Upskilling is important and urgent
Adapting and upskilling in a world we were not educated for
That is the issue – recognising it is important is very different to finding the time to do it.
It is not just upskilling – it is refreshing, redesigning and reinventing!
It is one of those important not urgent things – it won’t just happen and it is not going away. We have to OWN it!
As those big Corporates with bulging learning management systems full of quality content to upskill their employees will confirm – people still need to find the time to learn and use the resources available.
If we have 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 or more years left in our working lives then we want ongoing constructive guidance on how, when and where to adapt to a world we were not educated for.
Most people will have 8 to 12 jobs in their lives. The difference for the future is that many of those jobs do not even exist yet and if we are going to live to 100, retirement plans at 65 will not make sense either. Our lives may go through many more stages and we could have many more jobs or projects!
Lifelong learning is a MUST – we need a different gameplan – it has to become a habit!
Everyone is too busy – we may need support to find our ‘own way’ to learn more and integrate it into our work^lives.
We all need to run our own personal INC. It is about thinking like an entrepreneur and looking after our own needs.
A great place to start is to develop more of those power skills and attributes that support our expertise – that we can build and carry wherever our career takes us.
It’s our future career capital that will help us to move between roles, specialisms and sectors; and enhance our expertise through skills stacking.
These skills help us become the best version of ourselves, work well with others, navigate change, adapt, contribute in meaningful ways and reinvent ourselves.
I split them into four blocks.
1 OWNER
Our compass – taking responsibility, creating a life you want to live, building your brand and navigating change. It is the foundations and the bit people miss out on as they rush to doing stuff! This is about us working on ME – our relationship with ourselves, what makes Life^Work meaningful and confidently saying ‘hello world!’.
2 DISCOVERER
Learning, thinking, creativity, curiosity, problem solving and unlocking possibilities. The skills employers want us to master to help them and ourselves, navigate the next decade. They help us problem solve, generate new ideas, learn and adapt to change.
3 PLAYER
In the arena not a spectator on the sidelines of life – doing stuff that matters. This is about our relationships with OTHERS – helping them find their best and in turn finding ours. Understanding others needs. empathising, communicating and persuading effectively. To collaborate within and across teams, lead and inspire others, enable, coach, serve and mentor.
4 DELIVERER
At our best, getting noticed, adding value and having an impact. It is about drive, focus, mindset and a skillset to use technology as an enabler to get stuff done that matters. It means delivering on our commitments and finishing what we start. It is our compounder, potential maker and confidence builder.
Just start mastering and stacking these skill sets. The best place to make them work for you is on projects – go find a great project to work on for the next few months and discover your new way to work.
And if you find yourself between roles that project is YOU!