Duncan Mathison is an executive career coach and co-author of “Unlock the Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Search When Times Are Tough.” For 18 years he served as Vice President and consultant for Drake Beam Morin, an international career transition firm working with thousands of people to find new careers whether they were entering the job market or looking for new careers after job loss.

Visit the Unlocking The Hidden Job Market web site which features a blog and includes sample chapters of his book.

On November 12, more than 700 Columbia Business School students had the rare opportunity to connect with two icons of American business—Warren Buffett, MS ’51, and Bill Gates. During the event, Buffett and Gates responded to student body questions about a variety of topics, including the economy, investing during an economic downturn and the fruitful careers and industries of the future. Buffett and Gates also gave career advice and discussed the mentors and habits that played a role in their success.

When asked about the prospects of the American economy, both Gates and Buffett avidly expressed that they never lost faith in the capitalist system during the economic downturn. They stressed that the fundamentals of the market and the innovative nature of American business will continue to bolster the American economy. Gates identified areas of economic growth in the U.S.—including information technology, healthcare and clean energy – as well as areas of improvement, including risk management in the financial markets and the K-12 school system.

A variety of students asked for life and career advice. Buffett stressed the importance of pursuing work that one was passionate about, rather than pursuing work considered to be lucrative. Gates stressed the need to stay inquisitive and read and research topics of interest regularly. Both Gates and Buffett said that preparedness allowed them to take advantage of a variety of opportunities in their careers, and gave them the confidence to take risks.

It is the first time Buffett and Gates, who met each other in 1991, have appeared together at Columbia University. The last student forum they participated in was in 2005 at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Information courtesy of www.gsb.columbia.edu

Bentley University, a new national sponsor, salutes the next generation of leaders with the international Tomorrow25 competition. Launched in 2005, the program honors 25 outstanding high school juniors who demonstrate leadership and accomplishment in a variety of ways, including academic excellence, initiative, citizenship, cultural awareness, social responsibility, and a commitment to making positive change in the world. If this description fits you, talk with your adviser about nominating you for this incredible award. Nominations are accepted from business and community leaders, teachers, mentors, and guidance counselors.

Winners receive national recognition and interact with high-profile leaders at the annual Bentley Leadership Forum (all expenses paid). The Tomorrow25 also appear in a national ad in Time magazine. Deadline for submission is January 15, 2010. Learn more at www.bentley.edu/tomorrow25.

Find the Fall 2009 edition HERE.

Don’t know your membership number? Click HERE!

AICPA is giving away ten (10) iPod touches every week through December 18th. Go to AICPA’s revamped Web site www.StartHereGoPlaces.com and explore careers in business and accounting. While there create and save your FutureMe™.  When you save, make sure to opt into the contest so you’re eligible to win.  If you’ve already been to the site and saved your FutureMe™, you’ll need to login and opt in to be entered in the contest. Good luck!

Registration for the NFLCs is open! The Registration/Information page has links for chapter and individual registration, the NFLC Guide, the workshop presenter forms, hotel information, exhibitor prospectus, and the promotional video.

Early bird registration rates for the NFLCs are $60 through October 9. The regular rate is $70, and the on-site rate is $80. Hotel and conference payments may not be combined. Hotel reservation forms and payments should be mailed to the hotels.

We are looking for presenters! A workshop presenter may be an adviser, student, businessperson, professional division member, and/or state committee person. Please use the workshop presenter form.

Do you know any potential exhibitors? For more information, see the “exhibitor prospectus” form.

Today, a sound financial education is more important than ever. To help advisers and educators give their students that education, WeSeed and FBLA-PBL have created the Chapter Challenge where chapter advisers will compete to develop innovative stock market lesson plans using WeSeed. The chapter with the most innovative plan will win $5,000, a laptop, and a trip to the Chicago Board of Trade!

How to get started:

• Sign up for your free WeSeed account
• Build your Portfolio
• Set up a classroom group for your chapter so you can all share ideas. To create a group, click “My Groups” at the top of your Portfolio page.
• Create your one-of-a-kind lesson plan
• Submit your lesson plan by April 30^th, 2010
• Results will be announced at the 2010 National Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tennessee

Vanessa Hall

Vanessa Hall, founder and president of an Australian consulting firm, Entente Pty Limited, is the author of The Truth About Trust in Business. It was originally published in Australia and is now scheduled for release in China and the United States. The book won a Bronze Medal in the Axiom Business Book Awards for Business Ethics and a silver medal in the Nautilus Book Awards for Conscious Business Leadership.

The award-winning author, speaker, entrepreneur, and advisor to business leaders is a globally recognized thought leader on trust. Her clients include the Financial Planning Association, CEO Institute, CGU Insurance, Macquarie Bank, Deloitte, PRD Nationwide Real Estate, and Optus.

Over a 22-year business career that stems from her consulting and numerous jobs at banks as a compliance and risk manager , she has learned what it takes to receive, give, manage, and seek out trust in the workplace and corporate arena. She regularly facilitates trainings and workshops on the three R’s of Trust (results, retention, relationships). Based on research, CEO interviews, and discussions with psychologists, professors and teachers on issues of trust in business and personal relationships, Vanessa developed a 10-step method to building trust. She also designed a trust survey to help facilitate more efficient business interactions.

Vanessa developed a uniquely simple, but powerful and memorable model to expose the truth about trust—what it is, how we inadvertently break it down each day, and how to harness its power and learn to build it in our business and personal lives.

Free E-book: 7 Truths about Trust Every Leader Needs to Know.

Charles Garcia

Charles P. García leads Cabrera Capital Markets, LLC, an investment banking group focused on the global hispanic market, in the media, healthcare, real estate, energy, food and beverage, consumer products and project finance sectors in the U.S. and Latin America. In 2002, his company was named as the  8 fastest growing privately held company in the country by Inc. magazine and he was named Entrepreneur of the Year by three national organizations.

Hispanic Business magazine recognized Mr. Garcia as one of the “100 most influential Hispanics in the United States” and he received the Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez Public Service and Integrity Award for his leadership championing rights for all persons, especially Latinos.

Garcia currently serves as the chair of the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors which oversees all operations at the military academy. The 15-member board, includes four U.S. Senators and four members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Garcia also serves on the Board of Directors of Winn Dixie Stores.

Mr. Garcia graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy achieving the rank of Deputy Wing Commander.  A distinguished graduate of the skydiving program and the Army Reconnaissance Commando School, his peers elected him to serve as the Chairman of the Cadet Wing Honor Committee and he was awarded the “Class of 1983 Honor and Ethics Trophy.” He has a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma and law degree from Columbia Law School.

Charles Garcia was part of the 1988 – 1989 class of White House Fellows. The White House Fellows program is one of America’s most prestigious programs for leadership and public service. White House Fellowships offer exceptional young men and women first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the federal government.

Selected individuals typically spend a year working as a full-time, paid Fellow to senior White House Staff, Cabinet Secretaries and other top-ranking government officials.

Alan Deutschman

Alan Deutschman is one of America’s most provocative thinkers about leadership and change. In his highly anticipated forthcoming book, Walk the Walk: The #1 Rule for Real Leaders he presents a compelling new theory of leadership.

His earlier books include, Change or Die: The Three Keys to Change at Work and in Life, The Second Coming of Steve Jobs and A Tale of Two Valleys: Wine, Wealth and the Battle for the Good Life in Napa and Sonoma.

In a 22-year career as a journalist, Alan Deutschman has been Fortune magazine’s Silicon Valley correspondent, GQ’s “Profit Motive” columnist, and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and New York Magazine. Most recently, he was a senior writer for Fast Company.

He has taught at General Electric’s Crotonville executive training center and delivered keynote addresses to leadership conferences for organizations such as National Public Radio.