Plan for the When not the If

The world is changing at a faster and faster pace than it ever has before and in all likelihood the speed will only increase.

Corporate vernacular is awash with terms such as ‘Agile’, ‘Nimble’ and ‘Transformation’ and my least favourite word ‘pivot’ as organisations continue to explore alternate ways of working, embrace technology and look for ways to further innovate.

So, what does that mean for people?

Individuals will need to become more comfortable with ambiguity, change and uncertainty as more mundane tasks are replaced by AI and robotics and the work needing to be done will be different to what it has been in the past. Resilience will be a core capability

As an individual this means trying to stay ahead of the curve and ensuring the skills you have today or those you need to develop, place you in the best position to keep pace with an organisations changing requirements internally as well as those in demand in the broader marketplace.

This however may not be enough, and it may be at some stage in the future your role as you know it is no longer required. In more harsh terms the role as you currently know it is ‘redundant’.

Let me tell you having conducted more ‘redundancy’ conversations than I care to remember, there is rarely a winner. Most hate providing bad news, so sleepless nights leading up to it for those delivering the news and the individual receiving the news is rarely aware it’s coming.

The resulting fall out can be difficult to watch and in many cases can last for years as individuals deal with a sense of loss, including control and self-worth and struggle to comprehend what the future holds for them.

I’ve heard advice that people shouldn’t take it personally, but that is easier said than done and in the early stages it feels more like therapy and counselling whilst offering a sympathetic ear and shoulder as people go through the dreaded grieving ‘process’.

So, what to do?

We insure our house just in case there is a flood or fire.  We put money aside for a rainy day. We plan for eventualities all the time.

So, my advice, is to plan for the inevitable and the When not the If. Things like

1.    Personal development: Continue to invest in your own personal development and ensure your skills are relevant both internally and more broadly

2.    Network and connect: the probability is your next role will more than likely come from your network

3.    Research: continually review what the skills of the future are and jobs that are hot

4.    Know your passion: is it the type of work you do or the people you work with or both?

5.    Be-friend recruiters: catch up with recruiters regularly to get information on what is happening in the marketplace but also so they know you as a potential candidate

6.    Side hustle: don’t have all your eggs in one basket and look to establish side hustles, be it as a supplement to your current employment or as a transition to it being your main hustle

7.    Regularly update your resume: you are achieving things all the time, so don’t forget to update, but also confirm your resume format and content is aligned with current best practice

8.    Request feedback: Ask people to provide you with ‘real, robust and actionable feedback’ that will assist you to improve

9.    Develop your leadership capability: This could include internal training programs, online courses or a myriad of other activities

10. Really know yourself: This could be understanding your preferred learning style, communication style or brain dominance via diagnostic tools

 Taking the above actions won’t necessarily mean a ‘redundancy’ event won’t happen, nor will it necessarily reduce the initial shock when it does.

It will however mean you have taken some actions in preparation rather than having to start from scratch once notified, which only adds further stress.

Additionally, once you start the grieving process, it will enable you to move through it more quickly because the impact will not be as severe because you have planned

And if you have no idea where to start reach out.