When I talk to my kids about a time when I didn’t have a mobile phone or laptop, they’re baffled by the thought of anyone getting through life without digital devices. They can’t imagine a world without technology.
As I watch them regularly using smartphones and tablets to chat and game with people across the globe, it’s amazing to think that by the time they’re my age, they’ll have children who’ll see this technology as completely obsolete.
And in the next decade, my children (and many others) will probably be working in jobs that are yet to be created. Just look at the times we live in: the top 10 jobs in demand now didn’t exist 10 years ago – this goes to show the lightning speed of ongoing change. It’s very hard to imagine what the world will look like 20 years from now.
But it’s not tech alone that’s changing the world. The globalisation and mobilisation of talent, alongside the continual innovation in tech, means we all have to keep up with the pace of change and the type of work we’re doing and want to do. And keeping up with the international talent pool that’s only becoming more skilled and more mobile is a huge challenge. The strongest individuals will be the ones who are most adaptable to change.
In today’s global economy you need to demonstrate a willingness to learn, unlearn and relearn. This means being proactive when it comes to your own professional development so you stay relevant. It’s easy to become lazy or lose your passion to learn when life and work get in the way, but if you resist the process of learning, unlearning and relearning, your options begin to dramatically narrow.
Whether this means unlearning the technology you use, unlearning the way you approach your brand, unlearning the way you communicate and deliver value, or unlearning what your target market wants – it’s important to start looking at things differently. You might re-engineer your career and how you think in the process.
