All things being equal in your personal life, would you rather have more money than less? More assets and resources, or be forced to scrounge? Obvious answers, right?
It’s no different when you run an organization. You want access to every asset and resource you can find, and there is no asset more important than good people. Employees are the lifeblood of their organizations.
By Rob Bernshtheyn
As someone in an extremely competitive industry (software) in one of the most competitive markets (the San Francisco Bay Area), I know we are in a worldwide war for talent. We are all in search of the best people to help our companies grow and prosper in a rapidly changing, globalized environment.
That’s why I believe immigration reform is critical. Every American company needs access to the most talented people they can get to compete with other countries eager to chip away at America’s dominance in most industries. Many of those people are immigrants. I believe that America needs the hustle, drive, and passion immigrants have if we are going to remain competitive in the global economy, and that means that we need to bring in a steady stream of as many legal immigrants as possible.
I say this as both a CEO of a 1,000-plus-person company and as an immigrant whose story—just one of many immigrant journeys—is a result of the opportunities I was afforded by coming to America.
About 40 years ago—when I was 7—and very few could emigrate, my parents and I left Russia. The government made an exception for those who were Jewish and relocating to Israel. But my parents had no intention of going to Israel; their goal was to ultimately arrive in the U.S. and they made our travel plans in secret.
As part of our clandestine journey, we flew to Vienna, a point from which people typically went to Israel. But instead of getting on a plane to Tel Aviv, we jumped on a train to Italy with the support of an agency that helped Russian Jews escape. At a designated point, we threw our luggage out the window so that when we got to the immigration checkpoint, it looked like we were on a day trip.
Recent Comments