Blog Post: ASU Alumni Association president identifies keys to surviving the recession

Christine K. Wilkinson, president of the Arizona State University Alumni Association, was one of five local female executives interviewed for an article sharing their strategies for surviving the current recession. The article was posted June 28 to the MarketingMixUp.com Web site.

Wilkinson had a number of pieces of advice that are particularly relevant to job-hunters. In response to the question “what are the most critical skills you have had to use (in this recession),” she said,

“I can think of two words. One is ‘focus’ and the other is ‘facts.’ It’s really easy for everybody to get out of sorts and focus on this part, this part, this part instead of what I’ve said, which is focus forward. Focus forward. ‘This is where we are. Where do we need to go?’ and keep it strategic.

“The other, which occurs because of these times, is that people don’t really find facts. So rumors are constant, misinformation and rumors and miscommunication.”
It’s important, she said, to “help people keep focusing on what it really is, vs. what they think it is.”

Two other critical survival skills Wilkinson identified were not being afraid to take risks and listening, at a deep level, to feedback from a variety of sources. Her remarks were aimed at corporate and organizational leaders, but there is a definite application to those trying to find work, as well.

“While some (organizations or companies) are slashing, others are just holding back,” she said. “They are not sure where to go. And so you are seeing ineffectual leadership of holding back (like), ‘Well, let’s go over that again. Let’s analyze it again.’ ... You are so risk-averse you keep asking for more data.”

She also said leaders tend to avoid listening to people are more challenging or different. “You want to hear individuals who are not like yourself,” she said.

The entire article is a great read for those on a career search, as well as anyone wanting a high-level perspective on our country’s current economic muddle. The interviews were conducted by Dawn Gilbertson, a senior business reporter at The Arizona Republic.

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