HACIÉNDOME EL SUECO

The first Viking Rule to build a successful career is to choose a career path that suits you. In other words, get to know yourself so you can find your "vocation".  Your  vocation  is the place where your talent meets what you like and what the world needs.

A new book has been published about the famous Swedish writer, Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002), who gained worldwide recognition for her infant books and specially for creating the character of Pippi Longstocking. You can purchase it at Amazon - Astrid Lindgren: The Woman Behind Pippi Longstocking .   As Nicci Gerrard describes in the  Book review, she had an eventful life. When she was 18, she was a single mother working in Stockholm far away from his son Lars. She had some difficult years. Then she became a very successfull writer and her tax bill one year was above 100% of her income.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a wide term applied to machines performing intelligent task. Machine Learning (ML)  is a part of artificial intelligence. It is probably the part that is currently evolving faster and it is indeed revolutionizing many sectors.

I happened to be having a coffee with a friend and his wife when their daughter came to the living room and started to talk about the world of ancient Rome. 

There is a growing consensus about how diversity drives creativity, profitability, growth and ultimately, success.  Workforce diversity is currently at the top of the agenda for leading c ompanies.  Diversity is key to understand customer needs and it is critical to attract and hire individuals with diverse backgrounds that bring different skills and experiences. 

The career is organized around what we call Cycles , that is, the different roles and jobs you have during your professional life.  There is not a magic number of years you should stay in one job, but the time you spend in each place is meaningful in terms of building up your professional profile.

Let us start with the global trends to explain this Viking Rule, as Technological Innovation and Demographic changes are transforming the world of work. On the one hand, automation, robotics and artificial intelligence are changing the production processes and business models in all sectors of the economy. The labour demand is being modified according to the new skills and knowledge required by the new business environment. Against this background, the workforce must be trained to adapt to the new market circumstances. On the other hand, we have demographic trends, which in developed economies translate into an aging population that puts pressure on the social welfare systems. The solution in many cases is to extend the working life to maintain social security systems. In a nutshell , we will foreseeably have to work a greater number of years in the future. In summary, we have two major trends in the labour market: a continuous innovation process that rapidly cha...

In an earlier post, we spoke about the first Viking Rule to build a successful career: get to know yourself so you can find your vocation , the place where your talent meets what you like and what the world needs. The second Viking Rule is to understand the market needs. When you start your professional career, it is normal not to know how the labour market Works and what companies need and offer, so you may need to consult people with more experience than yourself to find out the long-term characteristics of each career path. A Mentor is a person with experience that helps you in your development within a formal program or as a result of a more spontaneous relationship. In other words, a Mentor is like a friend who listens to you and gives you advice on any subject that you are free to accept or reject. A Coach is something different, it is usually a specialized professional who directs you towards concrete results in the profe...

Gender Equality fosters birth rates and economic development in modern economies. I have found an interesting article that explains the rationale behind putting Sweden and Spain in perspective.  T he paper analyses the relationship between birth rates and attitudes toward Gender Equality in a range of countries. The conclusion is that traditional family structures in developed countries correspond to lower birth rates, while other countries with more Gender Equality in the workplace have higher rates.

Everyone has a place in the labour market.  Nevertheless, sometimes, specially when we face difficulties in our way, we perceive our place is hard to find.  These guidelines are mainly aimed at recently graduated students who look for their first job.  I have named these rules as " Viking " as they remind me of the attitude of these brave Scandinavians. The rules include both personal and professional aspects, and short & long term actions. Naturally, these rules apply equally to men and women.  T he Viking Rules to Build a Successful Career can be summarized in 5 points: A) Get to know yourself B) Understand what the market needs C) Invest continuously in training D) Act as a Viking E) Last, but not least, enjoy the journey.

I have already written about previous McKinsey reports on Gender Equality including “Why Diversity Matters” issued 3 years ago. The  global awareness for inclusion and diversity (I&D) has only increased since then. Companies regard Gender Equality as a source of competitive advantage. A new McKinsey report has been published in 2018, “Delivering through Diversity” confirming that  many successful companies regard I&D as a source of competitive advantage. The key finding of the report is that “The relationship between diversity and business performance persists. The statistically significant correlation between a more diverse leadership team and financial outperformance demonstrated three years ago continues to hold true on an updated, enlarged, and global data set.” The recent research is based on a set of over 1,000 companies.

The global consultancy firm McKinsey started 10 years ago a series of research and reports about how to increase gender diversity in corporations and shape an inclusive labor market for the future. The key findings are summarized in a recently published article  Women matter: Ten Years of Insights on Gender Ddiversity . The figures that these reports provide are always powerful to understand where we are and the advantages that diversity brings. Let me give you some examples: Women account for 50 percent of the global working population and generate 37 percent of global GDP   $12 trillion could be added to global GDP by 2025 if the gender gap is narrowed. a study shows 47% higher return on equity of companies with the most women on their executive committees than those with none. The article summarizes  "Ten attributes of an inclusive organization" , starting by the need to be "u northodox" meaning that p olicies and practices are constantly challeng...

Colin Powell's promotion did not just happen. Clifford Alexander, who was   Secretary of the US Army from 1977 to 1981,  explains how he held up a list of proposed generals because of lack of diversity. He then gave instructions to look at all records of eligible colonels to ensure ratings were based only on fair and equitable criteria. His board followed his directives and .... Colin Powell emerged on the candidate list. As he explains in the NY Times article  Colin Powell's Promotion: The Real Story  " He did not get anything extra and his white colleagues did not get anything extra either. The rise of Colin Powell through the ranks of the United States Army to brigadier general had to do with his performance as a soldier”. This is a great success story of a good diversity practice. I had heard about it a long time ago and today I mentioned it to some friends. Then I googled it and I was lucky to find this excellent article publish...

If you are planning to move to the European Union, you should know that i mmigration rules are not the same in every EU country. This is because most EU countries have both EU rules and their own national rules. In addition, there are exceptions to the  EU-wide immigration rules in countries like Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Common rules apply if you are a highly qualified worker or if you wish to study or do research in an EU country.  Nevertheless, applications must always be made to the authorities of the EU country you plan to move to. For full information about this topic and links to the country specific websites, please visit  The EU immigration portal . Each EU country decides on topics like the total number of migrants that can be admitted, all final decisions on migrant applications and rules on long term visas. In general, to enter the EU, you must present the necessary papers to the border authorities.  These could i...

When Hillary Clinton dropped out of the Democratic primary in 2008, she said during her  concession speach :  "Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time," Eight years later, at th e  Democratic National Convention, she was named as the first female presidential nominee of a major political party in the US. In her keynote speach she mentioned: " Tonight, we’ve reached a milestone in our nation’s march toward a more perfect union: the first time that a major party has nominated a woman for president. Standing here as my mother’s daughter, and my daughter’s mother, I’m so happy this day has come. I’m happy for grandmothers and little girls and everyone in between. I’m happy for boys and men—because when any barr...

In previous posts we have discussed the importance of obtaining the immigration visa, the relocation process, the expat letter, taxation and other preliminary topics. Once we arrive in our country of destination, there are some questions that can help us in our landing to make it as smooth as posible. It is important to ensure your family adapts to the new country and culture. Family: Nothing helps you more than knowing that your family is adapting nicely to the new environment so you can focus on your job. In this context, companies do very well taking care of your family and investing in anything that can facilitate their landing. However, it is essential that, for at least the first few weeks you devote time to your family. Do activities with them over the weekend and spend the first moments together. Also, do not be shy and ask your manager or contacts in the destination country to introduce you to other expatriates. In many cases, your...

It is advisable to start preparing your return a few months before the end of your assignment. In most cases, the Expatriation is agreed for a maximum of 2 or 3 years. Then, you may be offered an extension but the total length is normally 5 years or less. T alk to your bosses and find out what they have in mind before you start planning for your return. If you are asked to stay and you reach an agreement to continue the assignment, all you have to do is make the necessary arrangements to extend your stay: Sign an addendum to the Assignment letter Confirm the validity of the visa during the extended period Notify the landlord of the lengthening of the rental, register your kids in the following school year,   etc. Once the extension has been ruled out, the time is ripe to plan for the return.   In regards to personal and family matters, remember: Giving advance notice to your landlord and preparing for you...

I was reading a very interesting article in Los Angeles Times about  the new U.S. administration's  initiative to close the gender salary gap, the so called Equal Pay Pledge - Click here to see the full LA Times article. According to this commitment, each company will conduct a yearly analysis of its pay practices, review hiring and promotion procedures and adopt practices aimed at closing the pay gap between men and women. IKEA, Facebook, Apple, Linkedin and Microsoft are amongst the companies that have already signed the pledge. Currently, women make up nearly half the U.S. labor force, "yet in 2014, a woman working full-time year-round in America earned only 79% of what the typical man earned". In the  European Commission website  you find that equal pay for equal work is one of the founding principles of the European Union embedded in the Treaties since 1957. The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides that ...

I was impressed with the title of an article I discovered in the Huffington post: Here’s What It’s Like To Have ‘Unlimited’ Paternity Leave At Netflix . Reading the article, I discovered Netflix has announced that employees — men and women — can take up to a year off after they have a kid. It does not apply to all employees, but  still it is a courageous initiative. The article mentions they have a similar approach to vacation. This tells a lot about the relationship the company wants to establish with their workers. We could say that Top US companies are offering around 16-20 weeks paternity leave, so the Netflix program is far beyond the benchmark. In Spain, Paternity Leave  lasts 16 weeks. This period can be shared between the mother and the father, except for the first 6 weeks. Good luck Netflix with this brave initiative!

I like the idea of involving men in the gender diversity iniciatives as the HeForShe  movement does. As I watched the speech of Emma Watson  presenting this program in the United Nations, I was thinking that she is fully right when she says that "we need everyone on board". If you want to join the movement, it is simple, you just have to click on "I am HeForShe ", then enter your name, email and country. Afterwards you can share if you feel like it.