What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

While the mode and pace of learning will change over time it is critical to know how to learn, unlearn and relearn. As I wrote about in this post Unlearning Your Way to Success there is a need to stay on your toes and reaching for that next learning opportunity. The fact is that after your formal learning days have ended you get to pick and choose what you learn. Of course, there are some nuances to this based on your chosen field. But, with so many possibilities today if you aren’t passionate about something … get out.

The point I’m trying to make here is that if you are passionate and committed to a chosen field you will need to create a path for continuous learning. Simply put … In order to get ahead, stay ahead and accelerate your career you need to make the time and spend the effort to develop your learning path.

Charles Darwin had it right. He is credited with being the creator of the theory of evolution. But, what he actually said is more apropos to the concepts and implications of lifelong learning. By making a commitment to oneself — which is both personal and professional — to commit to the efforts required for lifelong learning.

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.
~ Charles Darwin

Work is Evolving

The nature of work and the concept of working is changing. It is evolving. What Millennials have realized is that there are no more “jobs for life” and that the need to re-invent themselves is a requirement for career success. Those that will stand out the most in their careers will figure this out early and be able to adapt their

From some research that Dion Hinchcliffe of Adjuvi recently published he has made an interesting analysis on the need for skills that are more personal, culturally aware and that require more Emotional Intelligence (EQ). This was interesting in that for so many years the human element was almost beaten out of the job role. It seems that is changing and it’s about time.

What his researched shows is that there are more human elements in the top traits technical and business executives look for when they are hiring and promoting.

Technical Teams are looking for these following two traits (among others):

• Ability to innovate at scale
• Ability to disrupt self

Executive leaders of organizations are looking for these two traits:

• Entrepreneurial inclination
• Understand the User Experience

I took these to be much more focused on the personal aspects of a given role. This is part of the evolution of work. Where the human element has become important again. Where the job satisfaction of the person involved is at least as important as the need to complete the task itself.

What men want is not talent, it is purpose; in other words, not the power to achieve it, but will to labor. I believe that labor judiciously and continuously applied becomes genius.
~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Millennials are at a critical juncture here and from what I’ve seen have been able to take advantage of their ability to quickly capture, process, analyze, synthesize and act on information. I believe Millennials have realized that what they have learned in the past may form a foundation for future skills, but I’ve also seen Millennials discard old information like yesterdays newspaper and move on to new ideas and concepts.

Millennials have realized that they need to keep working and learning … and also unlearning … in order to adapt, survive and succeed. Which leads to the title of this article … what got you here won’t get you there.

I believe Millennials have begun to embrace this idea and are setting themselves up for a whole new kind of workplace success. I’m looking forward to the next generation workplace and I suspect it will bring on a new level of productivity and job satisfaction. Partially because it will embrace the human elements, but also because there will be a more dynamic workforce. Millennials are at the forefront of this effort. And, I expect there impact will be felt for many years to come.