Part 1: Disrupt yourself in 2015 (before a millennial does it for you)

Recently I participated in a panel discussion focused on innovation and brands that are doing it right. Much of the conversation involved examples of well-established brands that have chosen to "disrupt" themselves rather than risk having an upstart brand do it for them.

Looking at how forward-thinking brands continually reinvent themselves set me to thinking about what disruption might mean at a personal brand level. Because if major brands can be disrupted by upstarts, so can you and your career. So how can you take matters into your own hands and ensure continued success?

The first step is to assess your level of risk. Once you know that, you can build a plan of action. Here’s a short checklist of signs that you might be at risk for career disruption:

• You saw the Apollo 11 moon landing on live TV. Let’s face it, this means you’re kind of old. That’s not a show stopper as long as you don’t act that way. You’re not old, you’re wise.
• You think Imagine Dragons is a children’s book. Actually, that would be a great book title. A little Pandora will go a long way in remedying this cultural deficit.
• You’ve been in the same job for more than three years. Doing the same thing incrementally better for years is a big red flag for disruption. Have you flat-lined?
• You’ve been at the same company for more than 10 years. Don’t let tenure at your company define your value (see IBM, circa 1990). Make sure you stay outwardly focused.
• Your kids have unfriended you on Facebook. Please, no baby in the bathtub pictures on TBT. You know what I’m talking about.
• The parents of your kids’ friends have friended you on Facebook. Unfriend them, now!
• You still use a Blackberry. Don’t tell me how good the calendar function is. Give it a decent burial in the bottom of your sock drawer next to your old Sony Walkman.
• You have never written a blog, or worse, you’ve written only one. Read my friend Michael Brenner’s work for some remedial instruction and motivation on why and how to blog.
  
  
• You still think LinkedIn is just for unemployed job seekers. OK, so for a long time it was. But now it’s a vital business network and the fastest way to upgrade your personal digital brand. Treat yourself to a LinkedIn profile facelift.
  
  
• You’re obsessed with how long your 401k might last. Face it, you’ll never have enough. So if you need to keep working forever, you may as well have fun along the way. Time to disrupt.

Now that you've assessed your risk of being disrupted, keep an eye open for Part 2 of Disrupt Yourself, coming soon, in which I will give you some ideas on how to reinvigorate your personal career satisfaction while enhancing the value you deliver to your organization.