There
can be no doubt that we are living in unprecedented times. In other posts, I’ve
described our present economic and social change as The Age of Turmoil,
characterized by rapid and discontinuous change. And now, with the growth of
AI, those changes are impacting millions of workers and professionals in ways
that were unheard of just a few months ago.
If
we are going to survive, much less thrive, in unprecedented times, we’ll need
to think deeply about the threats to our livelihood, as well as the
opportunities that accompany them.
What
should we do?
First,
let’s change our mindsets. Rapid change
always creates two opposing forces: Danger and Opportunity.
Certainly,
rapid change brings danger, as our jobs, our relationships and some of the core
beliefs that we have built our lives upon are crumbling. We are in danger of being left without the
structure and support we have relied upon to bring us this far, and that is
scary.
On
the other hand, as things change rapidly, the heat of that change produces
opportunities exploding all around us, like popcorn in the microwave.
Our
first and most basic response is to manage our mindset and decide to look for
the opportunities. For many of us, that requires a conscious, willful decision
to look for the opportunities and to pursue those that seem to fit.
And
that brings us to the second survival and thriving strategy for this Age of
Turmoil: Decide that you have two jobs:
1.
Your job.
2.
Preparing yourself for ‘what’s next.’
“Your
job” is self-explanatory. You have a
responsibility to accomplish, to the best of your ability, the tasks and
responsibilities for which you are paid.
It
is preparing yourself for ‘what’s next’ that represents a challenge for many of
us. Think of it as investing in yourself. Look around you at the opportunities
you see, and those that are not yet visible, and prepare yourself to take
advantage of those. Here are four
specific paths to follow:
1. Be better at what you
do. Hone your skills and ‘sharpen the saw.’
If
you see the opportunities in your current position, then decide to improve
yourself to become even better at what you do. I’ve often thought that
improving yourself to excel at your job was both a wise career strategy as well
morally right. If you are a salesperson or professional of any type there will
be great opportunities for those who become better than the rest and rise to
the top.
2. Prepare for
advancement.
If
you see opportunities for advancement in your current position, prepare now for
that. Determine what skills and concepts
you will need to become effective in a promotion and build those into your
routines. For example, if you aspire to a management position, take some
management courses right now. As you invest in yourself and build higher-level
skills, you’ll become a more logical candidate for those positions.
In
addition to these two job-related areas, begin to hone skills that are
universally applicable.
3. Improve your people
skills.
There
are very few jobs in this world that can’t be enhanced by more refined people
skills. No one, as yet, predicts that AI
will learn people skills. Those with
excellent skills working with people will always have value. Listening,
empathizing, encouraging others are skills that lubricate the gears of success
in almost every position. And we are never as good as we can be. There is always room for improvement.
4. Learn to think better.
The
noted philosopher, Bertrand Russel, once observed,
“Most people
would rather die than think. In fact,
they do.”
This
observation is probably even more true today than in previous generations, as
we have software and electronics that think for us. Why bother to learn anything, for example,
when you can just look it up on a search engine or AI?
I’m
afraid we are witnessing the great dumbing down of humanity. In this tidal wave of lazy thinking there are
jetties of opportunity for those who can think with discipline and
process. The world will reward the
disciplined thinkers of the world with greater responsibility and with the
success and fulfillment that accompanies it .(See our Menta-Morphosis ®
Thinking System).
But
it is one thing to identify a strategy and another to implement it. If you are
serious about preparing yourself for ’what’s next,’ consider a five percent investment
of time and money into yourself. Five
percent of your workweek invested in your second job – preparing yourself for
what’s next. And consider a regular investment of money in yourself – five
percent of your income into the books, seminars, webinar and classes that will
prepare yourself for a more successful future.
To
paraphrase a famous coach, ”Lots of people have the will to win, but few
have the will to practice.” In this
Age of Turmoil, lots of people want to succeed but few have the discipline and
commitment to prepare themselves to do so.
Now is the time to implement the ‘two jobs’ strategy to ensure your
future.
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