We are living in a world that will no longer exist in its current form, in the next five years. This thought is worth a bit of contemplation. Four years ago, without warning, the world had to do battle with a viral foe that sickened and ravaged much of the world’s populations. Four years later, having survived that scourge, the world is now adjusting to another major swerve. The coming of age of competitive intelligence and with it, a massive shift in how we live and how we conduct business.
In this era, the only constant is no longer change, but rapid change. While some change is engineered and therefore allows us some time to plan for when its full-blown nature hits, some of the change that we experience will take us by surprise. From my vantage point, what all of this signals, is that both individuals and businesses need to be in a constant state of readiness for disruption to routines. This means pulling up our seats to the table of change, not being heavily intimidated by the unknown and becoming comfortable with uncertainty.
I believe that when it comes to change, we can’t change individuals, but we can inspire them to want to change.
As individuals, we need to recognize and acknowledge that we navigate uncertainty on a daily basis. Because we do not possess crystal balls and cannot see around corners, we have zero knowledge of how our days will unfold when we awaken. While we know how we would like our days to unfold, we sit in a space of unknowingness as well…….and yet fail to realize that we are navigating uncertainty comfortably, to some extent.
As for employees, they will need some help from their employers to build the confidence to go beyond a baseline level of mental proficiency, in order to weather the waves of change that will continue to define the landscape of the future.
The big question that we should contemplate about businesses therefore, is, “How well are they playing their part in preparing their employees to embrace change and be ready for the future as it unfolds?” The pairing of comfort with uncertainty and readiness for uncertainty, often enables a business to face change and the unfolding of the future, with a level of calm and elegance. The businesses that opt to live in a continuous state of change readiness, are the ones have the game changing advantage in the game of future readiness.
Prompting employee openness to embracing change, is one way of encouraging employees to become future-ready.
So, the businesses that lead in creating future-ready employees, understand that mindset momentum is the first line of defence. When employees are prompted to view the future as being closer than they think it is, a new reality sets in, that prompts a bit of motivation to act on one’s life, with a sense of urgency. I like to tell the story of “the hyphen.” If one were to visit any cemetery and take a look at any random tombstone, the numbers atop the stone may be 1965 – 2015. These numbers are separated by a dash called a hyphen. This hyphen represents that life of the individual in question.
In my experience as a transformation consultant, this example often serves as a riveting reality reminder that everyone will have a hyphen eventually. It’s often a powerful way to prompt employees to energize their mindset momentum, so that they become more amenable to embracing change.
Building competitive intelligence enables employees to identify and master a new assemblage of knowledge, tools, practices and behaviours, in order to thrive in a world that is evolving rapidly.
Now, I believe that when it comes to change, we can’t change individuals, but we can inspire them to want to change. In the same way, you can lead a horse to water, but not make it drink the water, you have to make the horse thirsty first, then it will drink the water on its own. Prompting employee openness to embracing change, is one way of encouraging employees to become future-ready. It has to do with stimulating an intrinsic desire for and to change.
Helping employees to build their own levels of competitive intelligence is essential to building a workforce that is ready for the future. Building competitive intelligence enables employees to identify and master a new assemblage of knowledge, tools, practices and behaviours, in order to thrive in a world that is evolving rapidly.
Take artificial intelligence for example. As this intelligence modality assumes greater density and integration into workspaces (and personal lives), employers should resist the urge to wield the need for adoption as a threat that hangs over employees. It’s counterproductive for businesses to communicate either directly, or through veiled messaging, that artificial intelligence is here to stay, and employees will need to get with the program, or be left behind.
“We did not come here to fear the future, we came here to shape it.” I would add one more word to Obama’s line……Together!!
A better approach would be to ensure that employees are endowed with the skills to cope with change and exposed to modern-day leadership intelligence that enlists the rallying call coined by Barack Obama that says, “We did not come here to fear the future, we came here to shape it.”
I would add one more word to Obama’s line……Together!!