How to Face the Robots in The Infinite Career Game
David Shindler
Writer. Mainly. Coach. Often. Volunteer. Sometimes. Learning to Leap. Always.
Many people are taking a shorter-term view of careers. Hardly surprising as debates intensify about the future of jobs in the foothills of the AI era. A recent report from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) is clear about the disruption to job roles, organizational structures, systems, and processes. The common interview question about 'where do you see yourself in five years?' seems even more incongruous. Yet, there are many human qualities you can rely on as the rules of the career game continue to change. How can you take a longer-term view of your career in a short-term world?
The Finite v Infinite Career Game
Simon Sinek speaks about the concept of the finite and infinite game in our VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous). The difference is summed up neatly in an article by Randy Conley who attended a conference where Sinek spoke:
The “game” of leadership and business is an infinite game where the rules change frequently, competitors come and go, and there is no end point to the game. You are either ahead or behind. There is no ultimate winner or loser. The infinite game continues indefinitely until someone loses the will or resources to keep playing.
Conley summarises Sinek's five essential elements of will to play the infinite game. For me, they also apply to jobs and careers. I've adapted them into approaches for you to navigate your career irrespective of the seismic changes happening around us.
Just cause
What cause do you strongly believe in? Is there an ethical dimension to your passion for that cause? It could be an issue, people, a product or a service. It's likely to be values-based. You know a just cause grips you when going the extra mile for something that matters to you becomes an automatic response. As opposed to when you go through the motions in a dead-end job. You have sustain-ability. That's (just) cause and effect working in tandem.
I'm not talking here about ideology or evangelism. Sometimes, a just cause becomes blinkered. This is about pursuing what you know in your heart is the right thing to do. Keep your eye on the ball in your infinite career game.
You can show your commitment to a just cause as a job candidate throughout the recruitment process. What just causes have you pursued in your life? Why? What was the impact on you and others? Employers want employees that are consistent, insistent and persistent. Therefore, you will hit the sweet spot when that fire in your belly aligns with the just cause of an organization. Do you have an itch about a cause but never done anything about it? Scratch it and see the effect on your job and career.
Take Laura as an example. As you might expect, she wants her two young children to develop and have opportunities for meaningful jobs and working lives. When the UK youth unemployment rate hit one million, Laura found her just cause and started a membership and campaigning social enterprise from her dining room table in 2012. She is the CEO of Youth Employment UK.
Lead with courage
Laura leads with courage by standing up for what she believes and learning how to overcome the inevitable ups and downs. She has opinions and backs them up with facts.
One of the ways to differentiate yourself from the job competition is to have opinions about issues that align with the facts about you (experience, qualifications, skills). Too many applicants leave their personality at home and don't say what they really believe.
Instead, avoid playing too safe with stock, over-rehearsed, and robotic answers to job interview questions. Tell a short anecdote in a cover letter with some emotional resonance to grab the reader. At a job interview, describe how you have stood up for your just cause (however big or small) in the face of opposition or apathy. When were you unpopular but did the right thing? When did taking a stand influence others to follow?
Show your vulnerable side
Emotional intelligence is critical for managing yourself well and getting along with others at work. Part of that is understanding that you don't need to have all the answers. You can admit a mistake and accept you don't always succeed - just like everybody else. Laura often shares that she got a D in Maths at school and left at 16.
Showing your vulnerable side means taking a measured risk without fear of what others think because you feel good about yourself. Increasingly, I'm seeing the struggles of work life being aired and shared on LinkedIn as people lead courageously about the impact on their wellbeing. Our struggles resonate with others, promote compassion and build stronger ties. Because we are all in this together.
Showing your vulnerable side, bringing humility, and being comfortable with being uncomfortable are strengths for the future job market.
Nobody has a monopoly on wisdom and foresight. Turn adversity to your advantage so employers can see your mettle and how you respond when things don't go right. Because that's the reality everyone faces in the infinite career game.
Compete against yourself
Simon Sinek talks of the worthy adversary in the infinite game. But I'm not a fan of the battle metaphor in the job and career context. It smacks of do or die, destroy the opposition, the 'war' on talent etc. Your career shouldn't be like Game of Thrones. However, he goes on to say that, ultimately, we are competing against ourselves, and our success or failure should be measured against our just cause. That doesn't mean succumbing to perfectionism or beating yourself up for not reaching an unrealistic standard. It does mean being the best you can be in doing the right thing.
The pressure of external drivers like other job seekers and the expectations of colleagues and customers may force us to up our game. But the key is to make lifelong learning your aim in the service of your just cause.
Have an open playbook
Having an open playbook means being adaptable and flexible - in your job search strategy and in the workplace - to pursue your just cause. Also, it means being transparent about who you want to be, your talents and strengths, and where others can support you with complementary abilities. The more you share with people and the more open you are, the more they know how to help you emotionally and practically. None of us can do it alone.
Be a lifelong learner
You will need these five approaches whatever jobs exist in the coming decade. They help you learn to leap and maintain your will during the infinite career game. Simon Sinek, the REC, and many more are all saying the same thing.
To compete for the jobs of today and tomorrow, each of us must take personal responsibility for our own careers development and take advantage of lifelong learning opportunities.
Which of these approaches rang a bell with you? Why?
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David (@David_Shindler) is an independent career coach, author, blogger, speaker, and associate with several consultancies. Check out his online courses at Career Navigating for Young Professionals. He is the author of Learning to Leap: a guide to being more employable, and co-author with Mark Babbitt of 21st Century Internships (250,000 downloads worldwide). His commitment and energy are in promoting lifelong personal and professional development and in tackling youth unemployment. He works with young people and professionals in education and business.
Visit the Learning to Leap blog to read more of his work and check out his other published articles on LinkedIn:
Why Lack of Trust is at the Heart of Graduate Frustration
Are Career Opportunities the New Career Paradigm?
Setting and Reaching Goals: What Works for You?
Character: Be the Hero of Your Story
How to Be a Vulcan in a VUCA World
Early Career Dilemma: How to Manage Expectations
Let's Ditch the 'What do you want to do?' Career Advice
Father's Day: Learning From The Pleasure And The Pain
Employability: Do You Know How To Dance In The Digital Age?
New Career Opportunities In The Sharing And Gig Economies
New Graduate Hires: Why Managing Up Is Important
Work Readiness: Are You Lost in Translation?
Job Seekers: Test And Learn To Be A Game Changer
Career Adventures: Take A Walk On The Wild Side
Accountability, Productivity, And Saving Lives
Being Human In The Artificial Age
The Unwritten Rules Of Graduate Employment
Healthy Job And Career Transitions
Solutions For Closing The Gap From Classroom To Career
The Multiplier Opportunity In The Generation Game
Culture: The Quantified Self And The Qualitative Self
Purposeful Leadership To Create The Life Of Meaning
The Uber Effect: Opportunities For Job Seekers And Employers
Hierarchies are tumbling as Social soars
The Emergence of the Holistic Student
New Graduates: Following Is A Rehearsal For Leading
How Redefining Success Helps You Succeed
Why Developing Yourself Is A Matter Of Life And Death
Generation Now: The Imperative Of Intercultural Skills
#If I Were 22: Choose Insight Before Hindsight
How To Align Talent, Careers, and Performance
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7 年Some great insight, thanks David Shindler. Key takeaways for me are: compete against yourself and be a lifelong learner.