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How To Succeed In 2021: The One Skill You Need
Our work changes at an accelerating rate.
Fueled by technological advancement that is moving at a speed never seen before in history, new roles are created and destroyed within a few years. The jobs that will be widely accepted as a norm in 10 years, we can’t even imagine yet.
As recent as our parents’ generation, you could choose a role or discipline as a teen and remain there for life. Our education system is even geared toward this.
Now we see roles taken by AI, and others become obsolete entirely. More and more knowledge work will be obsolete, and the advancement of robotics and self-driving vehicles will further delete other jobs.
I think it’s great, and holding back advancement of technology is not the answer.
The answer is that we must change.
We must change everything. Our mindset, our education system, and our approach to work.
It’s already happening, but not everybody is on the wagon yet. Those who are fearful are still holding on to the past, because it’s more comfortable.
Instead of choosing a role for life and hoping our employer will take care of us, we need to learn how to learn, how to be adaptable, and above all else, how to create value.
Creating value is the single most important skill of the future, and it encompasses many other things.
Creating value is being able to adapt to a situation, understand objectives that will make the situation better, and take action to get there.
Creating value is timeless, and will never go out of fashion.
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