What industry are you in? Technology? Financial services? Retail? Energy? Health care? How long have you been working in this industry? Chances are if you answered more than five years, you’ve seen some seismic shifts along the way.
Take the PR industry for example. When I entered the field, we routinely issued press releases through blast fax (do people even have fax machines anymore?). The 24-hour news cycle was in its infancy. The word “weblog” had recently been coined. There was no such thing as Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest. Journalists were our primary conduits to reach the public.
Did I predict the changes that were about to transpire? Of course not, but I had to learn and adapt to keep pace and counsel my clients effectively.
How is your industry evolving, and will it exist in a few years?
This week, I stumbled across an article from Fast Company. It highlights findings from the World Economic Forum, which suggest that just four years from now, five million jobs will be lost to automation.
I always advise my clients to not just consider where they want to be today but to plan for the future. Fast Company proposes six skill areas to pursue to remain marketable a decade from now based on where the workforce is heading: technology and computational thinking (no surprise there); caregiving (because of positive changes in life spans); social intelligence and new media literacy; adaptability and business acumen; and lifelong learning.
The article surmises that the healthiest professions will fall into one of the above six categories.
What skills are you acquiring today that fit into those categories? I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my client, L2O. They have developed an app dedicated to promoting lifelong learning, reflection, and collaboration, empowering individuals to reach their potential. Participating on that app is one easy way to build the “lifelong learning” skill!
Are you continually observing new directions in the market and considering what your customers want and need from you? How are you reinventing your business to keep pace? These are the questions we must have answers to – and address – to remain successful by 2025.