7 controversial revelations from 2011
COMMENTARY No matter how you look at it, 2011 was a turbulent and eventful year. The global sense of panic from the financial crisis has more or less settled into a pattern of uncertainty, fear and confusion. If you're a control freak like me, this isn't a good time, that's for sure.
Nevertheless, each of us has had to find a way to carve out a personal and professional niche in which to live and work, day to day. If we didn't, we'd go crazy -- or crazier, as the case may be. From my perspective, which is that of someone who's spent his entire life trying to figure out what the heck is going on, I've sure had a lot to process.
I've asked an awful lot of questions, come up with a few answers, and been genuinely surprised by a number of observations and revelations. Overall, I learned a lot this year. I learned from our nation's struggles, from the executives I consult with, from blogging, and from just plain living.
Looking back, a number of those insights really stand out. Here are my top seven:
You can't make a living in social media
You heard it here, folks. Granted, all companies monitor social media, but 82 percent of them are primarily searching for competitive intelligence, according to a Forrester Research survey. Not exactly what all the social media zealots out there would have you believe, is it?
As for all the social media marketers and entrepreneurs who think they've really got something big going on, that's just wishful thinking. Check out what Michael Crosson, founder of LinkedIn's 250,000-member Social Media Marketing group, had to say in an email on the subject:
Social media as a business itself is essentially a B2B service. If it is not used for a commercial purpose, then it is not generating revenue and therefore not a viable alternative form of employment. There are a limited number of people who are doing very well...but the average citizen would have a hard time of making a living at it.
Crosson should know. As the founder and moderator of one of LinkedIn's (LNKD) biggest groups, the man doesn't get paid a penny for his nearly fulltime efforts, a practice he believes is industrywide.
The gender pay gap is a complete myth
I know this subject is a source of heated debate, but according to U.S. Department of Labor data and analysis, when men and women make the same career choices, they actually earn about the same. According to a study commissioned by the U.S. Labor folks: "The differences in raw wages may be almost entirely the result of the individual choices being made by both male and female workers." That's right, the gender pay gap is a complete myth. You can read all about it here.
Life is precious, but mortality is a good thing
I have some very personal feelings about this subject, but here's an example we can all relate to that will drive the point home: Steve Jobs. As flames go, this man burned very brightly, so his time on Earth was indeed precious. And yet, ever since he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he became even more driven by the knowledge of his mortality.
Here's what Jobs himself had to say on the subject of mortality: "Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful, that's what matters to me. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose." More on that here.
To me, it seems that immortality would take something very precious away from living. That's my deep thought for the year.
Going green is a red herring
For years, I've been writing about how we're fueling a dangerous green energy bubble, that "going green" is just a fad, that man-made global warming is a myth, and Al Gore has made more money than God from the whole thing.
Well, this past year we've had all sorts of new revelations on that front. Remember how the green energy initiative was supposed to create all those jobs? Well, it didn't. Instead, the flawed concept of giving tax breaks and loan guarantees to private companies like Solyndra did nothing but fuel crony capitalism, a solar panel glut, and ultimately, industry leader First Solar's(FSLR) precipitous fall.
Sure, there's a boom in energy jobs, but it's in oil and gas, like the Keystone oil sands pipeline promises to generate, not in so-called green energy. Ironic, isn't it?
The blogosphere holds infinite demand for certain content
Want to be a wildly successful blogger? There are a number of phrases or topics that represent a bottomless source of eyeballs and clicks. Here are a few: social media (sort of self-serving, don't you think?); brands or branding; bosses; numbered lists; Apple; myths; scandal; how to do more while working less; anything that panders to either political extreme. Also, pretty much any contrarian statement, such as, "Why working hard pays less," or ludicrous headlines, like, "Drinking urine increases libido," is sure to get you a boatload of hits.
You always need more money than you think
The statement is strangely true whether you're planning for retirement, developing a new product, building a house or growing a company. It's simply an axiom. Want to hear my theory on why that is? You see, when times are good, you set your sites higher. When times are hard, you have a shortfall. Either way, you'll need more cash.
Ayn Rand was right
Lately, I've been feeling like I went to sleep and woke up in an Ayn Rand novel. We're actually at a point in America where business leaders and executives are portrayed so negatively that it's no longer safe to admit to being wealthy, a CEO or a capitalist. Millionaires and billionaires are the root of all evil. And society's saviors are "Occupy Protestors" trying to stop the engine of the world. That's right, we're really living "Atlas Shrugged."
Then there's political correctness, the insatiable 24/7 news cycle, our gadget-crazed, sound-bite culture, how the worst behavior gets you a TV show, and how parents can't even discipline their kids anymore because they might get sued, visited by Child Protective Services, or end up with a video posted on YouTube. Don't even get me started.
CEOs are just like you -- without the entitlement
Sorry, got into a bit of a rant there. Anyway, be sure to let me know about your revelations and insights you've gained this year in the comments below.