Me Inc.

in the past we often hired career professionals into our company and, if we were lucky, they would stay for years.  personally i was with Booz Allen Hamilton for 20 years and now have been an independent consultant (Me, Inc.) for 15 years (yes i am an old fart).

not so today.  many professionals today will have 7 to 9 different associations (positions across companies) in their career, especially in areas of high demand such as information technology, biotechnology, marketing/branding, etc.  to be successful professionals today you must build knowledge and create your personal competencies around the image of Me, Inc.  as Me, Inc. you can chose to move across companies on your own terms or even if you want to stay with your company, but are forced to move due to closure or lay offs, you are one of the select few who can find another association quickly.  as a professional i have long believed that the only security a person has today in this volatile business world is what is in her mind; the daily learning, innate curiosity, the lessons learned, etc.  your mind is your business identity and value added.

for a company, this means that your core competencies must be routinized, yet always evolving.  it means that professional must be cross trained across internal disciplines and competencies and the best and brightest incented with new learning and challenges on a day to day basis.

the new world is here; a world of Me, Inc. in a loose partnership with Company, Inc.