Both of these famous luminaries have one thing in common: a common-sense approach to huge, controversial, convoluted problems.
Legendary baseball player and coach Yogi Berra, of course, was a preeminent philosopher of the 20th century; a man whose athletic prowess, leadership skills and irreverent approach to life, sports and business is best summarised by his famous quote, “If you don’t know where you’re going, when you get there, you’ll be lost.”
This very memorable quote is a foundational principle in my strategic planning consulting. I truly love its simplicity, clarity and humour.
Ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, Yogi’s heir apparent, famously said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Gretzky has superseded Yogi Berra in this next-generation quote, particularly applicable to the Millennial generation, “Skate where the puck will be, not where it is.”
The May 13, 2015 issue (145) of the Economic Outlook discusses the fact that “all too many people are still positioned in terms of skills and expectations for ‘where the jobs were and are,’ rather than ‘where they are going to be.’” In simple terms (and I love making complicated simple), the new technology skill sets are where the puck will be.
The middle class jobs crisis, as it applies to our foodservice clients and professional brethren, simply shows that our clients need to rely on new interviewing, hiring and training methodologies, not simply relying on “gut feel” when firing workers. Personality and behavioural profiling companies, such as Predictive Index, have led the way in helping employers find “the right person for the right job, in the right way” (so says Scott Lappin, owner of Performance PI in Danville, California). And guess which four-digit industry leads the way in job growth? Restaurants, of course.
A 21st century human resources systems platforms that comports to this Millennial generation, must be front and centre for our serious competitive and conflicted clients. Remember, what Wayne Gretzky said, which was truly prescient.
Tucker W ‘Bill’ Main FCSI
