Take It or Make It
Basically you have two choices in the face of volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous change that is also constant.
Lie down and take it or step up and make it.
There is a lot written about digital transformation. I actually don’t think that is the issue. We have been transforming through technology for a long time.
The first computers were introduced in the 1930s but we have been finding faster and more automated ways of doing things long before that. The dishwasher was invented in 1886 and the first electric vacuum cleaner introduced in 1901.
What we are experiencing is more transformation but the phrase that describes the challenge we are currently faced with is digital disruption, as change gets faster and faster and less predictable and manageable.
Individuals, teams and organisations that will survive and thrive amidst the disruption are the ones that truly accept that change is now constant, often unforeseen and erratic.
Those that step up and make it will be the innovators, the experimenters, the creative and the problem solvers. They will challenge the status quo and continually seek better ways of operating.
Those that step up and make it will be the ones that embrace the uncertainty of constant change as an opportunity to learn, grow and develop. They will have a growth mindset and be agile,
Those that step up and make it will sense and respond to changes happening around them. They will be proactive and pre-emptive. They will welcome the decentralisation of decision-making and the autonomy they are given to drive change.
Those that step up and make it will be adaptive, collaborative, empathetic and compassionate.
This may not come easy to everyone. Some people may be happy doing the mundane tasks they are currently assigned. But automation is here and will replace those tasks. Artificial intelligence and robotics will take away the mundane, predictable and repetitive tasks.
The future of work is upon us and we all need to reach out to each other (leaders included) to find other roles for these people and help them step up and make it. Retraining, coaching, education, development and ongoing support will be required.
Some people may embrace the chance to do something less boring whilst others may need more support and assistance to make the transition.
Those that ignore the future of work and lie down and take it will become irrelevant and have no place in the workforce.
It is my hope that this will be a very small minority because we have taken the time and provided all the resources needed to help everyone to step up and make it.
Leaders in the organization need to step up and make it if they are to remain relevant. They need to provide employee autonomy, clarity of expectations, decentralize decision-making to where it makes best sense to be. They need to get rid of the bureaucracy that is hierarchy. They need to be adaptive leaders. They need to move from a position of command and control to one of delegation and trust. They need to be authentic, honest and have emotional intelligence to lead with kindness.
Leaders need to step up and get out of the way. They need to lead as motivators and coaches, provide a clear sense of purpose and direction, be adaptive and flexible, and always ready to change. They need to develop a culture of psychological safety, trust, respect and engagement.
Many leaders will also need assistance to embrace the future of work. Education, coaching, development and ongoing support will be needed.
We need to be having this conversation now and start getting everyone ready today.
The bedrock of all these changes will be the need to be resilient in the face of constant change.
Resilience can be learnt. It is not something you are born with or without.
Every organization, every leader, every individual will be integral in building a workforce that is resilient to our volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world of change.
As Harriet Green (CEO and Chairman, IBM Asia Pacific) recently wrote:
“growth, resilience, engagement, agility and trust = GREAT
Ready to make you and your organization great?