The Spirited 11th Hour ...

[ChrisFL]

found a great 4K video of the 20K ride in DisneySea:

 

[Andrew C]

Then you obviously know little about modern HR systems and how they are weighted against low level workers advancing through the ranks in the US, Yes a front line worker MAY reach 'store manager' level with a Bachelor's from the local community college but higher level positions frequently have cute little carveouts like 'candidate must have graduated from ivy league college from Years X to Y with a GPA in the range of A to B' these are ostensibly to ensure organizational FIT but in reality serve only as a filter to prevent upward mobility, Another one is 'External Hire Only'.

For all the heat Government workers take these days in the US it's one of the few places outside of Universities that a low level worker can advance on merit alone through the ranks without artificial barriers placed in their path. A similar story is true at universities where I know a bunch of people where someone came in as a glassware cleaner or food service worker and today they are Deans or Senior managers.

wow...I just forgot that you know everything about every topic...thanks for setting me straight. With my state university education, I should understand that that the cards are stacked against me and the game is rigged...i mean, why should I even try??? I will never be able to reach my goals or make it to any type of executive position within my company...there is just far too much in the way....thinking otherwise is just so naive....mediocrity it is!

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Breaking News:
Zootopia Blu-Ray will have special features of substance
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/dvd/list-zootopia-blu-ray-bonus-features-available-june-7-139351.html

 

[dupac]

I would argue that the prominence of CEOs who "started from the bottom now we're here" vs Ivy League CEOs depends on the industry that you look at. And it might even differ within an industry if you just move down an org level or two to VPs.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Breaking News:
Zootopia Blu-Ray will have special features of substance
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/dvd/list-zootopia-blu-ray-bonus-features-available-june-7-139351.html

And a 3D US release! Color me surprised. Still waiting on that Frozen 3D Blu-ray in America. Guess Disney doesn't want free money

 

[ford91exploder]

I would argue that the prominence of CEOs who "started from the bottom now we're here" vs Ivy League CEOs depends on the industry that you look at. And it might even differ within an industry if you just move down an org level or two to VPs.

Right now social mobility in the US is at an all time low and declining, We are now worse off than the UK/EU from a social mobility standpoint. That folks is a VERY bad thing for all of us.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/america-social-mobility-parents-income/399311/

http://www.salon.com/2015/03/07/the..._mobility_is_beyond_ordinary_peoples_control/

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/soci...5/05/27-inequality-great-gatsby-curve-sawhill

 

[dupac]

Right now social mobility in the US is at an all time low and declining, We are now worse off than the UK/EU from a social mobility standpoint.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/america-social-mobility-parents-income/399311/

http://www.salon.com/2015/03/07/the..._mobility_is_beyond_ordinary_peoples_control/

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/soci...5/05/27-inequality-great-gatsby-curve-sawhill

I'm not disagreeing... just saying that's a pretty broad statement to make over all industries...

 

[ford91exploder]

wow...I just forgot that you know everything about every topic...thanks for setting me straight. With my state university education, I should understand that that the cards are stacked against me and the game is rigged...i mean, why should I even try??? I will never be able to reach my goals or make it to any type of executive position within my company...there is just far too much in the way....thinking otherwise is just so naive....mediocrity it is!

The reality is you probably will not make the senior executive ranks even with a 4.0 in engineering in a large corporation, Biff Whitebread from Marketing will get there even though he had a 2.0 GPA from Dartmouth but his qualification is he led the varsity lacrosse team to victory.

 

[ford91exploder]

I'm not disagreeing... just saying that's a pretty broad statement to make over all industries...

In the Fortune 1000 it's the new reality, A smaller company yes Talent/Skill/Merit STILL counts and you can make it all the way to to the top. Why do you think so many large US companies fail so spectacularly these days it stems directly from the quality of their leadership.

Yahoo is a prime example these days of a company whose management has been taken over by 'The Pretty People' they have no idea of how to make their company successful and they follow the 'buzzword of the day' as their strategy.

Yahoo had an enormous asset in Yahoo Groups yet they went out of their way to alienate that userbase so that the interface would be 'pretty' closed down moneymaking operations need I say more, yet they pay Katie Couric 10 million to write articles no one reads.

 

[PhotoDave219]

The reality is you probably will not make the senior executive ranks even with a 4.0 in engineering in a large corporation, Biff Whitebread from Marketing will get there even though he had a 2.0 GPA from Dartmouth but his qualification is he led the varsity lacrosse team to victory.

Pffffft. Nothing will top the South Pacific lacrosse championships. Shame about that redshirt freshman

 

[ford91exploder]

Pffffft. Nothing will top the South Pacific lacrosse championships. Shame about that redshirt freshman

Indeed twas a tragedy...

 

[Cesar R M]

I would argue that the prominence of CEOs who "started from the bottom now we're here" vs Ivy League CEOs depends on the industry that you look at. And it might even differ within an industry if you just move down an org level or two to VPs.

I would say that most smaller business CEOs are obviously no ivy league.
But almost every single one of those "ivy league" CEOs are in the top 1,000 of the strongest companies, banks..etc.. (aka those who can influence the outcome of entire countries)
To resume, the royalty was replaced by a new breed of "royalty". All based on wealthy mega corp executives and stockholders (who are pretty much related to the ultra rich of the past) inheriting their ownership and power like a king gives a prince upon death).

 

[Cesar R M]

Right now social mobility in the US is at an all time low and declining, We are now worse off than the UK/EU from a social mobility standpoint. That folks is a VERY bad thing for all of us.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/america-social-mobility-parents-income/399311/

http://www.salon.com/2015/03/07/the..._mobility_is_beyond_ordinary_peoples_control/

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/soci...5/05/27-inequality-great-gatsby-curve-sawhill

Careful! the brainwashed, controlled media and the rich will call you a communist who wants to do class warfare!

 

[bcoachable]

Networking = Upward Mobility
gotta know someone and be willing to play the game... works in almost every industry
imho

 

[flynnibus]

Truth is.. the 'management path' in most companies has little to do with actual product, market, or execution. It's about resume building and titles.. very little to do with actual contribution. In many big companies there is a sharp delination between 'executives' and the tiers below them. That line is not only a power separation, but can be entire different career path, where you work, who you interact with, etc.

In my current company... that line is very well defined. You can not move above a certain level unless you are at the mothership.. and those at that level have almost nothing to do with the regular business.. and rarely ever COME from the business they are leading. They are 'professional management' as I call them... admired for their supposed business savvy and leadership.. yet rarely know much about the actual segment they lead except what the backoffice needs/does.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Truth is.. the 'management path' in most companies has little to do with actual product, market, or execution. It's about resume building and titles.. very little to do with actual contribution. In many big companies there is a sharp delination between 'executives' and the tiers below them. That line is not only a power separation, but can be entire different career path, where you work, who you interact with, etc.

In my current company... that line is very well defined. You can not move above a certain level unless you are at the mothership.. and those at that level have almost nothing to do with the regular business.. and rarely ever COME from the business they are leading. They are 'professional management' as I call them... admired for their supposed business savvy and leadership.. yet rarely know much about the actual segment they lead except what the backoffice needs/does.

So you work at Disney?

 

[FigmentJedi]

Breaking News:
Zootopia Blu-Ray will have special features of substance
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/dvd/list-zootopia-blu-ray-bonus-features-available-june-7-139351.html

Here's hoping those surveys about possible extras that got leaked indicating the Target exclusive extras are on a disc rather then digital unlocks are legit.

 

[flynnibus]

So you work at Disney?

More like the kinds of companies Disney appears to admire now

The SVP of a division is not going to be the most experienced person in the business segment that also added management skills to their forte. They are going to be professional management, who have done management virtually their entire career after maybe 5-10 years 'in the trenches' and from there have been people managers or business managers from there on out.

There are exceptions, but usually it comes from inorganic movements/activities.. like aquisitions, etc.. but usually those people flee these executive positions too because the positions don't actually do the kind of work they want.

I have to chuckle when I go through all these executive ranks and see all these people you KNOW did not come from the industry or discipline. There weren't many attractive, highly engaging, sexy blondes in CS school, or working TAC front lines in the 90s... yet your entire executive leadership is that demographic now? Clear that one up for me... And this kind of stuff happens across the board. The executive ranks are a completely different world... who operate on completely different work loads... and are staffed from somewhere that is not the business they are leading

 

[PhotoDave219]

More like the kinds of companies Disney appears to admire now

The SVP of a division is not going to be the most experienced person in the business segment that also added management skills to their forte. They are going to be professional management, who have done management virtually their entire career after maybe 5-10 years 'in the trenches' and from there have been people managers or business managers from there on out.

There are exceptions, but usually it comes from inorganic movements/activities.. like aquisitions, etc.. but usually those people flee these executive positions too because the positions don't actually do the kind of work they want.

I have to chuckle when I go through all these executive ranks and see all these people you KNOW did not come from the industry or discipline. There weren't many attractive, highly engaging, sexy blondes in CS school, or working TAC front lines in the 90s... yet your entire executive leadership is that demographic now? Clear that one up for me... And this kind of happens across the board. The executive ranks are a completely different world... who operate on completely different work loads... and are staffed from somewhere that is not the business they are leading

So who do I send my resume full of buzzwords to?

 

[Andrew C]

The reality is you probably will not make the senior executive ranks even with a 4.0 in engineering in a large corporation, Biff Whitebread from Marketing will get there even though he had a 2.0 GPA from Dartmouth but his qualification is he led the varsity lacrosse team to victory.

The reality in my Fortune 500 company is that only 2 of the 13 EC members graduated from an Ivy League school. Our EC consists of both men and women, young and old. Most, if not all, obtained these roles within the last decade. Half within the last 5 years. A couple of them do not even have a college degree. And yes, many of them worked their way up within the company. Our CEO graduated from a state school.

If I am never going to make their ranks, it will probably be one of two reasons: One, I never have an aspiration to pursue such a role or two, I am just not talented enough to ever be considered. It won't be because my degrees are from a state school.