3 Ways To Future Proof Your Career

Transcript

Hi, everyone.

Welcome to the latest episode of the Intentional Career podcast.

I'm your host, Femi Akinyemi.

And this week we're gonna be talking about something we can all do with a bit of - future proofing.

I always think about it whenever I go to buy a new device, whenever I want to buy a new computer.

One of the questions I always ask is - what's this going to look like in 2, 3 years.

Will it serve a purpose?

I mean, you think about it.

You're buying a phone, you're buying a laptop, you're buying a TV and electronic device where you're investing quite a significant amount of money.

What you don't want is to buy that device.

And then six months later, there's something new on the market that does way better than what your own does.

I mean, there's companies where you buy a certain device and then a month later, a newer version comes out that just does a bit more than yours.

And you're thinking, if I just waited, I could have bought this same device or that new device for the same amount of money.

And it would be even more future proof.

And that's the thing about it.

When it comes to our careers, we don't apply probably apply the same logic and thought, because it's one of those things that it requires you to change.

It requires you to reflect.

And sometimes when you get caught up in the humdrum, the daily hustle and bustle of life, of going to work in, out, in, out.

Frankly speaking, you haven't got time to take a look at yourself and go - am I relevant?

And what you find will happen most of the time is that all of a sudden it creeps upon you.

One day, someone new joins the team, and they're doing something fancy, something wizzy.

And you who are the woman or were the man who they could have learned to do certain things.

Yeah.

All of a sudden, that new person that comes in with that skill starts getting all the love, starts doing things quicker, and you'll hang on to your old way of doing things.

This just works.

This is the way I've always done it.

And someone comes in, and I hate to say it.

They do it quicker.

They do it faster, maybe not as good as you, but efficiently enough for the company to go.

That's cheaper.

Actually, we don't mind that.

And then before you know it, your under margins.

You're not being given the plum assignments or the plum jobs.

And one day, all of a sudden, it's no more.

But what can we do to avoid this?

It's all about future proofing your career.

It's about making the right moves.

It's about making the right decision.

It's about being intentional about your career.

It's about owning your career, not relying on other people to help shape your career.

Your career is a vehicle to fulfilling and leveraging and utilizing your gift.

Your talent, the very thing you're good at, your career is a vehicle to doing that.

So those gifts, those talents you have responsibility to continue to hone them, to continue to make sure the career, which is the vehicle, the medium through which you express your gifts, your talents, is up to scratch.

And is future proof so that even your skill continuously translates.

It doesn't matter if you're a good speaker.

If you don't realize all of a sudden that people who attend seminars, conferences, when they listen, they've got a shorter attention span.

They want content that pops.

They want presentations that move, that pops, that engages.

If you're the best speaker.

Sure, you can hold their attention for a while, but very quickly they will start to be distracted.

So you need to be aware of what people like, for example.

And that brings us back to the point of today.

I've rambled on enough.

How can you make your career future proof?

Now I'm going to be sharing about three ways you can do this.

There's a lot more, I would suggest you look in the text of this podcast or the text that comes with this, wherever you're watching this podcast, and there must be a link to somewhere where you can download some more and take some time to digest it and apply this to yourself.

But without going into it.

The truth is, we don't know what the future holds, but what we know is that we live in a changing, turbulent environment, and that means your job description could be very different or virtually irrelevant in years to come.

And the thing is, if your skill set falls behind the times, you may struggle to find work or gain promotion.

It's one of the most annoying things when you've put in so much effort in a career.

You put in so much effort in a company, and then someone else comes from outside and they just get the top job and you're mad as hell.

But if you take the time to reflect on it, Yes, probably they could have considered you a bit more.

But truly, did you tool yourself up?

Did you do the right things to get ready?

Because if you're not careful your career can hit a dead end.

So here are some things we can do.

Number one, gratuities, you've got to remain tech savvy.

It sounds like the obvious thing, but you've got to remain tech savvy.

And this is not just about using a computer and Microsoft Word,

it's about remaining tech savvy.

You cannot be in the world we are in today and not understand how to use some of those, for example, collaboration tools, and you'd still be sending documents.

Sure, you can do that.

But when people have moved on to putting documents online and you could even virtually collaborate on the document, and you're still sending documents, that's a simple way you can get left behind.

So develop, become a bit more tech savvy because if you don't do that other ways, you may find yourself needing to catch up a huge amount before you can head up in a new way in the

future. So you've got to stick with it.

Even if you just you're a step or two behind.

It's better than your head in the sand.

And all of a sudden something happens in your career and where you need to make a move.

There's this big chasm in where your industry is or your job is and where you are.

So do that.

And if that means becoming familiar with something you're very unfamiliar with, virtual white boards, wearable technology, AI, do it.

We do what we need to so we can do what we have to.

Number two, develop skills to carry with you.

Continue your professional development by learning transferable skills that employers are always looking for.

Leadership, innovation, stress management.

These are core competencies people always look for.

There's always a place for an excellent communicator in an organization. A matter of fact, sometimes it's less about the technical ability and it's more about your ability to communicate with your stakeholders.

That is such a powerful skill to have.

But you've also got to think about, I don't know, choosing competencies. Pick one or 2 core competencies for your role.

That applies and regularly stay on top of it.

Just stay on top of those competencies and you don't have to do much.

Just pick once a year in my industry, this is where everyone's going. I don't know.

Join an association, read the latest journals, just pick something in your industry, find out what everyone's doing and just start learning it.

Just find a support group you join or you keep an eye on it. So at least you're aware of it and you don't sound like you haven't got a clue.

And then here's another one you can do.

Keep a success journal.

It's something you'd be surprised, but it works.

Keep a journal of all the things you do.

Keep a record of the things you do well.

Anytime you've been given credit, you've been given kudos, you've received accolades.

The result, you've been responsible, have impressed people.

Keep track of it because employers, want to know what you do for them and believe in the word of what have you done for me lately?

The very organization you work for.

You will be shocked sometimes that they forgot that you were the one who have achieved something significant.

Just because it didn't happen in this quarter or in this review, they forget about it.

So you have a responsibility to continue to track the things you do well and the time to do it is now.

Not while you're applying for a promotion or a new job.

Keep a value of the things you do well or the things you have done that have gotten given value to the organization.

It's worth it.

And have an objective list of your strengths, your accomplishments, and the positive.

Because when you do this, you reinforce your positive perception of yourself, and that transmits to orders.

And all of a sudden, people value you.

And there's so much more you can do.

You can keep a clear and open career path, consistently looking around, gauging where the industry is going, where your career is going, and just do little things to make sure you're there.

But these are three things you can do very quickly to manage your career.

Number one is keep a success journal.

Number two is develop skills to carry with you, and number three is remain tech savvy.

Do these three things, and you'll be already be in a position to make sure you're not completely ancient.

But instead, you add value.

You're ready.

You're aware of who you are.

You have the right tech skills, and you know what you've done.

Stay intentional.

Continue to grind forward.

Work with your eyes are open.

Be good, be kind, add value, and have another great week.