The Future of Work (pt. 1): Our Ambitions vs Our Expectations?

I recently reached out to a few of my subscribers for feedback and fresh ideas on what topics they'd like to see covered in this newsletter. One request that came back was to share ideas around the Future of Work and what that would look like. What soft skills will be in demand, the impact of remote and hybrid work arrangements and the continuous evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI). I thought it was a great suggestion. So I’ve decided to write a 4-part newsletter series on The Future of Work that will include the 3 topics above in the upcoming weeks.?

Today I’ll kick off the series discussing arguably the most important part of the Future of Work: Identifying our ambitions and how to manage our expectations in achieving them. There are a few layers to this idea, but I’ll start by sharing a snapshot of my personal life over the past few weeks. The period between the middle of September and last week moved at a torrid pace!? So much? that regretfully, it has kept me behind on updating this newsletter.?

Here’s what it looked like:

Sept 13 - Friend’s gallery opening?

Sept 15 - My son’s 20th birthday

Sept 17 - Lunch downtown with a good friend?

Sept 28 - My 21st wedding anniversary?

Oct 13 - Thanksgiving with the family?

Oct 15 - My dad’s birthday?

Oct 14 - nieces birthday

Oct 15 to 18 - Work business trip to Chicago

Oct 21 - My wife’s Women Empowerment event?

Oct 23 - Business lunch

Oct 25 - Car picked up from mechanic?

Oct 26 - Business lunch

Oct 27 - Work Halloween party for kids

Oct 28 - My birthday brunch (my wife took me out)

Oct 29 - My birthday dinner (with childhood friends)

Oct 29 - My nephew’s birthday?

Oct 31 - My actual birthday & Halloween?

Nov 2 - Another nephew's birthday?

Crazy right? My apologies if reading that heightened your level of anxiety. What you don’t see up there is my daily work schedule, weekly family time and running errands, and of course taking my 1-year old Sheltie Shepherd for his walks daily (as he demands!).

You also don’t see my ambitions. The goals that get me excited about life. The things I look forward to accomplishing. We all have them. It's what drives us to make personal sacrifices in our lives. As a result we place high expectations on ourselves to do big things, because when all's said and done,? we want to experience that feeling of personal accomplishment.?

When we’re laser focused and ambitious , we can sometimes underestimate how long it can take to reach that goal. Not only that but we underestimate the impact other areas of our lives have on our timelines. The image below from one of my favourite illustrators, Janis Ozolins sums up this idea perfectly.

When he posted this image a few months ago on Linkedin, he added this as the caption:?

“Go big or go home! It’s terrible advice. For most, it triggers overwhelm, and you [eventually just] go home.?

[It’s more beneficial to] start small and move forward imperfectly.” - Janis Ozolins

Moving forward imperfectly is the foundation of our journey to the future of our work. When drafting our map to success, it’s unlikely we add a drop point like 'leave time open for aunt May’s potential surprise birthday party'. We’ll typically combine all of life’s usual happenings in one pile but won’t mentally prepare ourselves for life's surprises, which more often than not, become a reality. And usually involve relationships with people we care about.

The truth is many parts of our lives are essentially building blocks of learning for the very thing we’re striving for. The key to arriving at the finish line isn’t how quickly we can get there, it’s how effective we can be along the way in our current work and relationships on all levels of our professional and personal life. In Primary Greatness, one of my favorite books to quote, author Stephen R. Covey talks about the concept of Compass vs. the Clock.

“For many people, the dominant metaphor of life is still the clock. We value the clock for its speed and efficiency. The clock has its place and efficiency has its place, but only after you've achieved effectiveness. The symbol of effectiveness is the compass, because it provides direction —purpose, vision, perspective, and balance. Like a compass, your conscience serves as an internal monitoring and guidance system every minute of your life. To move from a clock mindset to a compass mindset, you focus on priorities instead of schedules. The clock can tell you when a meeting is going to be held, but it won't tell you if the meeting is worth going to. What if the meeting diverts you from the path you know you should be on? Each day, each week, be clear on your true-north priorities so you can stay on course.”

I love this text so much because it removes the pressure that we need to sacrifice everything just to arrive at our preferred destination at a specific time. If we begin to view our ambitions with the right mindset, then all the events in our lives have a part to play in building our personal effectiveness in the future of our work.?

In another Covey book, First Things First, he invites the reader to think through the following questions related to this area:

“What are my responsibilities in life?”

“Who are the people I care about?”

“What is the important future state for each relationship or responsibility?”

Asking ourselves these questions and taking time to answer them honestly will help us move from a clock to a compass guided mindset. Which again, will provide the right direction in the Future of Work, built on the foundation of purpose, vision, perspective, and balance (or work-life harmony). Before we consider the impacts of soft skills, hybrid/remote work, and AI technology, assessing our personal effectiveness will be the katalyst in preparing for our individual Future of Work journey.?

I look forward to discussing the other Future of Work? topics in the upcoming weeks!

Sheldon Barrocks is passionate about personal career well-being and helping teams find joy in their work. His engaging Smile! It’s Monday newsletter inspires professionals to unleash their full potential by creating purposeful career goals and encourages leaders to build a culture that inspires for organizational success. As an award-winning Supply Chain professional, he's provided creative solutions for major brands like Mars, Kelloggs, General Mills, Conagra, B&G Foods, Ingredion, Henkel and others. Check out his book Unstuck Mondays and join his mailing list to level up in your creativity and career!