Back to Basics: Reapplying What You Know

I read an interesting article in the Financial Times about the woes of Boeing's 787 -- dubbed the 7-"late"-7. To make a long story short, Boeing has moved from a "sales & marketing" business approach to an "engineering" business approach. Basically, the former CEO overpromised and underdelivered because his background was in marketing. So while he was able to dazzle customers with all the features and benefits of the 787 and get hundreds of pre-orders - while outsourcing most of the design and engineering to global partners - he apparently didn't count on the numerous quality control problems that would occur. Another example of a CEO whose bonus was probably tied to the number of pre-orders the company obtained.

How does this tie into your career management? This is a call for you to go back to basics. Go back to what made you successful. Many companies are doing this because as a business grows and gets more complex it eventually gets away from its roots. And companies are just larger representations of individuals. So take a look at your core competencies and what you are really good at. Are you using all of your skills? Whether you are currently employed or job searching this still applies to you. So many times we get away from our natural gifts. Sometimes we are so eager to get away from a past experience or educational training that we forget how valuable that experience could be if applied in the right way. 

The real skill these days is in applying your knowledge in creative and unique ways to the benefit of your employer and yourself. That means skills, concepts, ideas, applications, products, technologies, people, etc. You don't have to be an expert in everything, you just need to know how to apply things in ways that give your employer (or yourself) the competitive edge. You don't have to create new technologies, you just need to know how to identify ones that would be good for your business. Take a cue from the successful businesses I say! If ever there was a model for a business that went back to basics to become a global icon, it is Apple. I mean, Apple was written off more times than I can remember. But Steve Jobs went back to basics and capitalized on what the company does best - listen to its customers and create cool products!