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Are You Ready? The Information Economy IS Here! By Dr. Kas Henry

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Empowerment
Are You Ready? The Information Economy IS Here! By Dr. Kas Henry

Last week we explored the role of education in shaping the transformational journey needed to compete successfully as a knowledge worker in today’s information economy.  This week, we will delve into what it takes to plan ahead to succeed in careers given the information economy. As the global economy evolves, we need to continue our own evolution to remain relevant if we seek economic empowerment.  Therefore, to sustain ourselves, change is inevitable.  The ability to change and deal with that change is the underpinning of transformation. You may have noticed that this show deals with empowerment as a continued journey of transformation.  Nowhere is this more aptly captured than in the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly.

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  I can speak from personal experience that change is scary, especially change that grabs you and thrusts you into a totally unplanned and unexpected situation where there is no easy way out.  Such unexpected change showed-up in my life by way of a civil war shattering my expectation of home, family and all that is seen to be save and comforting….  Through no choice of mine, I became a refugee child in my own island nation, Sri Lanka, at the time I was in 8th grade.  I had to work through finishing up my O/Ls (10th Grade in the British system of Education) in my mother-tongue, Tamil, before leaving home, family and country to continue my education in India.

 

My whole world had changed, including the language I spoke.  I was in Bangalore, India, with no friends, family or anything familiar.  Just like the caterpillar, I had a task ahead…. A task of planning and executing my personal transformation so that when I emerged as a butterfly, at the end of that metamorphosis, I was ready to take flight.  So, I sat in my classes, took notes fanatically in my mother-tongue; using the dictionary and glossary of technical terms translated into English class notes. My daily learning was not limited to the subjects covered in class but the need to think, understand, write and communicate in English after doing all that in a different language up until then.  Was it scary? Certainly!  Did I have a choice? No!

I made strategic choices in my selection of specialization and elected to pursue a triple concentration in Computer Science, Math and Physics because they were subjects that used numbers and logic giving me freedom from language limitations.  This triple major also helped me plan my career options suited for the information economy from the very city that planned to become the seat of global technology, Bangalore. While in Bangalore, I developed the art of building lasting relationships, worked together with my peers for a successful shared journey and built a support system rooted in human kindness.  Bangalore is the city that helped me become the “butterfly” I am today.  To this day, I cherish my friends, extended family and countless caring human beings from various walks of life made my todays possible.

Change is not a threat but an opportunity to seek new possibilities.   Preparing for the information economy jobs in most parts of the world is not as traumatic as mine was but it can be challenging.

Just because the old era jobs no longer exist does not have to stop us from seeking new skills.  We are only limited by our own lack of imagination and tenacity.  Technology is disrupting every industry including Healthcare, Accounting, Finance, Retail, Business, Manufacturing, Communication and even human relationships.  Robotics and Bots are part of our lives and it is time we understood them.  Approaching technology as the enemy is not the prudent way to become empowered.  Embracing it and evolving to effectively utilize it is the pathway to success.

 

       

 

This week, we will engage in an exciting discussion with young professionals who have taken different routes to get to their current role as knowledge workers in the information economy.  Their diverse backgrounds and insights will help the listeners of “Unleash Your Inner Goldilocks: How to Get It Just Right” glean pointers in shaping their own transformational journey.  You will be surprised at the different ways one can pursue career success as long as the passion for pursuing success is alive.  Come join our conversation this Thursday and be a part of embracing the information economy for our shared success!

Jody Padar Named Top LinkedIn Voice in Finance for Second Consecutive Year. By Liz Gold

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Business
Jody Padar Named Top LinkedIn Voice in Finance for Second Consecutive Year. By Liz Gold

For the second year in a row, Jody Padar, CPA, MST, has been named to LinkedIn’s Top Voices list in Finance & Economy. This is LinkedIn’s second annual list and Padar was also honored on the social media company’s inaugural list last year.
“I’m thrilled,” said Padar. “I’ve been challenging the accounting profession and its traditional model since I started blogging seven years ago. For me, it was about hashing things out via writing as I recreated my firm to reflect emerging technologies. I believe I connect with people because I’m real; I tend to address the pink elephant in the room and I believe in total transparency when it comes to my customers and my business. And I like to tell stories about my experience. Writing is a great way for me to do that. I think that resonates.”
LinkedIn Top Voices is the company’s ranked list of the top 10 writers in 10 different areas – Influencer; Education; Finance & Economy; Healthcare; Management & Culture; Marketing & Social Media; Media; Student; Technology; VC & Entrepreneurship. LinkedIn now has more than three million unique writers on the publishing platform creating 160,000 articles per week.

“To compile the list, we use a combination of data and editorial signals designed to capture the voices making a mark in their industries,” said Daniel Roth, executive editor at LinkedIn in a statement. “Some of the inputs include engagement (particularly the comments and shares of each post); growth of followers tied to publishing activity; and number of times the writer had been featured in a channel in his or her area of expertise.”
According to Roth, the list reflects publishing activity over a 12-month period, from October 2015 to October 2016. Each of the top writers on average generated over 54,000 new follows this year – almost 150 new followers a day. Padar has nearly 93,000 followers on LinkedIn. Her writing process was featured in this recent LinkedIn article.
Padar is one of the accounting profession’s foremost visionaries and pioneers. As a practitioner, she is CEO and Principal of the New Vision CPA Group, a public accounting firm based in the Chicago area. She is the co-host of “Let’s Get Radical,” a radio show hosted on the Business Channel of VoiceAmerica, interviewing small business owners and entrepreneurs. Padar is the author of The Radical CPA: New Rules for the Future-Ready Firm, and is a regular contributor to Accounting Today and CPA Trendlines, where she offers practical tips and advice on running a next-generation firm. She has been featured in Forbes, Inc. International Business Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, USA Today, Business News Daily, and Entrepreneur.
As an author, lecturer, coach, consultant, and mentor, she advocates for progress and innovation in the accounting profession, heralding a new way of thinking about the practice of accountancy and giving it new purpose. Padar has been named by Accounting Today as “the Top 100 Most Influential to the Profession” for the last six years.
Padar earned her BBA from Saint Mary’s College and MST from Northern Illinois University. Padar is also an adjunct professor at Oakton Community College and a contributing member of the Intuit Trainer Writer Network.
Follow her on Twitter; Linkedin; and Facebook. Learn more about The Radical CPA at www.theradicalcpa.com

More Here!

Making the Leap: Navigating the Transition from Employee to Small Business Owner

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Business
Making the Leap: Navigating the Transition from Employee to Small Business Owner

Paul Brashier

Paul Brashier spent 23 years as an executive in finance and accounting, but two years ago he decided to pursue a long-held dream to own his own business. He and his wife, Kathryn, acquired Snelling’s Huntsville-based franchise which specializes in executive search and employment solutions. Transitioning from a career as an employee to owner brings both excitement and challenges. From the fun: setting strategy, identifying growth opportunities, devising a marketing plan, celebrating wins, and managing a diverse team. To the more demanding: Building an infrastructure, managing costs, working with the former owner, and developing incentive plans. Paul was accustomed to wearing many hats from his prior roles, but owning and managing a business required him to take that talent to a whole new level. To Learn more Tune into The Business Edge.

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