“Futureproofing your career has never been more important. Not only is our working world evolving and changing rapidly, but now Artificial Intelligence (AI) is starting to throw everything into the air,” says author Gary Waldon.
Bill Gates, co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft, recently warned that “only three professions will survive automation: energy experts, biologists, and programmers”. Even if this prediction is only partially accurate, we are in for interesting transformational times ahead. In my experience as a transformational specialist helping organisations and people adapt to change, I have seen firsthand the challenges people have with reinventing themselves. Some people eagerly run towards change, and others are resistant and risk being left behind as their world changes.
A study titled “Women Are Better Leaders During a Crisis” of 60,000 leaders undertaken by Harvard Business Review found that women were rated more positively on agility, resilience, and crisis management. These are traits critical for reinvention as we step into the unknown associated with the future. For many of us, AI is just beginning to make its presence felt in our work and home life, but we should start to understand that we are living through a revolution. We are in the age of AI, and it is starting to demand that we adapt and reinvent ourselves to not only remain current but to take advantage of the opportunities it will provide.
While the catalysts for reinvention may often be from outside of our sphere of control, what is within our control and influence is how we prepare and respond to the changes. The traditional personal stressors that create such anxiety for us, such as marriage, separation, or losing a loved one, will continue to play a large role in our lives. However, these challenges to our careers and identities will influence our mindset to be able to grow in these times.
Here are 6 steps to reinvention that will help you futureproof your career.
Step 1. Change acceptance. Change is happening, and you can either go ostrich and put your head in the sand or recognise that you will feel grief for the life you are leaving behind, and also be apprehensive about moving forward into the unknown. You do have a choice, of course. You could ignore it and keep going as you are, but eventually the reality will hit, and you may have been left behind.
Step 2. Reality check. By understanding your situation, skills and traits deeply, you can start to plan for your future better informed. A GBU (good, bad and ugly) assessment is a useful tool to help cover all aspects of your reality check. Through this, you will clearly identify your good traits that you want to keep, your bad traits that maybe could do with some refining and the ugly traits that should be left behind, like a bad hairstyle.
Step 3. Empower yourself. You are probably already an empowered person, but your world is about to change, and with that shift, you are moving into unfamiliar territory where there are significant unknowns and increased risks of not remaining current and relevant. The best way to approach this is by empowering yourself to understand this new landscape at a deeper level. This may include seeking out training, mentoring or joining groups that support and share insights into this new world.
Step 4. Take Action. It may seem simple, but the fear of the unknown and failure is one of the biggest causes of procrastination and inaction. Action is about taking the first step, starting to do something, anything. A small step means we have started to move beyond our old world. It is worth noting that we will feel a loss for our old world and the past, but as we start to move, we also begin to change and reinvent ourselves. Even if we could travel back in time, we would no longer fit into our old lives.
Step 5. Try, and try again. One of the adventures of travelling to new lands is that we are in unfamiliar territory. In a new city, we will look to find our way, but this often means taking wrong turns, getting lost or failing to get to our destination. Recognising that the voice in your head (I call mine Bob) is likely to be yelling at you to give up because of the high risk of failure, by leveraging your growth mindset, you will be able to see your failures as learning opportunities and take the lessons into your next attempt. You only fail when you give up trying.
Step 6. Enjoy the journey. This isn’t the first time you have had to reinvent yourself, and nor will it be your last. Many of us stay focused on the good old days of the past, but they no longer exist, or become obsessed with the future. But the problem with the future is that it doesn’t exist either and probably won’t reveal itself in the way you imagined. The only reality is the here and now.
While AI is one of the biggest shows in town right now, you have reinvented yourself throughout your life. These experiences have built up your resilience and made you the stronger person you are, ready to face your next challenge. This is just another step in the journey of your life, and by taking control of your reinvention, you get to have a greater say on the journey and ultimately the next destination.
Gary Waldon is the bestselling author of Mastering the Art of Reinvention. He is a transformation specialist who works with people at all levels from CEOs, CIOs, business leaders and professional athletes through to teachers and anyone who needs to reinvent themselves when life changes.
