3 "L"s
Yesterday I attended NTUC Labour Research Conference 2022 and there, they launched their inaugural Singapore Labour Journal 2022/ Volume 1/ Issue 1. It is a compilation of articles drawn from insights of academics and practitioners to curate a unique perspective on labour issues, reimagine new approaches and restrategise the way forward. It was a good session for myself because I get to see things from the lens of various stakeholders, at the same time, it validated most of what I believe moving forward in the workforce in near future.
Here are 3 "L"s that I think will be applicable to all of us:
1. Learn to Learn
To meet the needs of today's and tomorrow's labour market, this skill of learning to learn has become a must-have. Traditionally, we would think that education ends the moment we stepped into the workforce, only to realise that a new learning journey has just begun. It can come in the form of on-the-job training, internal workshops/seminars/courses, or online learning... it can also consist of picking up technological skills, domain-specific knowledge and honing an individual's soft skills.
For any organisation to survive and thrive, innovation is key. And for innovation to happen, it comes from human capital.
2. Learn to Fail
Everyone has different definitions of what success means to them. And no matter how they masked it (downplay it, ostracise it), everyone wants to taste the fruits of success. Yet, ironically, most people cannot accept failures. They have forgotten that the world does not revolve around them, they have forgotten that everything is relative, and they may have fallen into the SHOULD Trap.
There is this sentence in mandarin that I like: 一个不能接受失败的人永远不会成功. Translating the sentence,
领英推荐
If you cannot accept failures, you will never be able to succeed.
In my personal experience, learning to fail and failing forward lay a solid foundation for success to happen. Up to a certain age, if I see anyone throwing tantrums (or similar), especially in the workforce setting, I genuinely find it a pity because the credibility goes down the drain immediately, and mind us,
No one owes us a living.
3. Learn to Collaborate
Something that I always share in my workshops and coaching sessions,
Help yourself by helping others.
If you have fully understood and embraced wholeheartedly that we live in a world of abundance, there will always be enough to go around. It took me many years of hard knocks for me to internalise this and so I think this is something that awaits for everyone to experience and realise themselves. All I can say is that,
If you believe in abundance, we will always be able to achieve win-win-win situations.
Becoming Irreplaceable?aims to empower fellow professionals to build sustainable and meaningful careers, this is definitely one way for us to increase our own happiness index! It is really about taking the control back.