Dr. Melissa Luke explains that it does not take advanced degrees or high intelligence to achieve success in business – or in life.
In the next 30 years, according to UNESCO, we will have more people graduating worldwide, than we have ever had in history. This will devalue the college education down to a very expensive high school diploma. Additionally, to add to the dilemma, corporations are requiring degrees that may not be necessary. In other words, corporations may be a part of the problem for the inflated degree.
IBM conducted a study recently asking 3,000 of its global corporate leaders what their primary challenges were. The findings were three-fold:
– How do we learn to deal with the changing complexities of our organizations
– How do we change our ways to become resilient and adaptable
– How do we promote a sense of creativity
Meanwhile, most universities do not teach courses on how to deal with organizational complexities, become resilient, adaptable or creative. Students are taught to memorize large amounts of data in order to take standardized tests and write a lot of papers.
Are you struck with a thought by this statement? Right… most intelligent companies do not need regurgitating clones.
What is a wise company?
A “wise” company can look outside of academic credentials to find true talent. HR executives had an easier job hiring talent prior to the enormous amount of data available on the web.
Prior to heavy technology, which brought a “self-education” forum to everyone, a university degree proved a person had the ability to dig deep into research; which was mostly sitting in libraries all day playing with weird stuff called microfiche. This showed a person had drive and determination.
Prior to the World Wide Web, people had limited options to educate themselves. The best way to do this was to attend a university. That same quality education can be obtained now without a degree.
A four-year degree and a high GPA will show an HR executive that a person can focus on a goal and take standardized tests. Unfortunately standardized tests are not a big selling point when it comes to work and creativity. It boasts just the opposite. People are able to educate themselves and learn faster than ever before, at little to no cost with a global perspective.
A “wise” company looks for creative talent. Human Resource departments are flooded with hundreds if not thousands of people applying for the same job. Looking at a college degree is often the easiest way to narrow these numbers down, but it’s typically a bad decision and an easy way out.
Our education system is building minds from a traditional standpoint. We are no longer traditional in the twenty first century; we are in a proactive era.
Organizations must re-think the fundamentals of how their company is run and what type of talent is needed. If a degree is required, they should be asking how much time they will spend re-training the thought patterns of young minds away from an old school philosophy and why they really require a degree.
Highly elite companies no longer seek talent through academics. Organizations that do not embrace this concept will find a deeply disturbing problem: The “wise” company will win. No degrees will be required.
Are you a “wise” company? Or are you still demanding antiquated mediocrity?
About the Author
Dr. Melissa Luke is a published author, a professional speaker and a career performance expert. She has impacted audiences in the tens of thousands with her simple goal; to reprogram the way people think at work. Dr. Luke has held high-ranking positions throughout the elite corporate world. She has earned a Doctorate in Management (DM), and also lectures at the university level on corporate leadership and innovation.
