Purple Squirrels.

The American economy continues to barrel forward with the energy and momentum of a fast-moving locomotive charging through the Rocky Mountains. Unstoppable, with unlimited potential. The national unemployment rate just dipped to a low 3.8% and almost 20 states have record-low unemployment. Of course the economists will tell us that we can slice and dice employment and unemployment measurements in different ways, but more than 125 million Americans of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, colors and creeds are gainfully employed. Having a good job is fundamental to the physical and emotional health of a human being. A good job builds stronger families, communities, and both regional and national economies. Innovation and multiplicity increases exponentially when people are working, talking, and dreaming together. One thing holding our great economy back from realizing more potential is that we need even more “Purple Squirrels” – individuals with abundant talent, skills, education, and experience that perfectly matches the specific needs of so many roles in this advanced, high-tech economy. The American economy absolutely needs more Purple Squirrels, and also many more hard workers and dreamers who firmly believe in the American Dream.

Purple Squirrels are extremely rare, almost mythical-American workers with the perfect set of skills, education, and experiences that are needed to be successful in a growing number of demanding roles and hyper-competitive industries. These workers are often the most sought-after in our global economy and command impressive compensation packages. They are very hard to find; some would say - rare. Headhunters coined the term a long time ago and often have stories of how they found and captured a “Purple Squirrel” for a client, and the glory of capturing one is often retold many times. Purple Squirrels can be easily identified - and often times on paper they represent tremendous value and potential. But far too often they have limited contributions or impact on an organization because, let’s face it, entitlement can be corrosive to a team or organization. Good values, behaviors and teamwork ultimately win the game. The truth is that CEOs and senior leadership teams of successful, growing organizations face so many challenges, and growing organically and finding the absolute best talent are two of the most pressing. Smaller companies and start-ups face even bigger challenges, and finding, retaining and engaging the best talent literally means the difference between survival or demise. Corporate Darwinism is a tough reality.

As a young Canadian kid, I often dreamed of one day moving to the United States and chasing the American Dream. Several years ago, after more than 20 years of attending American colleges and working in Corporate America, I found myself sitting in a group of about 40 new Americans being sworn in at the beautiful, new U.S. Immigration Office in Denver, Colorado. My wife and young children were sitting in the audience; all American citizens. Sitting next to me during the ceremony were two wonderful young men from war-torn countries in Africa. Before the ceremony, we had brief, friendly discussions; one worked at a gas station and the other worked in construction. They had tough journeys to this point. Both had big dreams about their futures; both quietly wept during the ceremony. When I asked if they were ok, one responded that “today is the happiest day of my life.” That moment was a game changer for me. No longer was I chasing the American Dream; I immediately realized I had been living it all along. We are all living it every day. That moment in time made me realize our brilliant and strong American economy requires plenty of Purple Squirrels. This is true. But we also need a lot more good people, hard workers and dreamers from all corners of the globe who want to innovate, sacrifice, contribute, and experience more opportunities in this amazing country. Maybe we look at people and talent too narrowly? Maybe there is more potential in people that is harder to see at times? Maybe these great talents don’t have a fancy pedigree or impressive LinkedIn profile? Purple Squirrels are very important; but so are all the American workers and dreamers who want to do big things and contribute to the success of this American Experiment. How will you look at talent differently today?

Let's Create More Sparks: Robert is a curious Irish-Canadian and well-traveled American who naturally enjoys story telling that includes lots of interesting facts and figures. Stats and data points help tell powerful stories. Interesting quotes and good books bring vivid colors and memorable shapes to a story. Good stories inspire the human spirit. Ideally you found an idea or two in this LinkedIn article that you can now use as a fantastic conversation starter with friends or colleagues over a good cup of coffee on a leisurely Saturday afternoon.