Over the last three years running a business, I've leaned into 30 years of work experience to help leaders tap into their full potential.
During this time, I've had the privilege to partner with companies and speak at many Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), conferences, and events.
Throughout those talks and engagements, we've focused on and answered these recurring questions:
How do I grow my value and prepare my skills for the next level?
How do I build my career with resilience?
How do I become fearless at work and in my life?
To provide the answers to these questions in the right context, I begin by sharing these sobering facts.
NEWS FLASH!
The speed of skill displacement driven by technology changes is projected to double over the next decade (McKinsey&Company).
Currently, approximately 50% of jobs could be automated with existing technology, but only 15% have been automated.
As a result, over 30% of the US workforce will need to either change jobs or upgrade their skills significantly by the year 2030.
That translates into approximately 53 million US workers having to find new work or develop their skills in the next decade. These facts are very compelling—it's time to prepare.
In this article series, we're introducing you to three sure ways to boost your career and develop your skills for the rapid changes happening in the US economy and labor force. Today, we are introducing you to Part 1 of 3.
3 Ways to Boost Your Career
#1 Develop a Growth Mindset
According to the Neuro Leadership Institute, a mindset is ways of thinking about the goals we pursue in our professional and personal lives.
Your mindset determines what type of information you focus on (e.g., problems vs. solutions), how your brain handles errors and mistakes, and how you interpret failure and successes and store them in long-term memory.
Psychologist Carol Dweck first introduced the term growth mindset. People with a growth mindset believe that skills and abilities can improve with work and dedication. On the opposite side of the spectrum, people with a fixed mindset believe that intelligence and talents can't be changed.
What Is Your Mindset?
To perform a quick assessment of your current mindset, look at these statements, and pick those that are true for you:
□ I see change as a challenge
□ I take positive actions towards my goals
□ When I make a mistake, I look for opportunities to learn
□ I see potential in myself and others
□ I see problems as a learning process
□ I avoid making a drama out of a crisis
□ I tend to see change as a threat
□ I often experience highly negative emotions (anxiety, stress, jealousy)
□ I avoid challenges
□ I fear to ask questions or admit what I don't know
□ I give up quickly
If you chose most of the first six statements, your beliefs align more with a "growth mindset." On the other hand, if you can relate more to the last six, your views are more aligned with a fixed mindset. You may discover that you share a combination of both. For example, you may relate to both depending on the area you're focusing on (e.g., career vs. personal relationships).
What’s Next?
Here are some critical questions for you.
If your beliefs are more aligned with a fixed mindset...
How much certainty/confidence would you have about your ability to level-up and upgrade your skills?
How much of your potential will you tap into every day?
How proactive and committed would you be to taking action to grow your value and develop your skills?
What type of results would you get if you take "little" action?
How would mediocre results boost your confidence to tap into more of your potential tomorrow?
How quickly would you bounce back after a setback?
To boost your career, develop your skills, proactively, and tap into our full potential, you must be willing to shift into a growth mindset.
Most likely, you've already experienced changes in your role and field due to automation and digitization. To stay relevant amidst the massive transformations that will continue happening in the workplace in the next decade and beyond, it will require that you remain at the forefront of the changes and prepare accordingly.
Preparing means becoming your self-advocate and a champion for change—a leader (regardless of your role in the organizational structure). Barry Winbolt, a coach, psychotherapist, and writer, provides insights we can use as we gravitate toward a more developed resilient and growth and mindset.
Here’s sound advice on ways in which you can begin shifting toward a growth mindset.
Create realistic life goals with a sense of purpose
Take positive action toward your goals, daily
Nurture confidence and a positive view of yourself
Keep a realistic perspective (big picture)
Celebrate your successes, daily
Cherish social support and interaction
Treat problems as a learning process
Avoid making a drama out of a crisis
Focus on what will empower you
Practice optimism
You have an opportunity to create a "compelling future" or a "painful future." The latter includes not having employment, regardless of your level of education, and struggling to hang on to the career you've worked so hard to create. The former involves preparing for the rapid changes and rough waters ahead and contributing by using your unique gifts and expertise.
As leaders, let's also apply all these insight with our teams. You can help them prepare to stay relevant and evolve so that together you can add the most value to the organization.
Stay tuned for Part 2 & 3 of this article series, where we will share the two remaining strategies to boost your career and evolve your skills.
Develop a Growth Mindset Recap
What we believe can have a profound effect on our actions and the reality we create. Shifting to a growth mindset has the power to help you take proactive measures to develop your skills and grow your career.
We invite you to identify those beliefs related to the changes happening to your role and field. Begin brainstorming with peers, managers, and others across the organization. Discuss new ways in which you can take proactive action toward developing your skills to stay relevant as your role evolves.
To get informed about the changes happening in your field, read trade-related articles, books, and periodicals readily available online. Listen to podcasts, watch relevant videos on YouTube, and keep your ear to the ground. Pay attention to the new technologies that are being introduced in your workplace and get curious about the impact they could have in your role today and tomorrow.
Remember, you always have a choice. You can choose to move forward with purpose, or you can choose to remain stuck in the past.
In this community, our goal is to help you thrive in your career by maximizing your value today and preparing you for the challenges and rough waters ahead, with clarity, ease, and purpose.
If you enjoyed this article, share it with your network and leave us a comment.
In the meantime, be fearless! (act despite the fear)
PS: To prepare the leaders in our community to pivot and rise to their leadership potential, we're thrilled to announce the Fearless Leadership Mastermind--a revolutionary development program for leaders in the new economy. Check it out and sign up for our waitlist today.
With love and appreciation,
Ginny
About Dr. Ginny A. Baro
Dr. Ginny Baro is an international executive coach, speaker, and #1 bestselling author of Fearless Women at Work. She is the CEO and founder of ExecutiveBound™ and Fearless Women @Work™ and the creator of the innovative and proven method, C.A.R.E.S. Success System™.
Ginny specializes in helping executives develop leaders, maximize performance, and increase profits. As a career strategist, she partners with talented individuals who are navigating a corporate hierarchy or transitioning into an entirely new phase of their professional careers.
She has successfully facilitated leadership training and coaching programs for global companies with over 65,000 employees and delivered keynotes impacting international audiences larger than 7,000 people.
For over two decades, Ginny held multiple Director and senior leadership roles in financial services and technology. Her academic degrees include a Ph.D. in Information Systems, an MS in Computer Science, an MBA in Management, and a BA in Computer Science and Economics. She's a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) accredited by the International Coach Federation. For more information, visit www.executivebound.com.
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