Why Learn Excel?

To help you pass the class? To help you seem smarter to your boss? To help you make your parents happy?

What if? This is the true power of Excel and all of the other spreadsheet programs. VisiCalc and Lotus 1-2-3 were the predecessors and they changed the world of presenting the What If idea. Prior to spreadsheet software, most of these calculations were done manually on ledger paper. Changing any one value to see how it affected the outcome required a healthy amount of erasers, calculator tape and time. Anyone old enough to recall that drudgery immediately understands the revolution of this software. But in the end...the power was in the ability to create information from raw data (a presentable idea) and cause change...in a fraction of the time.

Alas, Excel is merely a computerized tool...software created to make calculations more efficient. You can live without it for sure. But if you’re in the business of presenting ideas and creating change (and almost everyone is), it’s very likely a spreadsheet will make your life much, much easier.  One more thing...it’s a common worldview that proficiency with a spreadsheet means you're smarter. And this is a powerful advantage in gaining acceptance of an idea and making change. People trust smart people and are more likely to listen to what they have to say.

Learn and use Excel to change the world. Learn the =sum function to pass the test.

The World Needs You

...to change it.

The human condition is a gift. The chance to be creative, imaginative, angry, persistent and happy should not be wasted or lost in a life of meaningless wandering. Rather each of us has the opportunity and the power to change something...to make a dent in the universe. But most people settle in because they take "changing the world” too literally. They believe that short of a Nobel prize the effort is wasted…better to leave to someone else...someone smarter, more powerful, wealthy or more creative. The truth is that all big, world stage, changes start small with someone taking a leap and acting on an idea. And almost every time these little steps are not calculated to end up as world changers…at least not the entire world. They begin as adjustments on a much smaller stage, the neighborhood, the school or department. Eventually some of these small steps get traction and spread to a bigger stage. But many don’t…and that’s okay. One smile is as meaningful as a million. 

So go ahead…make a ruckus in your slice of the world. Who knows what will happen next.

Changing the World

Remarkable work changes things. And you can't get there without people who are willing to risk being labeled creative, daring or even crazy. More likely, these are people who are willing to be inspired, to be a part of something bigger than themselves. The key then is to steer clear of the cogs, people afraid to contribute anything more than the required 8 hours.

If everyone on your team doesn't subscribe to the idea that changing the world is important, even in some small yet important way, I'd start changing the team.