War for Talent vs Talent waging War

The New Economy is the new wild, wild West!

It's all about individual talent, which not only guarantees survival but also wealth.

The three mercenaries above may have very different personalities and may be morally miles apart, but they share one common feature: they are all VERY talented at what they do.

Compare them to the poor folks in uniform who are being forced to fight a war they did not start (the Civil War). In one scene, Clint Eastwood feels compassion for a young dying soldier, and puts a cigarette in his mouth to relieve his suffering before he dies.

In another scene, we see the three protagonists enrolled in the army and wearing uniforms, just like everybody. But it's only temporary. They never intended to stay long in the army.

What they are searching for is the $200,000 dollars hidden by a Confederate army (200K in those days are probably worth millions today).

Here's my point: we often hear about the "war for talent", but that is a corporate point of view. It's the point of view of HR strategists who want to "capture" talented people.

But with the advent of professional networking webware like LinkedIn, we will see the emergence of "talent waging war." That is, talented individuals will increasingly acquire the marketing tools and mindset that will allow them to wage economics wars for the sake of their families (higher standard of living, more flexibility, etc.).