My gosh, it has been a year with more ups and downs than even the most vivid imagination could create. The truth is that the lessons many have absorbed are the same ones that will catapult you into your future.
Did you take any of these to heart as the foundation of who you are as you advance your career?
- Something Better: Somewhere along this last year, many have come to realize that it will never be that way again. As much as you may long to return to the land of milk and honey, the reality of your future resides in your ability to piece together new opportunities and bring alive, fresh desires. How have you been at saying goodbye to the old and hello to all in front of you? Those able to embrace this concept have acquired the secret to their forever success.
- Choose The Bright Side: In every circumstance, light is also shining, no matter how shadowy it may seem. You have a choice on which side of the emotional equation your energy resides in. Remain entrenched in the negative, and you’re stuck.
Interestingly enough, resiliency is the secret for corporate success as well. A McKinsey research reviewing the 2008 economic downturn uncovered a trait that translates into something I’d suggest you consider taking on for yourself if you haven’t already. What they found was a small group of pliable companies in each sector outperformed their peers. They did get hurt, with revenues falling about the industry average, but they recovered much faster. By 2009, these companies’ earnings had risen 10 percent, while that of the non-resilient ones had gone down almost 15 percent.
- Pump It Up: Many executives are able to generate an energizing future for themselves—one that they can almost touch. Only to deflate the dream by loading one uncertainty after another on it deflating any hope. But there are those who realize the future is always unsure. Dwelling on it takes the legs out from under any possibility of achievement. The brave—and the triumphant—move forward confident that they will be able to overcome anything that pops up.
- Technology Chops: Have you noticed that you’ve become a facile whizz-kid as you acquired new technology skills for yourself? Congratulations, you’ve activated a direction that needs to be a permanent and potent frame of reference for the remainder of your career. The Brookings Institution estimates that over the last three recessions, the pace of automation increased during each.
No surprise to you, I’m sure. Let’s hammer it home.
McKinsey Global Institute estimates that 60 percent of all jobs could see more than 30 percent of their key tasks automated, affecting 400 million to 800 million jobs worldwide by 2030. So, if by some chance you haven’t kept into technology, hold back at your peril.
- Burn Out Overcomer: For some, this last year has worn them down to the nubbin. Research shows that 23 percent of employees feel burnout frequently. A crisis that often leads to disengaged employees, which costs employers 34 percent of their annual salary. It’s also responsible for a high rate of employee turnover. Yet, there are others where the environment has been an energizing challenge. What side of the equation do you find yourself on…or perhaps you assess yourself somewhere between? Please know that chaos and change aren’t going to slow down anytime soon. Actually, predictions discern it speeding up, so acquiring the skill to flow throughout it all will be invaluable.
Continue fostering these skills and learning from the mistakes you made this last year. You’ll regret it if you don’t, as you fall further behind in our ever-changing marketplace.
So, be proactive. Take it on the chin and get back up again with positive pattern response strategy!
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