Preparing For The Future Of Work: JP Laqueur of DataBank On The Top Five Trends To Watch In The Future Of Work

An Interview with Phil La Duke

Technology is simultaneously eliminating jobs and creating entirely new categories of jobs (examples everywhere). But it also enables us to work in new and different ways and the pandemic showed us all how this was possible. That trend will only accelerate as we come out of the pandemic.

There have been major disruptions in recent years that promise to change the very nature of work. From the ongoing shifts caused by the COVID19 pandemic, the impacts caused by automation, and other possible disruptions to the status quo, many wonder what the future holds in terms of employment. For example, a report by the McKinsey Global Institute that estimated automation will eliminate 73 million jobs by 2030.

To address this open question, we reached out to successful leaders in business, government, and labor, as well as thought leaders about the future of work to glean their insights and predictions on the future of work and the workplace.

As a part of this interview series called “Preparing For The Future Of Work”, we had the pleasure to interview JP Laqueur, Senior Vice President of Marketing at DataBank Ltd.

JP Laqueur has bult a career out of creating a sense of purpose, understanding and connection between people and brands, buyers and sellers, companies and employees. He began his career at MCI, marketing some of the world’s very first Internet services, and seeing first-hand how a powerful brand — and a committed culture — could disrupt a 100-year old monopoly and change the world.

Over the next twenty-five years, JP served in senior tech industry marketing roles before launching his own agency — BrandFoundations — and creating a revolutionary new way to unite brand and culture with his renowned Purpose-Way-Impact messaging model. Today, he serves as the Senior Vice President of DataBank, a data center provider with the largest geographic facility footprint in the U.S., where he is responsible for all of the company’s marketing, brand, internal communications and culture programs.

JP is also is chairman of the Conscious Capitalism Chapter of NYC and sits on the Board of Directors of Parks & Trails New York. He lives in Westchester County NY with his wife and two children and can be found skiing, biking or hiking in the woods of New York or Vermont when not integrating brand and culture.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers like to get an idea of who you are and where you came from. Can you tell us a bit about your background? Where do you come from? What are the life experiences that most shaped your current self?

I grew up in Connecticut, in the leafy suburbs of NYC, went to school in upstate NY, and went to work in the telecom industry in search of a career in marketing. I joined MCI in 1992 and 3 years later was part of the company’s first internet marketing team, giving me a front row seat into the power of storytelling and branding in technology. But it was also at MCI that I first saw how powerful a corporate culture could be, and how much it could contribute to organizational performance, and that set me on the 20-year search for ways to integrate both brand and culture storytelling.

What do you expect to be the major disruptions for employers in the next 10–15 years? How should employers pivot to adapt to these disruptions?

I would say technology and demographics are the two biggest potential disruptors for employers in the next 10–15 years. Technology is both replacing roles and creating new roles as well as changing how and where people choose to live and work. Employers need to figure out how to adjust their approach to employment to embrace more variety in the types of work people engage in — sometimes contributing in ways indirectly related to their job descriptions — and getting creative in where they do that work and how. Remote work is here to stay.

In addition, we’re undergoing a huge demographic shift that will affect employers and employees. A huge aging/retired population will need to be supported by a much smaller and younger workforce. That is going to put pressure on employees who need to care for elder generations and all that comes with that: financial pressures, healthcare management, time constraints, etc. A younger workforce of “digital natives” will also force employers to embrace digital and unconventional ways of working. Witness the tremendous rise of twenty-something “nomad lifestyle” workers around the globe.

The choice as to whether or not a young person should pursue a college degree was once a “no-brainer”. But with the existence of many high profile millionaires (and billionaires) who did not earn degrees, as well as the fact that many graduates are saddled with crushing student loan debt and unable to find jobs it has become a much more complex question. What advice would you give to young adults considering whether or not to go to college?

I think a strong liberal arts education is still the best investment a young person can make in themselves. It’s about widening perspectives, stepping out of comfort zones, being exposed to new ideas, and “learning how to learn” — that is what it takes to adapt in a fast-moving, tech-driven culture. To me, this makes more sense than simply going to school to learn a trade or technology. The technology will always be changing. “Learning how to learn” will ensure you never become obsolete. That being said, college has become ridiculously expensive, and I don’t think an ivy league education is worth the cost. There are plenty of excellent state schools that provide a solid education at a fraction of the price.

Despite the doom and gloom predictions, there are, and likely still will be, jobs available. How do you see job seekers having to change their approaches to finding not only employment, but employment that fits their talents and interests?

Two things: Purpose and a Network. It all starts with having a clear sense of what is your Purpose in life? What change do you want to bring about in the world through your career? Statistics show that we will spend more time at work than we will with our friend or loved ones or even sleeping. If you know is wrong with the world that you want to change, you will be more in touch with your innate talents and be clearer in the roles that address that purpose. And that leads to the second thing: your network. I’ve always believed the single biggest tool to leverage in a job search is your network and those who consciously build their network — inside and outside their organization — will invariably succeed. Being clear on your Purpose, doing good work, treating people well, and keeping in touch with them makes you unforgettable and will open more doors than thousands of blind resume submissions ever will.

The statistics of artificial intelligence and automation eliminating millions of jobs, appears frightening to some. For example, Walmart aims to eliminate cashiers altogether and Dominos is instituting pizza delivery via driverless vehicles. How should people plan their careers such that they can hedge their bets against being replaced by automation or robots?

It’s impossible to know which jobs will be affected by automation or when. So, my advice would be, as I mentioned above — to “learn how to learn” by exposing yourself to a wide variety of topics. By staying nimble, and able to adjust and learn new disciplines, employees will always be able to pivot. And again, I would focus on a Purpose, something you can be passionate about. Passion for a job well done, for serving others, for improving the world, is not something machines will ever have. Passion, love and heart are fundamentally human traits that machines will only ever be able to mimic. Building them into your career will provide an additional layer of protection.

Technological advances and pandemic restrictions hastened the move to working from home. Do you see this trend continuing? Why or why not?

Absolutely this trend will continue. For most businesses who went into lock-down, it is now apparent that quite a lot can be done remotely at lower cost. And when people need to be in-person, there will be plenty of cheaper ways to do it temporarily at co-working facilities, conference facilities or simply in smaller/shared offices.

What societal changes do you foresee as necessary to support the fundamental changes to work?

I think we need to establish portable, cost-effective health insurance to allow entrepreneurs to take the plunge of leaving corporate environments to start new businesses, enable more effective movement between companies, and reduce the burden on businesses of maintaining these complex and expensive benefits.

What changes do you think will be the most difficult for employers to accept? What changes do you think will be the most difficult for employees to accept?

Working remotely, with less supervision, and a more “freelance” mentality among workers are still the biggest challenges for employers to accept. Smart employers will continue to push authority downward and create empowered, self-directed teams who operate within an “operating system” of cultural norms and values rather than a command-and-control framework. I’s making the shift to thinking about organizations as living ecosystems rather than machines.

Despite all that we have said earlier, what is your greatest source of optimism about the future of work?

I’m a fan of Frederic Laloux’s philosophy of “Reinventing Organizations” and believe as he does that the way humanity organizes itself and works has gone thru major leaps of evolution. First from wolf packs (think gangs and the Mafia) to hierarchical frameworks (think Armies) to achievement structures (think today’s meritocratic corporations to pluralistic organizations (think familial orgs, conscious capitalism, etc.). But there is one more evolution ahead of us and that is to organizations that are more self-governing, less ego-driven, and offering work that is more purposeful and integral to each of us as individuals. This is my most optimistic view of the future of work.

Okay, wonderful. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “Top 5 Trends To Watch In the Future of Work?” (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Purpose: Having a higher purpose than simply a paycheck (for an individual) or profits (for a company) has the potential to change the future of work. This is not only a core tenet of the Conscious Capitalism movement, it’s also been embraced by the Business Roundtable, the lobbying group for America’s largest corporations. And personally, it was the genesis of my own messaging framework around “Purpose-Way-Impact” which was read, shared and liked over 100,000 times on Linkedin when I first published it. There is a reason. Purpose connects with everyone.
2. Technology: Technology is simultaneously eliminating jobs and creating entirely new categories of jobs (examples everywhere). But it also enables us to work in new and different ways and the pandemic showed us all how this was possible. That trend will only accelerate as we come out of the pandemic.
3. Demographics: The rise of a huge, new workforce of “digital natives/nomads” will force companies to adopts new ways of working. I can’t tell you how many twenty-somethings I know who 30 years ago would have gone to live in NYC and work for a big company, instead today rent AirBnB’s around the country or around the globe, working for technology companies in high-paying roles, on their own terms and times. This trend too has only accelerated with the Pandemic and the shortage of labor. This demographic is so large businesses will have to accommodate it.
4. New Organizational Structures: In response to these demographic changes, we already see companies rethinking job roles and how they organize themselves, creating flatter organizations with authority pushed downward toward more self-directed teams. It’s early, but this notion of treating organizations a living ecosystems rather than machines is the inevitable outcome long term. In the meantime, we see companies like www.Hitch.works creating software that takes the first steps towards this future. In their case, creating a “gig inside” marketplace that allows workers to collaborate on projects outside their defined roles and changing the very nature of the relationship between employee and manager.
5. Culture: Finally, I think human culture at large is changing the way we think about and approach work. The pandemic, ecological disasters, and economic dislocations in the past decade have all combined to shift our collective outlook on life. Nothing is guaranteed. Life can be short. It’s important that we recognize we’re all interconnected and part of a larger whole. As evidence of this, I look no further than the huge uptick in mindfulness and meditation. This is shift that will likely persist and even grow, further reducing our “attachment” to the ways things were and opening doors to the possibility of what could be.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how this quote has shaped your perspective?

“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it…” Simon Sinek — This is from his book Start With Why which is what first inspired me to see the connection between Brand and Culture and the importance that Purpose plays in our personal lives and our organizations too.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

Sir Richard Branson — because he’s not only a great builder of brands, but cultures as well, and has reimagined so many industries.

Our readers often like to follow our interview subjects’ careers. How can they further follow your work online?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jplaqueur/

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this. We wish you continued success and good health.