Individuals, Wield Your Skills

For those of you who have been around for the last couple of months, you know a common caterer by the name of Moe Levine has been very active on the Greatest American Lawyer site. Moe has made some valid points along the way, but more often than not simply twists words around and throws his hands into the air in exasperation. In one such instance, Moe took aim at a series of posts concerning the move in our economy from corporate power to individual power. Moe knows that it takes teams of people to build a car, and therefore apparently individual power within our economic structure will never be really fully possible. What he misses is the distinction between those businesses that provide intellectual capital and those that are simply manual labor. I have never suggested manual labor will lost it’s corporal trappings.

However, individuals within professional settings whose talent is built around intellectual work ethic receive far less value from their corporate employer, work ethic and intellect are items which are distinctly personal. Corporations have found ways to leverage that individual value. More importantly, barriers in the market existed which precluded individuals from leveraging their own intellect and work ethic directly in the market.

Does anyone doubt that the days are growing shorter for companies which amass intellectual talent and offer it collectively to the world? Individuals can now wield their own skills for themselves.