On Change

I was listening to this McKinsey podcast on “Redefining the role of the leader in the reskilling era” and there was a quote that stopped me dead in the tracks: “The World […] is Changing Faster Than It Ever Has Before And It Will Never Change This Slowly Again.” We talk so much about how much has changed in the last 5-10 years but what if this is the slowest things will change? Not only is this true for the planet and for technology, but this also might be true for business.

 

Remote work and the 4-day workweek are just the start. Post-pandemic, the workplace will continue to evolve rapidly with the times.

 

There are already signs that reskilling and upskilling will be critical for success in the future workplace where (technological) change is the constant. This will be true for leaders just as much as new upstarts. This is also often described as having a growth mindset and learning agility.

 

Balancing ethical responsibilities to people and planet while delivering great (but perhaps more tampered) growth and results is also bubbling to the top. The standards for “good” are changing as the world gets warmer and the privilege gap widens and the media puts it on full display.

 

And the role and expectations for leaders in particular continues to change too. Not just leaders by title – leaders of culture, perception, education, and technology. I wrote a bit about this recently after reading David Brooks’ refreshed take on Bobos on my LinkedIn here.

 

👉🏼My challenge to you this week: Stop resisting or over-intellectualizing change. Instead, keep an open mind and accept that change is the only constant (at an accelerated rate). If you really embrace the fact that change is the slowest it will ever be today versus the next decade, it reinforces the importance of learning and un-learning constantly to adapt. In every stage of our careers, we will all need to embrace and maintain a growth mindset to continue to drive impact.

 

💆🏻‍♀️ My Self-Care checklist score this week: 80%. Please prioritize your self-care with me this week.

 

Growing With You,

Nancy