You need to future-proof your workforce now!

We are failing with our workforce. Technology is killing jobs left and right, and yet it often feels like there’s no one to hire.

When we talk about the future, we like to think only about the advancements in tech, but in reality, we should be thinking more about how technology forces us to cope with the ever-changing nature of jobs and the workforce.

Unfortunately, many companies today don’t understand even the simple basics of how to work with the new generation or how to help previous generations enter into the new age of technology.

Hint: We need to start allowing people to think for themselves and take responsibility in our organisations so they can learn how to cope with this crazy environment where we are not always right.

But first, let’s take a look at what is causing this.

Advancements in technology are eliminating many jobs that involve repetitive and well-defined tasks. This process has caused many workers to lose their jobs, but there still is a drought of creative problem-solvers.

It’s not that people don’t want to take on these problem-solving challenges; it’s that many workers haven’t experienced the new, chaotic environment before and are not sure how to behave. It also changes the way organisations work and the way people are led.

Older generations sometimes point out that millennials are entitled and hard to work with. Yes, this may be true in many ways, but often it’s also because they just don’t agree with everything you say to them or, worse, command them to do. Future generations now have an opportunity to decide what is true and what is not. This was not possible in the more repetitive work environments of the past, but it is well-suited to a more creative workforce.

Every day I see how people struggle to operate in that new environment. Making decisions is hard, and finding the reasons behind the problems often takes people out of their comfort zones. They don’t believe that they can do it, and they think someone else is smarter than them; it all feels scary and unreachable.

Without proper support, people often get burned in the organization and are never able to raise their head again. To my dismay, I see a lot of people today performing way under their capability because fear, lack of understanding, or sluggish organization structures are holding these people back.

I’m not talking just about how people could feel better at work but also about multiplying organisational speed and throughput, which has a direct correlation to the business results.

My methodology to activate people is relatively simple

1. The Interview

Interview the person and find out what they would really like to do — everybody has some unrealised dreams! It’s important to also understand what they really want. When their dreams don’t actually match what they truly want, then they won’t put any effort into it when the hard times come.
- For example, a person from customer support dreams of learning how to build a product, but it seems unrealistic for them as they do not possess the necessary technical skills nor have they ever analysed problems in such a detailed manner.

2. The Roadmap

Chop that dream into smaller pieces so it feels more approachable. Everything starts with small and simple steps.
- If that person comes from customer support, then they can talk to the customer (a valuable skill in product management).
- Put them in charge of filtering customer feedback and making small decisions on how the product should change, etc.

3. Rehearse

Find or create opportunities for that person to rehearse these newly obtained skills.
- Include them partially in the product team workings, throw gradually harder decisions at them, or challenge them with the tedious work that’s needed to build a product.

4. Test

Create a sense of urgency and push them out of their comfort zone.
- Teach them technical skills and push them to make an effort to understand how that world works.
- Play to the weak points so they understand what needs to be learned and so they don’t get comfy in their small area of the product’s world.

5. Expand Network

Show them what is possible in this new work world by introducing them to new people and helping them widen their network. This will help them to become more independent by gathering knowledge from different sources.
- Find other professionals to help the new person.

6. Safety

Create a semi-hidden support and safety net.
- Everyone will have rough times when they doubt what they are doing. Make an effort to teach them how to get through this. This will develop a lot of future independence.
- Let the person struggle a bit. If they don’t feel the effects of the real world, they may crack under the pressure when the really hard times come.

7. Mentoring others

Push that person to be a mentor for someone else.
- Mentoring others with their newly learned skill really push people to think about what they know and how things work.
- This also helps you create a chain reaction that will make your organization stronger.

Be patient

All of this takes time, so be patient and learn from any mistakes along the way. Done right, this process achieves many crucial things in your organization:

• It helps to remove the fear of new things.
• It builds up can-do confidence.
• It teaches people how to learn.
• It helps to hand over more ownership.
• They are less arrogant and egotistical. (It’s funny how people who need to constantly learn are less arrogant than those who know it all.)

If you undertake this journey, you will have an exponentially stronger organisation on your hands. It might be harder at times to control it as people challenge your new methods if they don’t understand or agree with you, but isn’t it better to have an intelligent workforce organisation instead of “the old boss is always right”?

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