Category: The Future of Work

Social Business, The Curious Will Inherit The World, The Future of WorkLeave a comment

Why Does No-one ‘Get’ #SocBiz? Because We Don’t Like ‘Bad’ News

ThisMuchWeKnow

Many E2.0 leaders and social business (SocBiz) practitioners are currently wringing their hands, decrying the difficulty that knowledge workers are having embracing the new opportunities at work. Technology and network thinking have the potential to transform outdated modes of organizing. Yet, (too) many workers cling to the past. Why so? Because people are stupid. Joke. But it might have some deep-seated neurological basis. Our sentiment is to ignore “bad” information, and change information (a new work reality) is usually considered bad. From a New York Times article on making bad decisions… When the volunteers were given information that was better … Continue reading Why Does No-one ‘Get’ #SocBiz? Because We Don’t Like ‘Bad’ News

Social Business, The Future of WorkLeave a comment

Smart Machines Will Eat Your Brains!

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“In a connected world, if you do not have world-class expertise, you are a commodity” http://t.co/vHkWCSxylc says @rossdawson indeed:)) — Gerd Leonhard (@gleonhard) October 20, 2013 This idea, espoused by Ross Dawson, was one of the kickstarts of my investigations in ‘the future of work.’ It was and is a selfish investigation – how can I stay relevant in the end of times? So I am always looking for triggers; data that deepens my perspective. Here’s the latest, from Gartner via CMS Wire. Enjoy it, before the machines eat you for breakfast: Smart Machines By 2020, we’ll see contextually aware, … Continue reading Smart Machines Will Eat Your Brains!

Personal Branding, Story + Narrative, The Future of Work1 Comment

#WorkHacks – Put Yourself First

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The change agent extraordinaire  Joachim Stroh shared this beautiful, evocative graphic, saying: “It’s about you, but you’re not the only bee in the hive; the further you expand the more you grow. Putting yourself first is not about ego, not about me-me-me. No. It is about moving out into the world with conviction and self-awareness, to confirm to others ‘This is how I add value.’ Indeed, success for most of us comes not from individual brilliance, but from moving within, and asking help from, a community of supporters: “… individual expertise did not distinguish people as high performers. What distinguished high … Continue reading #WorkHacks – Put Yourself First

Social Business, The Curious Will Inherit The World, The Future of Work1 Comment

#WorkHacks – Embrace Chaos

ThisMuchWeKnow

Twenty of the 25 (US) jobs with “the largest projected growth don’t require college degree (& are low-wage)” – via @BillIves. [BTW: Many of these jobs are healthcare related. Clearly, sickness and health cannot be automated/outsourced (so much).] Simple, repeatable tasks, wherever possible, are being replaced through automation. More complicated tasks, non-core, are outsourced to cheaper locations. If you want to be (well) paid as a (developed world) knowledge worker, you need to move up the value chain toward complexity and chaos. Complexity is difficult to pass on to someone else to deal with. It take more intellectual rigour and sophistication to … Continue reading #WorkHacks – Embrace Chaos

The Curious Will Inherit The World, The Future of Work1 Comment

#WorkHacks – Learn To Learn

ThisMuchWeKnow

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. I retell this story a lot. A few years ago I was a part of a large group of colleagues challenged to discover the secret to, and unlock the potential of, a learning organization. It was a very well-meaning process to get us to be more efficient, to learn from mistakes / the past, to become more innovative etc. The project bombed, it went nowhere, fast. There was a report delivered, and poorly received. The endeavour was still born. Years later, having done so much research and having re-engineered my own work … Continue reading #WorkHacks – Learn To Learn

The Future of Work1 Comment

#WorkHacks – Think Like Millennials

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Millennials are the cohort of people born between 1984 – 2002. They are entering the workforce in droves, and with a seemingly similar number of complaints about their me-first mentality and high expectations of power and pay. Well the rest of us need to get used to it, and it behooves us all to think differently about this group because, according to Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Foundation, Generation-Y / Millennials will form 75% of the workforce by 2025. Say what, now? That’s right, 75%. Millennials will sweep away all in front of them. When I asked some colleagues last week about … Continue reading #WorkHacks – Think Like Millennials

Social Business, The Future of Work2 Comments

#WorkHacks – Get Some Hustle

ThisMuchWeKnow

I have written about hustle before. Just as you need to get into the flow of ideas and networks, you need some hustle to strike when the opportunity arises. Hustle and flow is a great combination of attributes to possess – and is a basic tenet of the TMWK Manifesto. Hustle is a (much more) natural state of readiness for Millennials. According to a 2012 US Chamber of Commerce Foundation report, 27% of Millennials are self-employed, but a whopping 90% say entrepreneurship is a mindset, not an actual role. They expect to be treated like freelancers even as employees; 58% expect the standard workday … Continue reading #WorkHacks – Get Some Hustle

Social Business, The Future of Work1 Comment

#WorkHacks – Net Work

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Network theory is nothing new. What makes it so prescient and important for every worker today is how it gives us an opportunity to create / control our own future. Net work (sic) is the outcome of socializing and belonging. This @gapingvoid cartoon is probably the one that has had the most influence on my career. Reading it was an ‘Aha!’ moment – I need to work out loud, reach out to like-minded souls, participate and ask for help. It is not all up to me – it is up to the network. Net work embraces wirearchy. Net work is … Continue reading #WorkHacks – Net Work

Story + Narrative, The Future of Work1 Comment

#WorkHacks – Choose to Belong

ThisMuchWeKnow

Similar to ‘being social,’ choosing to belong is about moving out into the world and finding interesting nodes in  your network, and then doing something about it. Coalesce around an idea, a belief, a movement. Make something happen, enact change – with partners in crime. Doing so with others, you are much more likely to succeed than working alone, atomized and isolated from your network of goodwill. The lone genius is overrated. Derek Sivers illustrates this perfectly with his Ted Talk critique of the ‘shirtless dancing guy’ creating a movement (in under 3 minutes). Recommended viewing. It shows how it is … Continue reading #WorkHacks – Choose to Belong

Social Business, The Future of Work3 Comments

#WorkHacks – Socialize

ThisMuchWeKnow

This one is simple. The Cluetrain Manifesto got it dead right 15 years ago: “All markets are conversations.” It will be several more years before all businesses understand this, but why not get ahead of the curve and get involved? Blog, tweet, share, converse, research. Build a deeper network of contacts, experts, (non) believers. Develop your perspective, challenge your own orthodoxy. This is the nature of social… How do you ‘do social’? Think of the social space as ‘small pieces, loosely joined.’ Deliver ‘many lightweight interactions over time‘ to manage attention. Understand that social opportunities are available for ‘everyone, anytime, everywhere, … Continue reading #WorkHacks – Socialize