![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thrive-coaching.biz\/test.thrive-coaching.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/transformation-300x169.jpeg\"){kind=spacer}
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Last week, when I wrote about \u201cWhat is Digital\u201d, I talked about how we have to \u201cUnlearn and Relearn\u201d to evolve.<\/p>\n
What are the opportunities you came up with to transform what you do and evolve?<\/p>\n
Well, I have to admit that I remember the days when the the mobile phone didn\u2019t exist! And sending a fax message was exciting!<\/p>\n
Nothing to be ashamed of I guess because when each of you looks back on your life, you will have a similar realisation \u2013 how far we have come!<\/p>\n
So, how much we will continue to transform and evolve!<\/p>\n
Today, our children are playing games with their friends who could be anywhere around the globe. What they don\u2019t realise is that by the time they become parents themselves, their children will think the technology that is used in the 2020\u2019s is as antiquated as the telegrams and fax messages we relied on 20 years ago!<\/p>\n
Adult education experts estimate that up to 40% of what tertiary students are learning will be obsolete a decade from now when they will be working in jobs that have yet to be created. Indeed, the top 10 most in-demand jobs today didn\u2019t even exist 10 years ago. To say that we live in a changing world understates the speed of both the pace and the scope of ongoing change.<\/p>\n
Of course. it\u2019s not just technology that\u2019s changing the world. Profound changes in demography and longevity have experts predicting that by 2020 there will be more people over 65 years old than under age 15 in the world\u2019s developed countries. Add to this the social changes in family structure, the globalization of talent, and continued innovation in technology, and it\u2019s hard to imagine just what the world and its increasingly mobile workforce will look like 20 years from now. Certainly nothing like it looked twenty years ago!<\/p>\n
So, it\u2019s not just about keeping up with the rate of change and the nature of the work we do, but\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0we do it and\u00a0where<\/em>. When anyone can work from anywhere, it changes the nature of work everywhere. \u201cIt is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent.<\/strong> While we\u2019re all born with an intense desire to learn, somewhere along the line many of us lose our passion for learning. Whatever the reasons, once the basics are covered, many people tend to stick with what they know and avoid situations or challenges where they may mess up or be forced to learn something new, thus creating a safe, secure and comfortable (and confining) world for themselves.<\/p>\n So, they do their best to mould the changes going on around them\u2014in people, events and the general environment\u2014to fit with their current \u2018mental maps.\u2019 They may say they\u2019re open to change, but actually do their best to avoid it. For a while, that strategy can work fairly well. What it doesn\u2019t do is prepare them to adapt to a future that may well require an entirely new set of maps.<\/p>\n As any ex-typewriter repair person might tell you, refusing to acknowledge that the world is changing will eventually land you in a tough spot, with few options and a lot of forced learning (for instance, how to live on minimum wage).<\/p>\n When you resist learning, unlearning and relearning, the options available to you can narrow greatly.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n When it comes to adapting to change, delay is increasingly expensive as you quickly lose your place in a world forever marching steadily forward.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Of course, it\u2019s not about acquiring knowledge for knowledge\u2019s sake. We can all acquire copious amounts of knowledge just by sitting on Wikipedia all day long. \u00a0Your mobile devices alone give you access to more information at your fingertips that you can process in your entire lifetime, much less actually use.<\/p>\n In 1992 the internet was only beginning to emerge, few people used email and students were still using encyclopaedias to research assignments (remember them?).<\/p>\n It was a world in which technology had yet to revolutionize business; a world where working remotely was still a rarity and many people stayed in jobs for life. So much has changed since then, including the rules for getting ahead and to succeed today we must be in a constant state of adaptation.<\/p>\n That is;\u00a0continually unlearning old \u2018rules\u2019 and relearning new ones.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n That requires continually questioning assumptions about how things work, challenging old paradigms, and \u2018relearning\u2019 what is now relevant in your job, your industry, your career and your life.<\/p>\n Learning agility is the name of the game. Where the rules are changing fast, your ability to be agile in letting go of old rules and learning new ones is increasingly important.<\/p>\n Learning agility is the key to unlocking your change proficiency and succeeding in an uncertain, unpredictable and constantly evolving environment, both personally and professionally. There are countless things you may have to unlearn in your job, business and career, even in the course of the next 12 months, such as \u2026<\/p>\n Unlearning is about moving away from something – letting go, rather than acquiring. It\u2019s like stripping old paint. It lays the foundation for the new layer of fresh learning to be acquired and to stick. But like the painter who needs to prepare a surface, stripping the paint is 70% of the work while repainting is only 30%.<\/p>\n \u2018Everyone has to bring something extra; being average is no longer enough. Everyone is looking for emp<\/em><\/strong>loyees who can do critical thinking and problem solving \u2026 just to get an interview. What they are really looking for are people who can invent, re-invent and re-engineer their jobs while doing them.\u2019<\/em><\/strong> People who find opportunities in a changing environment are those who are actively looking for them. The choice is simple:\u00a0act or be acted upon<\/em>.<\/p>\n Since change is the only constant we can truly rely upon, learning to navigate and adapt to it is not just important to our survival, it\u2019s essential for us to thrive in the bigger game of life.<\/p>\n I will leave you with that thought.<\/p>\n With best wishes for your success and speak again soon.<\/p>\n Korinne <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
\nTraditional boundaries disappear and the global talent pool becomes more skilled and mobile, and your ability to adapt to change and proactively make changes in your life and your career is what will make a crucial difference to where you find yourself even just five years from now.<\/p>\n
\nIt is the one that is the most adaptable to change.\u201d<\/strong>
\n-Charles Darwin-<\/p>\n\n
\n– The New York Times\u00a0columnist Tom Friedman-<\/em><\/p>\n