Tuesday’s Big Idea
Today’s Big Idea: The Start-up of You
In a 2011 New York Times piece, Thomas Friedman wrote about LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman’s book The Start-Up of You – a guide to career success in the uncertain economic climate of the 21st century.
“Whatever you may be thinking when you apply for a job today,” Friedman wrote, “you can be sure the employer is asking this: Can this person add value every hour, every day — more than a worker in India, a robot or a computer? Can he or she help my company adapt by not only doing the job today but also reinventing the job for tomorrow?”
Professional artists have long had to develop strategies for remaining afloat in an unpredictable marketplace. The careers of self-made artist/entrepreneurs like Henry Rollins are therefore valuable case studies for anyone entering the non-linear working world of the 21st century.
