3 big lessons I got from creating my own job

-

WISE WEDNESDAYS


Last week, I attended a seminar on the future of work. The World Economic Forum, big thinkers on the subject and a good amount of evidence seem to agree that we’re entering the second machine age and automation is going to replace a lot of middle-class jobs…

Which ones are going to be hollowed out? The ones with decision-making that can be done through an algorithm: medicine, the law but also banking (because of blockchain).

I don’t know if or when this is all likely to happen but I know that Elon Musk, my PhD supervisor and Karl Marx have all pointed to the same thing: a world where machines do the work and we are paid a living wage to flourish outside the phenomenon we have come to know as “work for money to consume”.

What’s also becoming clear is that rational thinking (which by definition can be simulated by an algorithm) will no longer be as prized. Gone will be the high status of the “expert” to make way for something far more difficult to automate: intuition, creativity and empathy.  So forget about getting more qualifications focused on information; it’s emotional intelligence that will get you bitcoin credits to spend on your new hoverboard.

What can we do in the meantime? You may have noticed that market gets “disrupted” with increasing frequency by new technology which makes any sense of predictability/certainty/stability illusory. Lewin’s linear model of change is out of date.

We’re in an co-emergent, highly interdependent world. Your ability to respond and adapt with calm and creativity and translate your ideas into a clear message and vision will distinguish you and bring you remuneration. Of course, you can try and hide in the old economic structures and institutions but be prepared to live in a constant state of mild to moderate dread. You can’t hide from your destiny…

If it’s any help, here’s what I learned from creating my own job in the midst of the chaos and uncertainty visited upon my profession:

1.          Uncertainty = opportunity: no explanation required here, I think.

2.          Your fulfilment depends on reversing the money-impact relationship. There’s a notion that we must climb the greasy pole and get to the top where we’ll be secure enough in our power and money to then have an impact, relax and be happy. However, fulfilment is more likely to come now to those who are willing to create impact and value first knowing that the ripple of impact will come back to them in many forms including money and recognition. Entrepreneurs (think Bill Gates, Elon Musk) but also visionaries (Gandhi, Martin Luther King) show us what’s possible on the grandest scale but it doesn’t have to be that big.

3.          Your rate of progress towards fulfilment depends on your comeback time i.e. how long it takes you to get out of fear and back to creativity and impact. The shorter your comeback time, the more likely your energy is used in the most efficient way - on creative action rather than procrastination, anxiety and distractions that kill your mojo.

So if you’re sensing something’s off in your career situation, don’t ignore your intuition. Even if your rational mind doesn’t have all the answers, your path will be revealed if you start moving out of your comfort zone.

Are you willing to open up to the bigger picture, take a step forward and get on (the hover)board?

Have a great week,

Amina


p.s. Come to the Leaders Circle! You can come in person or join the online webinar. We'll have your career and life figured out in no time.
  • 26th of July at 6.30pm UK: The Leaders Circle at Harley Street: Transformational Communication. Join us for an evening of meaningful, discovery conversations on careers and learn powerful practices around presenting, negotiating and resolving conflict. With thanks to the social enterprise the MBGroup for sponsoring the venue.
Register here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-leaders-circle-transform-your-communication-to-transform-your-career-tickets-47307993482
 

Other upcoming events

6th July: Birthing babies, birthing your dreams: a parent’s
power to create the right life and career. PLUSbaby
(physicians returning to work after parent leave). https://www.plusbabyseminars.com/book-here



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dealing with ‘Empire Builders’ [Wise Wednesdays]

-
Image
  Have you ever had a colleague who seems to be involved in everything and know everyone? Perhaps they’re described as ‘ambitious’ or ‘determined’?... More importantly, they don’t seem to have much of a notion of boundaries and can accidentally help themselves to your resources or take credit for your work?... You probably don’t mind their big organisational footprint but it’s the encroachment on your work and opportunities that’s annoying?... Well, you might have been dealing with an ‘Empire Builder’. Or that’s how my friend D, an executive in tech, described the colleague who she wanted some Wise Wednesdays insights on. Empire Builders can be appreciated by organisations because they appear to get things done in the short term. But they can be a challenge for colleagues. They are playing a different game to the one you might be playing. What’s the difference? You might be playing a game based on collaboration whereas they’re playing a zero sum game of competition. Economists and ...
Read more

Don’t get too involved with your ‘purpose’ [Wise Wednesdays]

-
Image
 There’s purpose with a big P and little p. Big P purpose? You’re here as a unique expression of conscious life. No one knows, how it happened or where it came from. But here we are. Little p purpose? You’re unique. Once you’re gone, your unique set of notes will never be played again in the great symphony of life in this universe! High achievers and game changers are more prone to wanting to know their purpose. That’s an advantage and a disadvantage. But let’s go along with it. If you’re in an exploration about your purpose and feeling stuck, try this process: Step 1: What brings you sadness and anger in your life/the world? What brings you hope and joy? Write it down or visualise it. Step 2: What do you really want right now? What must you do before you die? Write it down or visualise it. Step 3: What are the pros and cons of putting time and energy into the above? Write 2 columns. Step 4: Now let it all go. Step 5: Go for a walk, listen to music, garden, or meditate. Let your mi...
Read more

When your inner-demons are raging and you can’t get anything done: 3 appeasements

-
It’s 3am. You’re trying to fall asleep, but your mind is whirring like an overheated computer. So many scenarios to model, so many thoughts to process, so much to think about. It would be OK to skip a night and get by on a few of hours of sleep, but this has been going on for a while and you’re becoming more irritable by the day. Your colleagues and family are noticing… Diagnosis: your inner-demons are raging. You’re in survival mode. During the day, things look a bit better and your inner-demons settle as they feed on distractions. But they return at night or when you’re alone. These demons have one purpose: to keep you from becoming something greater. They’re an ancient survival mechanism and they’re maladapted to 21st century life. Different demons might come up at different times. It helps to recognise which survival demon you’re dealing with, so you don’t make misguided decisions: The fight demon:  You’re going to conquer! You’re going to smash the w...
Read more