The Future of Careers
The current economic climate and the “Great Resignation” phenomenon calls for a new approach to building careers. It has certainly got us all re-thinking our priorities as having a job is no longer the most important thing. The whole definition of work is changing as people want careers that incorporate their interests and lifestyle. Labor economist Lawrence Katz discusses this phenomenon in his article and explains that people are leaning towards a better work-life balance, wanting to do purposeful work at convenient times and locations.
Work place strategies are being redefined as we question many of the working environments or practices. Patty McCord on Ted Talk eloquently described the lessons learned during Covid and calls out the importance of communicating the “context” or outcome. The ability to learn and adapt today is crucial in navigating tomorrow’s world, thus the importance of having a talent strategy that helps continuous learning and fosters engagement.
There are 6 key Career North Stars that people should consider when building out their careers:
Purpose – to give motivation
Flexibility, Choice and Clarity – to help handle ambiguity, role expectations and take comfortable risks to have a good work-life balance
Employee experience – to have fun and be informed of the experience of others
Mastering the art of Learning – to have every opportunity to learn across multiple mediums and different facets of the problem you are solving
Recognition – to create transparency around progression, accreditation and reward
Brand and Lifestyle – to grow my presence alongside in line with my interests
Susan Ellis and Helen Tupper authors of “Squigly Careers” challenges us to rethink the traditional career-ladder concept and to be brave to explore multiple connections and opportunities to have a fulfilling career.
To accelerate the building of great fulfilling careers, we need a common solution across companies that creates the right experience to tackle the 6 areas above and engage collaboration to build high performing teams that thrive together. It would create economic opportunity for all parties if we can create a platform that creates a growing connected society that experiences an enjoyable career and be financially better off.
