To survive uncertainty, think like a "Gigger"

When disruption kicked in, Aileen Lee coined the term "unicorns". A couple of years later, Bloomberg Business started using the word "decacorns", and now venture capitalist are calling out for "hectocorns".

Do I care about all the versions of (uni/deca/hecto)corns? "No" will be my answer. I always think of them from a consumer perspective and never gave them enough thought from an employer/employee perspective. Quite frankly, my vocabulary was limited to "unicorns" only. While writing this article, the enlightenment of knowing about deca/hecto and digging into the Gig economy happened.

You might be thinking WII-FM (what's in it for me)?

Let me get to the context. When COVID happened, it acted as an eye-opener. No one ever imagined that a virus could put the entire world, across geographies/industries/economies, to a standstill at the same point in time. Pick any random organization (be it small or large scale, private or public sector, local or global, manufacturing or service), you will see that it got severely affected. Thus, somehow affecting all the individuals working (full time/part-time/contractual) in that organization.

As a full/part-time employee of an organization, the focus is on linear growth with limited enthusiasm towards changing gears (read: roles & responsibilities, career). While the stability brought all the comfort, COVID acted as a catalyst to fuel the uncertainty. Many individuals became jobless in a matter of a month or a quarter, with no clue how to survive this struggling phase. No one is trained or equipped to handle this uncertainty, especially approaching the struggle and overcoming it.

However, individuals who are associated with organizations that disrupt or act as aggregators have an edge. Why? Their major struggle of "financial uncertainty" comes as a boon for them in the long run. This uncertainty teaches them to remain agile, be open to trying new ideas/things, keep expanding their existing network with variety in nodes, and a few more. Practically they live up to the quote "change is the only constant".

This version of working people is known as "Gigger" as they are associated with Gig Economy where they are not tied up to any organization and remain flexible. They teach us to reinvent ourselves continually, always challenge the status quo, anticipate the disruption/change in the pattern, be prepared to live on the edge (not literally but as a metaphor), and finally, not take things for granted. I see them as a good fit for the role model for continuous evolution.

In a nutshell, push ourselves out of our comfort zone and be prepared for the future.

Be like a flower, survive the rain but use it to grow - Unknown