Four winning habits to make sure your career choices remain relevant
At a time when processes, job roles and organisational structures are constantly changing, employees need to be change managers—not just for the company, but for their own careers
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Most established businesses today are going through a stress test. Their business models are being challenged by newer digital-first players, their growth lines are plateauing and their operating costs are impacting profitability. In such an environment, it is but natural that people building careers in such organisations are facing the winds of change as well.
Gone are the days when a typical career journey comprised of a series of well-defined jobs based on hierarchies and designations. Roles today come with a shelf life, because they are being created to revolve around a set of specific business problems. When companies are trying to build an environment that is agile and can respond faster to change, their expectations from their people is to do the same. Therefore, how you look at your career journey will define if your role continues to stay relevant.
The answer lies somewhere in between. There are always enough signs indicating that the impact being generated by the roles you currently play is decreasing. But ignoring these signs end up being the career blunders we make. Remember, change is not something that’s being forced upon you by the organisation. It’s a business requirement to stay competitive. One needs to develop the courage to ask oneself, “Is my work valuable to the organisation?” Do not fall into the trap of being comfortable with what you do and keep finding the opportunity to evolve and upskill.
When you read about a learning mindset today, it doesn’t mean you go take the next course in Hadoop or Python as a technology. But instead, apply what you learn from these courses in the next problem you are solving. Perhaps you don’t get it right the first time, but you learn from the errors you make and course-correct the next time. Theoretical knowledge only takes you so far, but what you learn by trying hands on is what stays with you forever.
Let’s take an example. If you are an engineer, should you focus on being the best Java developer and then add AI/ML skills because it’s in vogue to learn these? Or, could you orient yourself to focus on the client problems you are solving, and then see which tech stacks can act as enablers to solve those problems? You see with this approach, you stop chasing trends, and instead focus on outcomes and use technology as a tool.
Today, most organisations fail because although they understand the ‘why’ of transformation, they fail at the ‘how’. If each one of us takes it upon ourselves to be change managers in the roles we play, we will not only always be relevant, but will also be able to thrive in the pursuit of next.
The author is Senior Director, Capacity at Publicis Sapient.