Worst of Times are the Best of Times …… ADAPT , EVOLVE & SHINE

One thing that I learnt at a very early stage of my career is about how should one manage his or her career, and that is all about the fact that no organization will manage your career, it is YOU who have to manage your own career.

Out of many factors that shapes one’s career is the ability to adapt & upskill oneself with the change of time and in this article, today, let me concentrate on few trends that will affect one’s career due to recent changes in the world thanks to the pandemic and the invent of technology.

Charles Dickens. In his book A Tale of Two cities said. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom….it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us……”

Indeed we are living in weird times and I strongly believe this is the best time to reshape our career through developing ourselves – we either adapt, evolve and shine or for sure we will perish.

Change is everywhere, be it due to advances in technology, evolving socio-economic scenarios, shifts in world trade demographics, birth of new sectors or slowdowns in many economies. The organizations that did not even exist 10 years back are now giant corporations and, on the other hand, long-lasting brands and organizations have taken a beating. Physical boundaries are disappearing at a faster pace with the advent of technology. Processes are changing. And getting standardized.

It was against this backdrop that the ground beneath our feet shifted almost overnight. The novel coronavirus pandemic arrived, pressing pause on life around the globe, redefining life as we know it. We are unsure of what business-as-usual will look like after this is over. But unprecedented global crisis aside, many of the changes we see now have been creeping up on us already.

Covid-19 may simply have sped up their adoption.

When I read those articles and studies, one of the clear conclusions is that the way we will engage and work in years to come will be so different from today.

Three trends leapt out at me:

1. Technology will lead our way.

2. Virtual working will be on the rise and

3. The workforce of tomorrow will be looking for flexibility, purpose and authenticity versus selling time to earn a mere salary.

And thus the question is: if the biggest changes are thanks to technology and our shifting ways of working, what can we do to ensure that we stay relevant in the years to come? Will the current workforce with the skill set they have be able to lead the same way that they lead today?

For this article I indeed spoke to many leaders across the world and the verdict is clear – we need to adapt many new traits or else the road ahead will be tough. Panic won’t help, instead it is imperative that we deal with the emotions, take stock and equip ourselves to adapt and evolve.

Now the question is what are the two topmost skills that we would need to learn to manage our careers on the upcoming world.?

Here are the top two tips for the leaders of today and future:

1.      The future is technology, technology is the future.

 We have all known change is coming, and in many ways, has already come. The buzz about artificial intelligence, big data, Internet of Things, machine learning, predictive analysis etc. might be relatively new, but information technology has been transforming our world over the past 50 years, and the pace of change is growing. The modern workplace is almost unrecognizable from its counterpart even 10 years ago. Certain jobs and functions have appeared and disappeared in half that time. Others have sustained. Technology has been one of the top enablers for the change we are experiencing. Some technological advances may affect a particular sector; some indeed have an effect on the entire world. Technology has given us access to data and real-time analysis, promoted transparency, enabled decision-making led by facts and not just intuition or acumen, has increased the speed of business and changed how we professionally and socially interact. Data will rule the world, the demand for digital transformation will be an everyday need. Hence in simple words… we all need to explore the technologist in us- no one can stay away.

 2.      You need to lead from the heart.

 For the new generation workforce, it is not about only work anymore. People are looking for a holistic life. Finding purpose and balance . It is not about selling their time for a salary at the cost of missing out on the rest of life. People are mostly united in demanding that the world prioritize balance of life with work, profit with purpose. Most are in search of deeper meaning in their work. No one can deny that while COVID-19 has thrown many challenges before us, it has opened new perspectives and opportunities and has taught us to look at life and work differently. Some of these changes are here to stay, while others may disappear in the coming months and years, as countries enter different stages in their fight against the pandemic. We do not know yet how that will pan out. One of my biggest learnings from COVID-19 is about how technology has been able to help us to continue with life as usual in some functions or sectors. While the physical ability to be in the workplace has affected many sectors, many other industries and functions have demonstrated their ability to operate smoothly even during the crisis. And this has been possible only due to the leap we have taken globally though technology. Office is no longer a specific space where you sign in every morning to start working. Remote working is here to stay. Companies across the world have allowed employees to work exclusively from home, even mandated it in many cases. And it is not only particular industries where WFH is already the norm that are adapting; it is all industries, even those that had stubbornly clung to the notion that their work required all staff to be in the office at all times to function properly. This means workplaces may never be the same again. Virtual fatigue will creep in, mental health needs to be taken care of, flexibility is the new norm, and we will not be next to our colleagues. And that requires a very different leadership. Hence …We need to lead from the heart.

Let me close the article with a simple sentence…….Future is all about leading from the heart with help of technology and many of us may not be ready yet. It is the time to Adapt Evolve and Shine…..

What''s you view ? Please share your comments for a meaningful discussion and cross learning. Look forward.

* The article is first published in Insigtism , by RoundtableInsights March 2021

*The opinion expressed in this article is purely personal in nature , and has no relevance to anyone’s view or views of my past of present employers.