By Patrick Driessen & Connie Podesta
"There are obviously two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live." - James Truslow Adams
These last two days I attended the Skilling for the Future Conference 2009 here in Sydney. The theme was; "The importance of skilling Australians during a global economic downturn". A couple of key findings I took note of:
These last two days I attended the Skilling for the Future Conference 2009 here in Sydney. The theme was; "The importance of skilling Australians during a global economic downturn". A couple of key findings I took note of:
- People with a post-graduate qualification, will increase their earnings with at least 10% during the rest of their worklife;
- People with a university (bachelor), masters or post-doc degree have a 7 years longer worklife, because their careers are more advanced;
- The people who are well educated and skilled will have the least risk of unemployment impact during an economic downturn;
- People who have had the most education, training, coaching, mentoring, etc. will be the most adaptible, flexible, diverse, and creative in retaining their present and finding & securing new jobs.
In today's business climate and economic downturn, no one's job is completely secure! While your specific job may be necessary today, that does not mean it will be necessary tomorrow! Please think about it: your entire world and future could change overnight!
As the future workplace continues to evolve, many employees who don't consistently update their skills and industry knowledge often find themselves out of a job. This doesn't have to happen to YOU because you can prevent it! When you take the steps to understand and anticipate future and industry trends that could ultimately change the nature of your job, you take the first step to lifelong learning!
The fact is that jobs in almost every industry are being totally revamped in order for organisations to remain competitive and in some cases to prevent a bankrupcy. Are you aware of the trends, ideas, innovations and advancements in your field that might bring about serious change in your organisation this year? In five years? How will these trends affect your job? What is your future going to look like? If you want to stay employed, you must know what will be expected of you down the road. What skills do you have that will be obsolete? What skills will be needed that you don't have yet?
All the knowledge we have today will represent only 1% of the knowledge that will be available in 2050. In other words, we can never stop learning! There will always be more to know. And the more you know, the better chance you have of staying employed. How have you responded to technological changes, as well as all of the other changes that are going on in the workplace? Do you accept new responsibilities and challenges and see them as opportunities to increase your value to your employer? Before you get left behind with inadequate skills, use the following suggestions to help you identify ways to enhance your current skills.
1. Identify Skills that are of Value to Your Company
To assess your value to your organisation, you must be aware of the skills you possess that help make you a valuable employee. Analysing your skills objectively is the place to start. First, determine what you are good at doing and then take an honest look at how many other employees in your department or your organisation possess the same or similar skills. Some organisations place a high value on specialists who are very good at one thing, while others value more generalised knowledge across a wider spectrum. To remain employable, it's important to know where your organisation places greater emphasis. If you are not aware of your strengths and their value to your organisation, it is probable that you aren't using them to their greatest advantage. Even if you are aware of your strengths, start expanding your level of expertise and learn new skills to increase your value.
In addition to self-assessment, it's important to also get feedback from your manager, supervisor or leader. When asking for an evaluation, perception is the name of the game. You can have all the right motives, justify your behavior, and defend your attitude to the hilt. However, if your leader/manager, co-workers, colleagues, and customers perceive you as apathetic, irritable, argumentative, or impatient, then that is their reality! You need to address their comments not by tirelessly defending your actions, but by working to understand what it is you say and do that creates this perception in other people's minds! While it takes great confidence, even courage, to ask for honest feedback, it's the first step to assessing your skills and seeing where you need to make improvement.
2. Keep Your Skills Up to Date
Even if your skills are of current value to your organisation, you must be prepared for the future. The vast majority of people who lost their jobs due to downsizing or cutbacks revealed that they knew of the possibility that their jobs might be eliminated-even months in advance. Nevertheless, they did not go back to school, network, or train for another job in their own organisation, or look into the possibilities of other employment or of starting their own business. So....they did NOT have a career Plan B! Most did not even have an updated resume when they received the bad news.... What about you? Are you preparing for the possibility that your job many be eliminated in the future? Do you have one or several Plan B's?
What new skills do you need to acquire, and which of your current skills need enhancement? Perhaps you could develop your leadership skills, enroll in a class or attend a seminar, learn better people skills, improve your financials skills, become a better problem solver, or improve your writing/communication skills. The list of possibilities is endless! Most people, however, are working longer hours than ever before and the thought of going back to school/university at night or taking a class on the weekend may be something you don't want to think about. But the thought of being unemployed may be even more staggering!
Once you determine the skills you need, arrange to get that training in a way that is the least disruptive to your life. You'll find that there is a wide variety of options to meet your training and educational needs. An additional benefit is the opportunity to meet and learn from other people if you will only step outside your comfort zone to get to know them at training sessions and workshops. It's amazing that in today's rapidly changing job market there are still employees who feel that they have no need to learn anything new. This is not the time to demonstrate a lack of interest in learning anything new-not when a commitment to learning is so necessary in order to stay employed!!!
3. Find a Mentor and Learn from a Pro
A mentor is a wise and trusted teacher or guide who can help to ensure your future employability. Having a mentor is another way to sharpen your skills and acquire new ones. You may have thought that someone you admire is far too busy to have time for you. In fact, many people are willing to share their knowledge and experience with those who want to learn. From my own experience as executive coach & mentor; mentoring is one of the most satisfying things I do to help other people succeed! It's a win-win as well; we can both learn from it!
Unfortunately, many employees never ask for help or advice.... They believe that asking for help will pinpoint them as being inept at their job. Nothing could be further from the truth! When you seek help from a mentor, you show that you want to discuss ideas, support others, and work as a team. It shows the leadership(team) that you take your job seriously and want to continually improve.
Many employees find mentors in their own organisations who contribute to the success of their careers. No matter what field you're in or how much you know, there are people who can teach you something more. Make sure you take advantage of any opportunities you have to learn from the pros in your business or profession. It's an important part of your commitment to lifelong learning.
The Final Steps
Above all else, be sure to stay current with all industry trends. You can do this by reading professional magazines and trade journals that relate to your business. In addition to reading, network, ask questions, and attend in-service training programs to determine how you fit into the big picture. If you don't see your job as a part of that big picture-as part of the future of your business and your organisation-learn what you can do to change that. Make sure you join business associations and attend various conferences. They provide the opportunity to meet your competition firsthand, see what the latest trends are, and make new friends to expand your network!
The fact is that jobs in almost every industry are being totally revamped in order for organisations to remain competitive and in some cases to prevent a bankrupcy. Are you aware of the trends, ideas, innovations and advancements in your field that might bring about serious change in your organisation this year? In five years? How will these trends affect your job? What is your future going to look like? If you want to stay employed, you must know what will be expected of you down the road. What skills do you have that will be obsolete? What skills will be needed that you don't have yet?
All the knowledge we have today will represent only 1% of the knowledge that will be available in 2050. In other words, we can never stop learning! There will always be more to know. And the more you know, the better chance you have of staying employed. How have you responded to technological changes, as well as all of the other changes that are going on in the workplace? Do you accept new responsibilities and challenges and see them as opportunities to increase your value to your employer? Before you get left behind with inadequate skills, use the following suggestions to help you identify ways to enhance your current skills.
1. Identify Skills that are of Value to Your Company
To assess your value to your organisation, you must be aware of the skills you possess that help make you a valuable employee. Analysing your skills objectively is the place to start. First, determine what you are good at doing and then take an honest look at how many other employees in your department or your organisation possess the same or similar skills. Some organisations place a high value on specialists who are very good at one thing, while others value more generalised knowledge across a wider spectrum. To remain employable, it's important to know where your organisation places greater emphasis. If you are not aware of your strengths and their value to your organisation, it is probable that you aren't using them to their greatest advantage. Even if you are aware of your strengths, start expanding your level of expertise and learn new skills to increase your value.
In addition to self-assessment, it's important to also get feedback from your manager, supervisor or leader. When asking for an evaluation, perception is the name of the game. You can have all the right motives, justify your behavior, and defend your attitude to the hilt. However, if your leader/manager, co-workers, colleagues, and customers perceive you as apathetic, irritable, argumentative, or impatient, then that is their reality! You need to address their comments not by tirelessly defending your actions, but by working to understand what it is you say and do that creates this perception in other people's minds! While it takes great confidence, even courage, to ask for honest feedback, it's the first step to assessing your skills and seeing where you need to make improvement.
2. Keep Your Skills Up to Date
Even if your skills are of current value to your organisation, you must be prepared for the future. The vast majority of people who lost their jobs due to downsizing or cutbacks revealed that they knew of the possibility that their jobs might be eliminated-even months in advance. Nevertheless, they did not go back to school, network, or train for another job in their own organisation, or look into the possibilities of other employment or of starting their own business. So....they did NOT have a career Plan B! Most did not even have an updated resume when they received the bad news.... What about you? Are you preparing for the possibility that your job many be eliminated in the future? Do you have one or several Plan B's?
What new skills do you need to acquire, and which of your current skills need enhancement? Perhaps you could develop your leadership skills, enroll in a class or attend a seminar, learn better people skills, improve your financials skills, become a better problem solver, or improve your writing/communication skills. The list of possibilities is endless! Most people, however, are working longer hours than ever before and the thought of going back to school/university at night or taking a class on the weekend may be something you don't want to think about. But the thought of being unemployed may be even more staggering!
Once you determine the skills you need, arrange to get that training in a way that is the least disruptive to your life. You'll find that there is a wide variety of options to meet your training and educational needs. An additional benefit is the opportunity to meet and learn from other people if you will only step outside your comfort zone to get to know them at training sessions and workshops. It's amazing that in today's rapidly changing job market there are still employees who feel that they have no need to learn anything new. This is not the time to demonstrate a lack of interest in learning anything new-not when a commitment to learning is so necessary in order to stay employed!!!
3. Find a Mentor and Learn from a Pro
A mentor is a wise and trusted teacher or guide who can help to ensure your future employability. Having a mentor is another way to sharpen your skills and acquire new ones. You may have thought that someone you admire is far too busy to have time for you. In fact, many people are willing to share their knowledge and experience with those who want to learn. From my own experience as executive coach & mentor; mentoring is one of the most satisfying things I do to help other people succeed! It's a win-win as well; we can both learn from it!
Unfortunately, many employees never ask for help or advice.... They believe that asking for help will pinpoint them as being inept at their job. Nothing could be further from the truth! When you seek help from a mentor, you show that you want to discuss ideas, support others, and work as a team. It shows the leadership(team) that you take your job seriously and want to continually improve.
Many employees find mentors in their own organisations who contribute to the success of their careers. No matter what field you're in or how much you know, there are people who can teach you something more. Make sure you take advantage of any opportunities you have to learn from the pros in your business or profession. It's an important part of your commitment to lifelong learning.
The Final Steps
Above all else, be sure to stay current with all industry trends. You can do this by reading professional magazines and trade journals that relate to your business. In addition to reading, network, ask questions, and attend in-service training programs to determine how you fit into the big picture. If you don't see your job as a part of that big picture-as part of the future of your business and your organisation-learn what you can do to change that. Make sure you join business associations and attend various conferences. They provide the opportunity to meet your competition firsthand, see what the latest trends are, and make new friends to expand your network!
Granted, committing to lifelong learning requires time and dedication. And while you may think you don't have the time to implement all these ideas, if you want to stay employed, you need to make the (quality)time for lifelong learning! It's one of the most important ways to ensure your lifelong employment!
"Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival." - W. Edwards Deming
"We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn." - Peter Drucker
Make this a Positive & Fruitful day....unless you have other plans!
Warm regards & success,
Patrick Driessen
No comments:
Post a Comment