If you are a business leader or people leader/manager there is one thing that will continue to happen.
One word that some embrace; some fear; some are immune to, some are tired from it, some are excited by it….one thing is for sure – you can’t stop it!
That word is CHANGE.
A six letter, one syllable word – can’t be that impactful, can it?
Well, in the world of business, no matter if you are a sole trader, an SME or an ASX listed corporate, the landscape of how we do business and how we manage our people is set for one of the biggest change transformations in a generation.
Four main aspects as to why this is so, include:
1. Technology
Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality will change our working lives – I am a firm believer you must embrace this as it isn’t going to disappear, so we need to work with it and work on the soft skills and humanistic elements to keep ourselves relevant.
2. HR reforms
There have already been a few of these in Australia over the last 12 months but there is more to come: every people supervisor / manager / leader will have to change the way they manage their people and know the impacts.
3. Thinking / learning / communication
We have the first generation of digital natives among us who think differently, learn differently, and communicate.
4.VUCA world
If you stop and think, the world is VUCA (Volatile Uncertain Complex Ambiguous); we have wars, global warming, natural disasters, higher costs to name but a few.
Critically, I foresee this change as being quick – really quick and constant: there just simply won’t be time for us to seek to understand and take our time as to how this impacts us, our teams, our business.
So how do we keep up?
Here are my tips:
1. Continuous learning
We are lucky to have information at our fingertips – there really is no excuse – research, explore what is happening. There are AI courses and content everywhere: we just have to make the time!
2. Reverse mentoring
Different generations can learn from each other: if you are a Gen Xer – find a mentor just entering the workforce; find out how they talk, how they think – learn from them.
3. Befriend a techie
People who understand how tech works can be great sources of knowledge and know what apps can help our productivity, save us time and collaborate better.
4. Become a change manager
I personally have recently completed a course but no need to go to that extent – just research and understand the change process and adopt some strategies.
5. Mindset
Think ‘embrace it’ rather than ‘This won’t affect me’ or ‘I can’t keep up’
6. Rethink and recheck your thinking every quarter
I truly believe that we can’t look too far into the future as change is constant – reflect on goals, systems, apps on a more regular basis: if the original strategy or project is no longer relevant or on track then rethink and adjust.
7. Keep it simple!
As humans we have a natural tendency to over-think and over-complicate things. Break things down to small chunks, ask questions to seek understanding (The 5 Why’s is my personal favorite). You cannot over-communicate the why and how!
Either way, strap yourselves in as I reckon the next decade will be a rollercoaster!
It’s up to you as to how you handle it: you have a choice – enjoy the ride or get left behind!
STEPHEN CUSHION
General Manager – Consulting
Stephen joined Optimum in 2015 as the General Manager of the Consulting practice based in Brisbane. Stephen brought with him vast experience across HR consulting and executive recruitment, having previously worked for a global top tier talent management organisation and market leading companies.
