Re-skill at your will !!!
In today’s corporate environment, corporate life of an employee and employer is unlike the older times when it used to be like joint family where trust, loyalty and commitment were the key pillars. Today, this relation is more self-centric for both Employer and Employee. It is always going to be debatable. The theory of “Survival of the Fittest” is apt for both in today’s corporate environment.
Let us look in to such issues which I have seen or experienced in past few years. I hope we will agree on these. You will see the equation balancing as we look at both sides of the coin for these issues.
Disruptive Industrial transformation
This world is no same as it was 200 years ago or even 20 years ago. Don’t look at the period but look at the mass of change and pace of change.
Industry 1.0 was the revolution when mechanical engineering led manufacturing practices took over the handmade textiles. Steam power made transport boom over the animal carts. Improved transportation & improved manufacturing techniques were the change agents.
Industry 2.0 led by electrical revolution further helped the manufacturing industry. Production lines came up in the manufacturing facilities which increased the manufacturing multi-fold and incremental demand in the market for such products.
Industry 3.0 changed the way we used to communicate. This was led by INTERNET & computer based, automation. This age was again about deriving efficiency in the way we work. Before this era, communication was almost as good as commutation. But internet changed the entire communication medium. This electronic age led new businesses come up, helped existing businesses grow, brought people closer and helped shift from telegram to e-mails.
Industry 4.0 – Another disruption is on the way. This is about machines talking to each other, popularly known as M2M communication. Full automation of what we as humans do by our experience. We already speak to our devices like ALEXA & GOOGLE and it happily obeys our orders. Furthermore, we are talking about Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence (ML & AI). Here, machines learn on their own, take decisions and improvise on their decisions every time.
"Now, the point is, with such massive changes, if you stick to what you know, you will become REDUNDANT." So, what you need to do is Re-Skill.
AMBIGUOUS environment and Lay Off’s led by unstable market
This world is ever changing. For both companies and employees, competition in every industry is building up faster than we realize. Survival of fittest still stands good. But what about less than just fit, they end up eating dust.
This theory stands good in any industry as a principle. Increasing competition between suppliers, increasing options for customers is a double-edged sword. You have to be skilled enough to handle the competitive pressure in every sense. Either you do things differently or do something different in order to survive in the ever-competing industry players.
We may feel terrible thinking about lay-offs, and rightly so. We are living under heavy debts, EMIs. We rather work not for satisfaction, but for EMIs. So, obviously our worry about a lay-off is genuine. However, the question is, does the life end with it? Thing about your BRAND Value, your WORTH and decide. So, the answer is simple, Re-Skill.
Ambiguity in our day to day corporate life is synonymous to working the way out of CHAKRAVYUHA not knowing the way. The one, who can navigate survives, rest keep struggling. So, it is important for us to understand what is happening around us. Self-consciousness and self-awareness are the keys to stay calm and navigate through ambiguous situations. Decisions will have to be taken in situations where there are more variables than constants. One must improve on his or her risk appetite.
The equation has changed from stability to “Bigger the Risk, Greater the Reward”. To handle bigger risks one must certainly have right skills which means what was good yesterday is no good today, improvisation on the go is a must to be relevant.
In any case I am sure we have understood that we must Re-Skill ourselves. I needn't tell you that doing this by will is always going to be better than when you are forced to do so.
So, are you game for it? INTROSPECT, IMPROVE and MOVE forward. If nothing else in your platter you will at least have a satisfaction of giving it your best shot.