possibly better than Senator Obama with young voters, his political stance on the War in Iraq and Education is definitely against the stance provided by Senator Obama and most young voters in America. For example, 63% of young men and women from Generation Y are against the War in Iraq and several young voters are fighting for better rates on college loans, which is an issue that has been addressed by Senator Obama, but not Senator McCain. In addition to these four major policies with young voters, Obama has also been more effective on the web and possess personal qualities that are much more favorable than Senator McCain with young voters.

These simple reasons listed above are just some of the many more reasons why I believe Senator Obama will dominate Senator McCain with young voters in November. Personally, I believe that Senator McCain is a nice person, but until his policies change on a variety of different issues, he has no chance with most young voters in America.

Can We Really Blame OJ Mayo?

For the past seven years, the hottest tickets on the USC campus have been to the football games every fall semester. Over the past year, the next hottest tickets on campus at USC have been the USC basketball games because of high school phenomenon, OJ Mayo. Although the USC basketball team accomplished many great things over the basketball season, many local fans would probably agree that this team of rising superstars did not reach its fullest potential this year because of a first round exit in the NCAA tournament to Kansas State University. After this disappointing lost in the first round to Kansas State University, many USC basketball fans probably thought that the disappointment in the USC basketball program would cease because of the great young talent that many fans and coaches were probably expecting to return next year. Unfortunately, the disappointment would not cease from the USC basketball program because two of the top underclassman on the USC basketball team declared themselves for the NBA Draft in June and following these NBA Draft declarations from two super players at USC came the scandal with BDA and OJ Mayo. After hearing and reading about this intriguing story with OJ Mayo and BDA on several sport stations all across LA, it was not something that surprised me much with college athletics because I witnessed similar experiences as a college undergraduate student just five years ago.

Before I really began to pursue my speaking and television career in college, during the first couple of years, I was an aspiring basketball player that wanted to make it to the NBA one day. Due to this great aspiration, I found myself heavily involved with our college basketball team and friends with some of the best players on our campus at the time. In just two years, I saw close friends of mine of the team receive huge amounts of money for the easiest jobs in the world, receive brand new cars, receive money for shopping sprees at local malls, receive free plane tickets for family and friends, and I saw friends on the team receive favors from higher officials that blew my mind at times.

Although many people involved and not involved with collegiate sports probably disagree with these favors, I would like to say that I do not agree with breaking rules, but I do believe that athletic programs should be able to help their players out financially more than rules currently suggest. The reason I feel this way is because student athletes who desire to achieve success in their sport have to invest so much time into school and sports that there is not really much time to obtain a part time job to help deal with the financial issues that arise for every student in college. For instance, as my close friend on the basketball team once told me, at 6 in the morning, there is basketball practice, from the early morning to early afternoon there is class, from the early evening to late night, there is more practice and study sessions for the student athletes. Mix in with these required activities are individual study time, individual practice, and limited hours to spend time with friends during the day. Now I do understand that there are many people that may believe a college education, room, and board is enough, but in the world we live in today, you need much more financial assistance as a college student than in years past to really live comfortable in college, especially in Southern California.

Leading up to the NBA Draft in June, there will be many people who will continue to discuss or comment on this OJ Mayo scandal that has been talked about and written about in several media outlets across the country. Personally, I believe that collegiate sports needs to learn from these situations and make the proper adjustments necessary so that this problem does not occur again. In order to make the proper adjustments to this present circumstance, I believe that enforcing the rules on OJ Mayo and the USC basketball program would be productive if the accounts are correct, but increasing the financial assistance for student athletes across the country may be productive as well because it would help student athletes walk away from the financial temptations that present themselves daily to several high profile athletes across the country.

Social Entrepreneurship, the next Great Movement In America!

This past Memorial Day weekend was a special time for me this year
because I finally obtained my Master’s Degree in Organizational
Leadership at Biola University. As I celebrated this wonderful
accomplishment with my family and friends, I could not help but think
about my college journey over the past eight years and reminisce about
all the amazing experiences that transpired in my college life during
this time.

Out of all the incredible experiences that I thought about, the most
memorable moment that stood out to me during this time of reflection
was a Vision Conference that I produced at Long Beach State University
in 2003. The reason this dynamic event stood out to me the most
during this time of reflection is because a group of us were able to
create a unique and fresh event that was not only prosperous, but life
changing for our entire staff and event attendees who chose to attend
the event. Basically, people who attended our event were not only
entertained, but their lives were impacted in a positive way by the
powerful message that was expressed throughout the entire presentation.

Ironically, at the time of this amazing event in 2003, I was not aware
of social entrepreneurship. But, as I look back on these events five
years later with an awareness of social entrepreneurship, I can
definitely say that our Vision Conference program could have been
listed under the social entrepreneurship umbrella because it made
money by itself, impacted the lives of many people who were involved
with our project, and addressed a social problem that was evident on
our college campus at the time.

After pondering on the impact and success of this incredible college
experience mixed in with the large amounts of research that I have
personally discovered about young men and women of Generation Y, I
strongly believe that social entrepreneurship will be a growing trend
that we can expect to see more and more of from Generation Y in the
future as young men and women of this generation become more educated
on this profession. One of the main reasons why I have this strong
conviction about this emerging trend in America in relation to
Generation Y is because social entrepreneurship connects with the
belief system and desire of many individuals of this generation by
providing them with the opportunity to become entrepreneurs, make
money, love what they do, impact the world, and be a catalyst of
positive change.

Already there are many young men and women across America that fall
into this category of social entrepreneurship and many organizations
that support young men and women that have a desire to become a social
entrepreneur. As more and more social entrepreneurs from Generation Y
begin to make their impact on our culture and society, this could be
the silent group of people who could emerge as the next great leaders
of Generation Y!