Leadership Norms Do Count -- Even in Politics; Jaguars Are Prowling -- Without Drivers

As we begin the week, the race for President is still neck-and-neck, and it likely will end as a “turnout election,” that is to say, whichever side is more successful in getting their voters to the polls will capture the prize.? One thing is certain: after we heard an unnecessary and completely inappropriate description of golfing legend Arnold Palmer’s “John Thomas” at a recent rally in Mr. Palmer’s hometown, along with other crass and vulgar descriptions of the Vice President, I know who is winning the battle of bad taste and profanity. I am grateful my children are old enough, so I do not have to explain that behavior.

This is a political fight, I understand. The time-tested norms of leadership norms seem not to apply, but as a former executive recruiter, I can tell you that character counts, integrity counts, and the truth counts. When a shooting star breaks from the leadership pack destined to be the new industry icon, you can bet that one of those character issues was involved when they crash back to earth.

No,w on to more interesting subjects:? As I write about the threats machine automation will have on America’s workforce, I get pushback — “It is not ready for prime time,” or “It is not going to eliminate 5M to 10M jobs — you are just trying to scare people.”

When I hear the phrase, “It is not going to be as bad as everyone says — spoken with the confidence of someone who does not understand the threat or has not thought it through, I can’t help but think of what this powerful technology that has been described as more impactful than the introduction of electricity, will look like. ?

When we become too uncomfortable with an issue or change, we convince ourselves with great gusto that it just ain’t so.

As we all know, Hurricanes Helene and Milton will not be the last monster storms to wreak havoc on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the certainty of material job layoffs from AI-powered automation is equally certain. When it takes hold, improvements in productivity will be significant, but there will also be massive job losses in the US and around the world that will be hard to fathom.

It is coming faster than most people realize.

Here is a little-noticed case in point. It is called Waymo, a unit of Google’s parent company, Alphabet.? Today, it is operating driverless cars — a growing fleet of sleek white Jaguars.? They are routinely picking up tourists and locals and safely dropping them off at their destinations.

Small test sample?? No big deal, right?

If you believe that, you missed a recent Wall Street Journal story:?

After an admitted rocky start, Waymo recorded 10,000 paid rides a week. By May of 2024, that number jumped to 50,000 per week.? Now, they handle more than 100,000 paid rides every week across Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Franciso, its largest market.

The robotaxi race is on, and interestingly, at this point at least, they have left Tesla’s brilliant, if not totally erratic, CEO in the dust. His recent rollout and demonstration of his version of the robotaxi was so unimpressive that his company’s stock tanked following the announcement. ?

First, Uber and Lyft wreaked havoc on taxis and the more expensive car services across America.?

Now, the disruptors face the threat of disruption. This small example will extend in a significant way across other segments of our economy.

If you are happy in your job and wake up each morning believing nothing will disrupt your career and your comfortable life, I beg you to reconsider that notion, along with any idea you might foster of buying a beachfront condo in Florida for your retirement.

+PLUS: Why Applicants Struggle In Interviews

This will be one of our focal points in Lunch & Learn at noon CT on Tuesday.?

John Self, who has interviewed 9,000 people over his long career as an investigative journalist, business development officer, and executive recruiter who spent 27 years crisscrossing the United States and through six countries on four continents, recruiting executives, managers, and clinical leaders, kept noticing one issue that was hiding in plain sight.? Job seekers were guessing what the prospective employer was really looking for.?

Yes, they were given the normal predictable information by recruiters —? ideal characteristics, etc. — but rarely did they have enough information to really understand the culture of the hiring company or if there were hidden agendas (frequently, there are). ?

This is why about 40 percent of executives recruited each year fail to survive 18 months, according to multiple studies.?

So, join us at noon CT on Tuesday on YouTube, LinkedIn, and our company's Facebook page for another. career management group coaching session.?

You can find our previous group coaching sessions at GuidingYOURCareer on YouTube.