things i wish were verbalized far more frequently
This afternoon I staked out a chair in Torg 1100 for the Wachovia Distinguished Speakers Series, sponsored by the Pamplin College of Business. I’m not business or finance guru, but I guess it’s better to start somewhere. The speaker was Siemens Co. President and CEO, George Nolen. Entering the room with my iPod and Griffin iTalk, ready for recording, I wasn’t sure what to expect. In hindsight, attending the brief lecture was one of my best, recent decisions.
Put bluntly, George Nolen has more common sense, discernment, and global intuition than anyone I know. He spoke for a meager 35 minutes, and he even spoken on a basic uneloquent fashion, but I got the feeling everyone in the room was overwhelmed by his subject matter. Let’s put his points bluntly: America is going to be overtaken by far more competitive countries within the next two decades and we must be ready for a new level of competition where American English is not the standard language, where we can’t abuse resources as we are currently, and where the average American student will soon be the one working for $3.00 an hour if they don’t get their act together.
I felt bad for those students afterwards that were brazen enough to ask questions like, “So, really, how do I succeed?” or “What can I do to reach a managerial position in my field?” One guy asked a question, saying he was in engineering, regarding how he could succeed as a business-focused engineer. Nolen paused for only a partial second, “So, what are you interested in?” The student paused too, but his reply wasn’t as bold, “I don’t know.” I DON’T KNOW. That is basically admitting you’re nearsighted, without ocular correction, during an interview for a prestigeous firing squad. It’s your own execution you’re committed to.
That analogy worked, right? Yes. Of course.
Anyways, I really enjoyed the talk. If anyone wants a mediocre recording of it (I was sitting several rows back) then I’d be glad to pass along the MP3. Just send me an email.
March 28th, 2006 at 12:46 am
That sounds mighty interesting - any chance you could pass that lecture audio along to me?
Excellent song choice, by the way!
March 28th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
while I can’t comment on the topic at hand, I can make a note of the fact that I have friended you back on Livejournal and now you can view my four posts a day if you wish. I’m a post whore, I hope you’ll understand.
March 28th, 2006 at 7:46 pm
I am glad you were able to hear Nolen. People who gravitate to such levels within large corporations typically have a keen sense of the “big picture” regarding their market and its sensitivity to internal and external changes. Obviously, Nolen’s market is global and he clearly sees changes being made that will influence the U.S. ability to be a prominent leader.