i am human capital 4

Chris Frederick Willis @media1der

I Am Human Capital

an asset-based perspective on reINVENTing work

TEDx Muskegon, October 2013


I am Human Capital

• I am the most valuable asset of my

community, my workplace, my nation

• I generate wealth for myself and those

with whom I choose to partner

• I am actively shaping a productive and

happy future for us all


Chris Frederick Willis @media1derTEDx Muskegon, October 2013


I am an Entrepreneur









I am a Doctor









I am a Teacher









I am a Plumber









I am a Retailer









I am a Factory Worker









“There is no future in any job. The future lies in the person who holds the job.”

George W. Crane



My Obsolete Job Titles

• Small Press Operator (InstyPrint)

• Typesetter

• Keyliner

• Technical Writer

• Desktop Publisher

• Online Help Developer

• WBT Developer



I am Human Capital









Human Capital Revolution

Change how we think about Muskegon’s Human Capital



“The most valuable assets of a 20th-century

company were its production equipment.

“The most valuable asset of a 21st-century

institution, whether business or non-business,

will be its knowledge workers and their

productivity.”

- Peter Drucker, 1999TEDx Muskegon, October 2013


Nandan Nilekani

Author, Imagining India

Jon Stewart

Host, The Daily Show

We’ve always viewed a country of

a billion people as a detriment.

Mm-hmm, that's the big change.

I think we saw it as a burden.

Now we see it as human capital.



“Human Capital” gets a Bum Rap

“I find ‘Human Capital’ such an

outdated and demeaning term”

- Chamber of Florida blog

“Who thinks the phrase

‘Human Capital’ is a degrading,

bean counter term?”

- Center for

Workplace Excellence

“The Case Against

‘Human Capital’

- Corporate People

Responsibility



Changing what we call people doesn’t

change our behavior.

aka Actions speak louder than Words ….

or, why we don’t Trust what Business tells us.



Evolution of WorkIndustrial Age

Personnel

Information Age

Human Resources

Knowledge Age

Human Capital

Automate, Eliminate

Reduction Downsize RightsizeTEDx Muskegon, October 2013


Business Capital in a Downturn

Financial Capital

• Financial Reports: Asset

• Invest wisely

– Growth investment

– “Gotta spend money

to make money”

• Hold on tighter

Human Capital

• Financial reports: Liability

• Stop investing

– Automate

– Eliminate

• Across the board cuts



We have to reduce Cost

We have to increase

Profit

The Corporate BoardroomTEDx Muskegon, October 2013

Chris Frederick Willis @media1derTEDx Muskegon, October 2013


Project K

“Project K is a significant, four-year global

program that will re-shape our cost structure

and serve as a catalyst for our growth strategy."

“The likely outcome of this global initiative is

that by the end of 2017, we estimate that

Kellogg will have approximately 7 percent fewer

employees worldwide than we do today.”



People are our most valuable resource?

Whatever happened to the Triple Bottom Line?

People

PlanetProfit



Knowledge Economy Business Model

• Human Capital alliance since 1993

• Core team with others who come together and

disband as opportunities captured

– Coop of shared resources

– Pool overhead for economies of scale

• Admin

• Sales & marketing

• Benefits

• Rainy day savings



Economy of More

• The more we negotiate, the more we

collectively earn

• The more billable people we put to work,

the more we collectively earn

• The more rare and valued our collective

skills, the more we collectively earn



Economy of Agility

• Sometimes I lead

• Sometimes I create

• Sometimes I co-create

• Sometimes I support

• I am free agent Human CapitalTEDx Muskegon, October 2013


Challenge

YOU are Human Capital.

Saying it isn’t living it.

Will you accept the challenge?TEDx Muskegon, October 2013



– Abundance

• Instead of:

– “What will we do with these people?”

• Ask:

– “What CAN we ACCOMPLISH with these people?”




– Be a Positive Deviant.

• At work:

– “Why do we do it this way?”

– Dare to cross silos.




– Be a Positive Deviant.

• At school:

– “How does X prepare our children for the future

workforce?”

– Demand entrepreneurship curriculum.




– Seek Human Capital partners.

• How do I want to work?

• What assets are available to me?

• What alliances can I form to get there?




– Bring others along.

• Command and Control perceptions and

behaviors are deeply ingrained

• Tried that before = SO WHAT?



We can’t wait for THEM to do something.



They won’t.

WE HAVE TO.



I am Human Capital








i am human capital 4

Economy & Finance