News

By David Mantica

In today's constantly evolving work landscape, it's more important than ever for individuals to take control of their careers and plan for disruptions. Workers need to be proactive in developing their personal brands, acquiring skills, and building relationships to become indispensable within their organizations. In this blog, I would like to emphasize the importance of managing oneself and situations effectively, and investing in learning and growth to adapt to changing technology, culture, and consumer preferences. 

Career Insurance Canvas 

The Career Insurance Canvas is a process to protect and invest in one's work career. Being reactive is not a plan, as many individuals facing layoffs, potential job loss, or workplace issues are forced into a reactive situation without a plan. In most cases, individuals seek support and guidance due to the lack of preparedness. The Career Insurance Canvas helps individuals proactively protect their careers by developing a plan, investing in their skillset, and building a strong network, providing a sense of security and control over their future.  

Why Career Planning Matters 

Managing and planning for our careers is crucial as we face constant volatility and complexity in the rapidly changing work environment. Relying on traditional power bases, such as expert knowledge, is no longer sufficient to propel a career over 30 to 40 years. The status quo is an invisible killer, and without planning, individuals risk being left behind as data points in a constantly changing job market. Unintended career disruption can have severe consequences, including burning down retirement savings, reducing overall quality of life, and decreasing lifetime compensation potential. However, owning and preparing for potential career disruptions through career insurance can significantly reduce these consequences. It is essential to understand that who you are is not what you do, reducing the mindset built around a specific job and enabling individuals to adjust, pivot, and change more effectively. 

Career Planning Mindset 

To effectively plan for one's career, it is crucial to adopt a growth mindset, valuing learning, experimentation, and curiosity. However, many individuals approach job searching with a fixed mindset, limiting themselves to their current skills and connections. It is vital to manage mental health and regulate tension to keep an open mindset and actively seek learning opportunities. The Career Insurance mindset emphasizes pushing oneself to learn and grow, even when settled in a current job, to prepare for potential career disruptions positively. Conflict and new perspectives must be embraced to learn new ways of doing things and stay open to growth. Techniques to reduce stress and heat in the system can be applied when necessary. 

Influence and Likeability 

To become indispensable in your workplace, you need a growth mindset, be comfortable with discomfort and actively test and try new approaches. It's essential to be a "get things done" person, a lynchpin who connects, works with other groups and influences others. Indispensability requires being likable, connecting with others, and influencing them accordingly. This requires being truthful, transparent, relevant, unselfish, and keeping things simple. It's critical to build a likable presence that allows you to influence and increase your indispensability. Being good at putting people at ease, reading their body language, bringing solutions and ideas to the table, and executing through others are also crucial elements of being indispensable. Being likable is not about being nice but being transparent, respectful, and not manipulative. 

Differences Between EQ and IQ 

The ability to manage oneself and the situation is crucial for career growth and staying indispensable. Emotional intelligence (EQ) plays a significant role in this, as high EQ individuals are more likely to experience career growth compared to those who rely solely on their intelligence (IQ) as their expert power base. Building both IQ and EQ is important, as the erosion of an IQ-based power base can lead to fear-driven actions. Understanding oneself, situational awareness, and situational management are key success factors for career growth and indispensability. 

Being Indispensable 

Being indispensable in your workplace means having the power base of getting things done, paying it forward, sharing information, and being supportive. This referent power base is the foundation for successful teams and departments, making indispensable people the last to go or the first to leave. To achieve this, it's important to beat learned helplessness, contribute through voicing concerns and providing conflict, and accepting when things don't go as planned. Having the confidence to be prepared for disruption is also crucial for staying indispensable in your career. 

Your Career as a Product 

Preparing for the inevitable is critical in your career. You need to know your career product and value, and how to increase it within your technology or career space. You also need to understand where you are on the curve of the product lifecycle and realize that it increases your likelihood of potential disruption. To prevent disruption, you should invest in training, coaching, resume development, and networking. You need to identify your career value propositions and who the companies and individuals are that would hire you now and in the future. Your career changes and adjusts, and you need to be able to communicate your expertise and how you get things done to deal with disruption that impacts where you're going. 

Building a Personal Brand 

To prepare for the inevitable and ensure you're not disrupted in your career, it's important to understand your career product and increase its value within your technology or career space. You should know where you are on the product curve, invest in training, coaching, and networking, and identify your career value propositions and target companies. Connect your goals to your current profession and leverage LinkedIn to extend your resume, showcase your talent, and build your personal brand. Trade association involvement can help you build new skills, connect with people, and create a team of advisors to provide feedback and inspiration. Ultimately, your skill-building pathway should be focused on preparing for the future and driving growth in your career. 

Recruiters vs. Networking 

Networking is a critical piece of getting a job, and it takes time and effort. It can be done through responding to posts, networking with recruiters, or building relationships with people. The goal is to learn from others, connect with them, and see if they can help you grow within a specific area. Networking is not about promoting yourself or uncomfortable small talk, but rather about building relationships and connections with people. It's important to offer help to others and stay connected consistently, as people want to give back and pay it forward. By doing this, you can build a reputation and a network of people who can help you when opportunities arise. 

Options for Proactive Investment 

Investing in your career requires a proactive approach. This involves seeking out a career coach or mentor, building a personal board of directors, and getting involved in relevant trade associations. You should also set aside money for learning and invest time in building relationships with recruiters, creating content, and offering pro bono coaching in areas you want to grow in. Managing a 5, 7, or 10 hour a month strategy to attend courses, network, and meet with people consistently is crucial to staying relevant and prepared for unexpected job loss or career shifts. By taking these steps, you can build a strong foundation for your career and be ready to turn to your network and highlight new skills when needed.