The world has changed.
The world has changed, in the last ten years we have seen a shift in the work place. We see checkouts at the shops being automated, we have cars ready to be driverless, we have cashiers being replaced by machines, we have TV on demand and online accounting software. Five years ago the world was in a different place. The digital transformation is shaping our way of lives from banking to retail, to entertainment, to food services. Virtually every company in every industry is shifting how they engage with customers and the markets. Perhaps the three major disruptors that we can all relate to would be Uber, Airbnb and Deliveroo. Then, along came Google Chrome, and several incredible products and services have been invented. People leave an old job behind and embark on second careers for a host of reasons. Other times, starting over isn’t by choice.
Be prepared to change.
The military is the foremost organisation created to enable you to reinvent yourself from the day you are enlisted and frame yourself in such a way where settling down is a matter of a few weeks or months. Right from the outset, you are part of a system which is continuously changing. From your basic training, you are in the reinvention mode to change your thinking from a civilian to a military mindset. Prior to joining your basic training, you go through a selection process and decide where you best fit and find your future trade. Basic training makes you a military person, helps find your strengths and team ability, and gets you ready to face the front line. Advanced training is more about perfecting your skills and focusing on being what is called a “functional” person. Some of these skills can take a long time to develop, but by the end of it you will be a fully trained soldier while also being very functional. You then become part of a team, an organisation where everyone has been through the same process as you, but still in the same shift system as they continue to develop themselves to the highest level. In the end you have become a military person with a functional role ready for front line action, also ready to do your day-to-day job.
However, if you are in the serving in the military at some point your service will end. For anyone who has been been laid off or fired, it’s a necessity to begin anew, often with lessons learned and a new wisdom that comes from experience. Other times, the work is overly demanding or just plain stressful or too rigid or inflexible. The economic responsibility is shifting into the hands of leaders who are completely responsible for their own destiny. The leaders will become entrepreneurial – like a private consultant, a private contractor – and in complete control of his or her finances.
The 3 LOS (Leader`s Operating System) explores all the social and financial consequences of this rapid digital revolution and helps leaders to take advantage of the opportunity of this new age by reinventing themselves and avoiding being destroyed by the impact.
It that’s you then may be it is time to reinvent yourself like the Iphone who has continuously reinvented itself since it was first released to now the latest Iphone Xs & Xr.
4th Industrial Revolution
It took one thousand years for the Agricultural Revolution to come to the surface. The change from an agricultural society to an industrial society based on manufacturing and chemical power was much faster. The digital age is driven by artificial intelligence and therefore it is likely to be happening more rapidly. It is just at its infancy and if you fail to perceive the great changes happening around us, it is because you do not desire to see that the future of a leader beyond 2020 is at risk if you are not prepared properly. Digital transformation means change, and for employees who have done the same things the same way for a very long time, it can mean uncertainty. Some of us will be more receptive to change than others; those of us who are considered the early adopters in our workplace should help others learn the new tool, answer questions and generate excitement.
Industry is changing rapidly, if you take a look at the travel industry, you can source any flight, cruise, hotel & accommodation online, and very soon you will be able to book all 3 on one platform. In Leavers to Leaders, we look at the far-reaching impact of the digital revolution and help you to look at the jobs which are at risk in the next 5-10 years. We can already see the collapse of the welfare state or NHS and the capacity for gig employers to supply regular jobs on demand. By the time you have completed your service, you are once again placed into a system to reinvent yourself in the civilian world. For the baby boomers, taking the shift has more or less been easy as they resettle into a civilian world. After all, they are the generation who have been pushing the economy from day one. However, for the echo boomers, also known as Generation X (those born from 1965 to 1979 and who joined the work force in the late 90s and who are now in their 40s) the experience is not going to be the same. We are now in a digital age of the (IOT) Internet of Things[1] and the future beyond 2020 has already changed.
However, I have no doubt that the military personnel are the ones who will strive and become the leaders, should they realise the mountain of value that they already are standing on, and become the leaders they are trained to be. This is possible due to their ongoing development and shift mindset and anyone can learn those skills. However, it is also becoming more and more challenging to do so, even for the military personnel. Those who get complacent and fail to develop and align for the future will struggle.
While I was in active service in the British Armed Forces, I reinvented myself twice like many of my peers who perhaps had the opportunity to reskill themselves, but I carried on using the same system to continuously reinvent myself now in my business life. So, if you are a business leader and reading this blog, your industry is also changing every two years. It is quite normal to worry and be uncomfortable, but I am constantly reminded of “the importance of getting comfortable being uncomfortable” as you will find out with my personal experiences in both the British military and as an entrepreneur in business.
[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_things The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of devices, vehicles, and home appliances that contain electronics, software, actuators, and connectivity which allows these things to connect, interact and exchange data.
The gig economy isn’t going anywhere either, so future workers can expect to earn money from various sources — often working remotely on their own or with a changing cast of characters. As we prepare for the future of work, it’s important to remember one last important point: Work will evolve, but so will workers. Generation Alpha – the next generation of employees – will want more than technological augmentation to their tasks. This is the most technologically literate generation to date, and they will expect it to be integrated into every aspect of what they do. The future of work has begun – businesses must adapt and evolve, or they will be left behind like blockbuster.
Overlooked
Daniela Hochfellner and Matthew M. Piszczek, and sponsored by the Sloan Foundation’s Future of Work and Working Longer Project. The research suggests bad effects on younger workers if older workers stay on the job. Their data comes from Germany – a nation with comprehensive data on firms and workers— and it shows that firms may use older workers as substitutes for younger workers. As older people delay retirement, the less experienced younger workers may not be promoted. This research could mean that while many U.S. older workers delay retirement partly because of their eroding pension security, younger workers could suffer wage loss and wage repression.
The aging workforce combined with older workers’ lack of retirement readiness may shape employment patterns and the strength of all workers’ bargaining power for all American workers, old and young. To be direct: the loss of bargaining power among older workers — because many must say “yes” to any wages, hours, and working conditions offered up — is bound to affect the rest of the labour market, meaning you could find yourself being overlooked or reach a glass ceiling.
Undervalued
Predominantly, we have the traditionalists who will be those born before 1945, followed by the largest generation the baby boomers, and their children, the Gen X or Generation X (those born between 1965 to 1980). This is followed by the second largest population, the Generation Y, also known as millennials, born between 1980-1990 and Generation Z, born post-1990. If you look around the workplace you will most likely identify at least the three main generations which are baby boomers, Gen X, and millennials . In the next five to ten years we will also see a shift in the workplace with more Gen Y reaching out to high or senior roles, while more Gen Z will be entering the workplace. Currently 10,000 boomers are turning 65 every day, leaving a huge gap in the workplace. Gen X, people like myself should by default be the next leaders in the workplace are actually being overtaken by the Gen Y. That’s because they are very flexible and why Gen X need more stability. Gen Y, are also very noisy and loud and able to step out of their comfort zone.
Well, each of the above generation are at different ages and were born in different conditions of time, which means they each have had a experiences, which you can attribute to how they see themselves. However, age is not the sole reason for generational behaviours, is it the ability to contribute and bring value to the wokplace and that’s why many are now feeling undervalued, specially if you a Gen X.
It’s also about the current economic, political and social conditions which we all live under that further divide the generations. The same conditions act upon people of different ages in different ways – a good example is Marc Prensky, best known as the inventor and populariser of the terms “digital native” and “digital immigrant”. Whilst everyone can send a text or download a podcast, Gen Y have been exposed to these in their formative years and so the digital language and technology is almost their first language.
If the above relates to you? My next question is are you ready to leave and start leading? The L2L programme I have developed is based on the 7 steps to reinvent yourself while in transition or become a leader in your industry. My whole life has been about transition & reinvention. Mauritian born, my career started out in the local government, followed by a career in the British Armed Forces. Today i have discovered that being valued, stand out and visible in the workplace is not only possible but it is your only way forward for anyone who wants to become a leader in their field. You can find out more in this 5 mins test and get a customised report of where you are and where you need to improve to reinvent yourself as a leader: http://l2lscorecard.com/
One last thought, fear is a strong factor and if you do not deal with it, fear will cage you. Read my article about fear of career change here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fear-career-change-samuel-t-reddy/. So have a vision and few plans for your career.
In Leavers To Leaders , we look at the far-reaching impact of the digital revolution and help you to look at the jobs which are at risk in the next 5-10 years. We can already see the collapse of the welfare state or NHS and the capacity for gig employers to supply regular jobs on demand. The typical work is now disrupted everywhere and even the military is using technology to reduce human casualties caused by sending troops on the ground.
The principles and methods outlined in the 3 LOS (Leader’s Operating System) have been designed to help anyone military and specially non-military who are looking to reinvent themselves using the military way. We will look at some of the reports and industries where employment automation is at high risk, medium and low risk and how they will undoubtedly affect you as a leader.
I would love to hear your thoughts and how you are reinventing or have reinvented yourself due to the above, please connect with me facebook, twitter or linked @SamuelTReddy or visit my website www.SamuelTReddy.com. You can also find out more about my latest book Leavers To Leaders on amazon.
