Everywhere you go in academia these days (or on social media) you find people harping on about being entrepreneurial or innovative. We are supposed to aspire to think big, think different, and to disrupt the status quo. Hell, you can even make up new words to show how unique you are (or if you are self-titled ‘thought-leader, speculatist and acclaimed thought-leader’ Troy Hitch, you can even forget the old rule about not repeating yourself, THAT’s how innovative he is). It used to be that everyone aspired to be ‘ethical’, at least in the wake of Wall St scandals a few years back, but now the BS has been upped a notch or two and people are desperate to demonstrate their credentials as genuine creative forces bent on shaping the future, seizing the opportunity, taking the uncharted course, starting the next Facebook, mining the big data, having double visions (ok, I made that last bit up).
How pin-prickingly deflationary it must be then for such folks to read the latest National Association of Colleges and Employers survey of what employers actually want in new hires. No, the old staple of ‘communication skills’ is not #1 (but it remains highly sought). Nor is it even ‘ethics’ but ‘good work ethic’ is required. The #1 is Leadership, joint with Ability to Work in a Team (oh dear!). Being an entrepreneur? Ranked 17th, with only 25% of employers thinking it important. Being creative? That’s 19th, rated as less important than being tactful. Being a speculatist? Sorry, no need to apply.