Can you leap ahead to think about your career?
My friend was born on a February 29. Last week, we had lunch to celebrate his 13th birthday!
Funny thing about leap years; for me, they create an opportunity to recall the past four years to consider where I was and what was happening in life. Four years can seem both a short and a long time simultaneously.
The days after the last February 29th have been historic in their massive impact on the world. We’d all been hearing news about this pandemic that was causing concern for our health and well-being. Instead of our traditional handshakes, we’d submitted to jovially bumping elbows and standing six feet apart.
My granddaughter’s third birthday party was held that first weekend in March and even there, we tried to be responsible of how we were interacting with others, figuring this too would pass.
The following week, everything changed. Schools and universities began closing campuses; restaurants and hotels began pivoting (remember the rise of that word?). When professional sports all shut down in unison, that signaled the ultimate alarm. This was big.
Little did we know then what was ahead of us. The pandemic changed everything of how we transacted business and met at family gatherings. It will likely go down as one of the most significant world events, if not the most, in the lifetimes of those who survived it.
This column isn’t about reliving that past, but rather setting the stage to discover what we are doing four years later. How have our lives – both professionally and personally – changed?
While much has returned to what was once considered “normal,” there is now nuance. Here are just three everyday examples:
● Shaking hands has now returned, however there is greater respect and acceptance for those that would prefer to offer a non-physical greeting or departure.
● Conferences and events have returned, but organizers have had to find ways to include alternate options for those who prefer to attend virtually. As it turns out, this inclusiveness has been wildly successful and profitable for those that do it well.
● “Working” no longer requires that one lives near the “office.” While there was hybrid work being done in
February 2020, it was rarer. Today, employers can hire the right people for the job regardless of where they live, people aren’t constrained by their locations, and it’s become the norm not the outlier.
Opportunities are available and created out of crisis. As I think about the past four years, my business looks entirely different today than it did then. The main impetus of the changes started with the “pivot” propagated by the pandemic and furthered by technological advances that weren’t even considered possible. How does your business and career look different today than in March 2020?
It’s an excellent exercise to briefly jot down those changes. If you’re like me, it might be pointedly onesided on the positive side of the ledger. The four years of resilience, determination, personal development, and technology likely have engendered growth for you.
But let’s not focus on that for very long because as we all know, time doesn’t stand still.
What kind of conversations might we be having the next time a leap year comes around? How will your business and career be different?
This time, you can be the catalyst.
If you’re a business owner, executive, entrepreneur, or business professional, strategy should be a constant. While you may be concerned about what happens over the next four months, those four years are your future. What do you want to be?
While none of us possesses certainty, we can strategize based on educated information of what we know to be true today. Here are three examples to start with:
AI is here, there, and everywhere
The toothpaste called Artificial Intelligence isn’t only out of the tube, but the tube is seemingly endless.
Take ChatGPT. A year ago, most of us didn’t have a clue what that word meant. Today, that platform is now spitting out AI-generated images and video simply by being prompted by text.
AI’s capability to save time, resources, and money is unbounded. There are jobs that won’t exist in four years because of it (but that’s not new, technology has been doing that for decades). Even if you own a business, it could be in danger of obsolescence because of what AI will be able to do in the very near future.
Instead of fearing AI, we should all be embracing it. There will always be a need for human intelligence to clarify, confirm, and integrate. Those of us who learn how to harness and leverage the power of Artificial Intelligence will be the Human intelligence of the future.
How can your business offer more “humanity?”
The fun factor is up
With a burgeoning dependence on artificial intelligence, there is also a similarly growing desire for both human interaction and experiences.
Businesses that can capture that innate human desire to build relationships, grow communities, improve communications, and create experiences will thrive.
Savvy business professionals are learning how to take advantage of technology to create more discretionary time. They also want to integrate more fun into their business experiences.
How can your business create experiences that will attract potential clients and customers? How can you differentiate your brand to become its own “influencer?”
Who’s your client? And what do they want?
Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky is famously quoted as having said he always skated to where the puck was going, not where it was…
Where is the puck going over the next four years in your business, and how fast is it traveling?
Your clientele and customer base are looking for value; to improve their condition. Those values and desires never stay stagnant. What your client may want from you in four years might not exist today. Should you be the one that envisions and designs it?
All too often, the end user doesn’t even know what they want until it’s presented to them. Anyone who’s ever sold a product or service knows that emotion is the leading driver of sales – joy, fear, peace of mind, ego, sense of duty and legacy come to mind.
What will your business and life look like in 2028? Maybe the better question is, what are you going to do about it today?
Dan Weedin is a strategist, speaker, author and executive coach and regular contributor to the Kitsap Sun. He helps small business and middle market business leaders and entrepreneurs to grow more profitably and create a better life. He was inducted into the Million Dollar Consultant™ Hall of Fame in 2012. You can reach Dan at 360-271-1592; e-mail at dan@danweedin.com or visit his web site at www.DanWeedin.com.