Should I stay or should I go?

Last week, I met the incredible Moyra Mackie and we entered a little time bubble where the clock stood still.

Within it, we delved into the true meaning of digital transformation; we salved the fears of senior management everywhere; we spared a thought for our future AI and robotic compatriots; and we discovered not one, but two major revolutions happening around us and to us.

We also spoke at length about our complex relationship with work, and how it is becoming unravelled and redefined at a tremendous pace.

One of the tenets of this relationship is mobility.

Traditionally, most people were content to stay within the same role or atleast the same company, in something colloquially called the “job for life”. There are many reasons for such a thing being desireable: rewards for loyalty, a powerful network, and a clear understanding of how things work. I’d like to think that another, more intrinsic aspect is the ease and convenience of building a brand within the same company that enables the above benefits.

This is slowly but inexorably changing.

At one (currently visible) end, we have the “gig economy”, the “freelanc-ification” of work, and disintermediation of traditional services. However, I’d like to look at the journey that is getting us there, some faster or slower than others.

It’s really about meaning.

We’ve always questioned who we are and what we want from life, but the only people for whom this intersected with the vocational realm were artists, philosophers and the heavily-moneyed. Not anymore. Humans have an innate desire to ask reflective questions and when it comes to work, it shouldn’t be the remit of a select few.

We must all ask, among other things: should I stay or should I go?

Firsthand experience has taught me that each move — each leap of faith — enables better answers to those fundamental questions about oneself. And the benefits aren’t limited to me. These disruptions (and they are indeed disruptions), result in periods of intensive and accelerated learning. Whether it’s discovering new skills and avenues, or simply getting used to new processes and a different seating plan: this disruption breathes life into and energises us.

In return, we are at the very best we can be for our new workplace. On a more controversial note, we are also at the very best we could ever be for our previous workplace. I’ll let that sink in.

All this learning and gaining of new experiences is extremely satisfying on a human level. We don’t have to be philosophers to seek out these feelings, and nor should we be stigmatised for wanting to do so.

As for building a personal brand: we can do so without being bound to any “org charts”.

With our desire for meaning and experimentation, come the tools and techniques to craft our image. Whether it is Working out Loud, or Lean Startup, or agile (try using it for personal productivity – it’s not just for software development) our brand can become mobile, our network can become mobile, and so can our growth.