Reinvent Thyself Or How To Win In The New Economy

The fourth industrial revolution is upon us and the times have changed drastically. Klaus Schwab unpacks this dispensation as a unique time in our lives that has fundamentally altered the way we live, work and relate to each other.

 In its scale, scope and complexity the transformation is unlike anything humankind has experienced before.  The revolution is characterized by the fusion of technologies that has blurred the lines between physical, digital and biological spheres!

As a natural consequence, most of what we were taught and our modus operandi have become irrelevant. Hanging on to the frameworks of the past is to invite trouble. Indeed, there is a great need for us to reinvent ourselves if we are to avoid becoming the next dinosaurs.

In fact, the old world order has been exposed for being the fallacy that it truly is. Take the education system for example. Schools were, and still are, designed to churn out unimaginative workers who are nothing but mere compliant cogs in a system that punishes radical ideation..

Seth Godin explores this sad situation in his booklet Brainwashed. He categorically makes it clear that the education system’s mission is to teach you that you’re average; That compliant work is the best way to a reliable living; That creating average stuff for average people, again and again, is a safe and easy way to get what you want.

Paradoxically, those who follow this pattern never excel in anything and most die poor and living mediocre lives.

So what can we do to match the demands of the new world order and flourish as well as dominate our respective spaces? Seth Godin answers this question by outlining 7 levers available to anyone seeking reinvention and these are:

1. Connect
2. Be generous
3. Make art
4. Acknowledge the lizard
5. Ship
6. Fail
7. Learn

Connect

Godin makes it clear that whilst we grew up isolated, the future is connected. We grew up unable to have substantial interactions with anyone except a small circle of family and co-workers. Now, we earn the right to interact with just about anyone. This has far reaching implications. Everyone now has unfettered access to deep networks of connected communities which he or she can influence.

This was not always the case as previously, only certain influential members of society enjoyed dominant control of the mainstream media. The rest of the society simply could not afford it..

The point here is that we must always bear in mind that we can influence society with our ideas, causes, products or services by leveraging the power of connected individuals and communities.

Be Generous

The new world order is predicated on the circle of gifts and therefore you must be prepared to trade in something that doesn’t cost money like a song or an article. Actually, the generosity economy rewards people who create and participate in these circles of gifts. 

The traditional economy mindset of expecting payment for everything is now obsolete. Godin recommends operating through tribes which can be defined as “ talented individuals who are connected, mutually trustful and supported by one another are in a position to create a movement, to deliver items of value, to move ideas forward faster than any individual ever could.” 

Tribes make life better and they enable an idea to go viral. Reinvent yourself by becoming a leader of a tribe if you expect to succeed in the new industrial revolution.

Remember, generosity pays off in the long term and tribes are the in thing!

Make Art

Art is about creating something radically different and unconventional. It is all about creating value in unexpected ways. Uber did this and so did Steve Jobs at Apple. The present and the future belongs to those who colour outside the lines and do not follow conventional wisdom or the boss’ orders. Companies that have disrupted their industries and usurped market leadership excel in making art.

Acknowledge the Lizard

The lizard brain—that prehistoric brainstem that all of us must contend with—doesn’t like being laughed at. It’s the part of our brain that worries about safety and dishes out anger. Being laughed at is the lizard brain’s worst nightmare. And so it shuts down our art.

Steven Pressfield calls this shutdown, “the resistance.” The resistance is the little voice in your head that keeps your head down and encourages you to follow instructions. The resistance lives in fear, and doesn’t hesitate to shut us down at the first sign of possible derision or the first hint of conceivable ostracization. The resistance is the voice that was complicit in the brainwashing, because the resistance is easy to arouse. When your teacher threatens you with (insert social punishment here) if you don’t do your work in school, you do the work. The resistance wins.

What artists over time have figured out is that the resistance is the sole barrier between today and their art. That the act of genius required to produce original and important work is crippled by the resistance, and ignoring the voice of skepticism is critical in doing the work. And so, we acknowledge it. We stand up and we hear the voice of the lizard brain and we recognize that it’s there and then we walk to the podium and do the work. We acknowledge the lizard so we can ignore it.

Ship

Set yourself apart by being the one person who actually gets things done by producing something tangible. Why? Because scarcity creates value. People pay extra for things that are hard to get, while things that have a surplus go cheap. That’s basic economics. So, what’s scarce? The ability to ship.

 The key to the reinvention of who you are, then, is to become someone who ships. The goal is to have the rare skill of actually getting things done, making them happen and creating outcomes that people seek out.

Fail

Do not be afraid of failure if you want to reinvent yourself! My former CEO Tomsin Fashina called it “failing forward”. Ironically this concept is based on the age old saying that makes it clear that “nothing ventured, nothing gained”.

Those who hug the shoreline will not know what lies beyond the horizon. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, struggled for a long time trying to get the right material for the filament. In fact, it is said that he tried thousands of materials before he discovered the modern filament that is still being used in our bulbs today.

When asked why he continued with his project even after he had experienced so much failure. He famously responded by saying “ I haven’t failed. I have discovered 10,000 ways that wont work”.

Failure is effective in projecting us towards the solution we all want.

Learn

You must remain a perpetual student if you are to reinvent yourself. Roles have been reversed, business process redefined and new technologies have been introduced. Old skills are irrelevant and the bible states that new wine cannot be poured into old wineskins because they cannot sustain its potency. Old mindsets cannot capture the full potential and possibilities carried by new thoughts.

The fourth industrial revolution can be an exciting period in your life in your take advantage of these 7 levers or it can be your burial ground. Are you ready to live?