We were doing some work for a large corporation with the launch of their new learning and development programme. The client is a progressive company that believes that well developed, engaged and happy staff are essential for their success.
The brief
The job was to give staff a briefing on the future of work and to give the context and contrast from all the latest thinking on the subject. This was to facilitate them as they choose the learning interventions they wanted and needed for the future.
Four quadrants
We designed 4 quadrants:
- work in the future
- the skills you need
- it is all about you
- you in charge of the future
Fascinating
It is fascinating. The jobless society, Moore’s law, technology, exponential change, artificial intelligence, the move to soft skills and the impossibility to plan for a world were the Teutonic plates are shifting. Anyone interested in the presentation can contact ron@ronimmink.com
The usual suspects
In a session like this, you will ultimately end up with Nassim Taleb, Malcolm Gladwell, Ken Robinson and Seth Godin. Huge advocates for entrepreneurship, passionate pleading for you to become anti-fragile.
- You being able to cope with the shocks to the system.
- Following your heart and passion as the only way to achieve mastery (which needs the 10,000 hours) and as the only way to be distinctive in a hyper-competitive labour market.
Selling
“Selling”, which has been a dirty word for a long time, becomes fashionable again. Reputation management becomes important. LinkedIn and your behaviour on social media become important. Understanding technology becomes important.
100-year career
One of the future scenarios (and there is a lot of research confirming this) suggests that increasingly people will start operating as entrepreneurs in the (labour) market. Shifting careers on an ongoing basis, over a career that maybe span a 100 years.
Exponential change creeps up on you
Exponential change creeps up on you. It is there before you know it.
- How anti-fragile are you?
- How well equipped and capable are you to operate as an entrepreneur?
- How adaptable are you?
- Are you following your passion?
- Are you putting in the 10,000 hours?
- Are you resilient?
A business plan for your career
And are you planning for such a future? Which brings you to basic business planning. Not a CV, but a business plan for your career. Which will force you to look at You Inc.
- Your passion
- Your purpose
- Your values
- Your personal pitch
- Your vision for you
- A happy passionate you
What would you advise your kids?
When we researched the future of work assignment, we decided to research with this question in mind; “if you would be advising your own children about their career, what would you advise?” And our conclusion? Starting a business as quick as possible.
Warning
A word of warning. The part of the briefing talks about the way we think and make decisions, about filter failure, the threat of cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias. We are entrepreneurs, we would say that startups are the preferred option.
At least think about it.
