Jacob Morgan's Blog, page 26

Evolving from Knowledge Workers to Learning Workers

During the past few decades we have spent a lot of time talking about knowledge workers and knowledge work. However today knowledge is nothing more than a commodity and to be the smartest guy in the room all you need access to is a smartphone. This is especially true when we consider that more “smart assistants” such as the Amazon Echo, Siri, Cortana, and IBM’s Watson enter our professional and personal lives.

So if knowledge is just a commodity then what’s the next evolution of the types of workers we need to see (and will see?) The answer is “learning workers.” That is, people who are able to learn new things and apply those learnings to various scenarios and environments. In essence being able to “learn how to learn.” This is far more valuable and crucial than “knowing” anything and going forward the value and importance of knowledge will only continue to decrease.

In this latest episode of the #futurein5 I explore this idea in more details and talk about the evolution of knowledge workers to learning workers.

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Is Mike Rowe Right When He Says “Don’t Follow Your Passion?”

We’ve long heard the platitude of “follow your passion” when considering a career choice, but is this really the best advice? Should we really be following our passion? I’m a big fan of Mike Rowe (the host of Dirty Jobs) because he has a lot of non-conventional ideas about work, specifically his advice to “not follow your passion but to bring your passion with you to work.” In fact, before going on, read this post from Mike Rowe where he responds to an Alabamian who asks why he shouldn’t follow his passion.

Mike cites several examples from septic tank cleaners to pig farmers, none of whom were passionate about going the routes they did, but they learned their craft and because they were passionate people they learned how to love their jobs and made a good amount of money in the process. Fair enough.

A recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that there are around 5 million vacant jobs in the United States as of the end of October (not seasonally adjusted which brings these numbers down a bit). Over a million of these jobs are in trade/transportation/utilities, another million plus are in professional and businesses services, and hundreds of thousands of non-filled jobs exist in manufacturing and construction. Is that because we just don’t have people that are passionate about these jobs? Perhaps it’s because employers are too picky? Or maybe there really just aren’t people who can do the jobs that are available.

Mike Rowe does have a very good point though, many people see jobs such as: electrician, plumber, construction worker, and the like, as being beneath them. After all, who wouldn’t want a more glamorous job somewhere in Silicon Valley right? So what do we do?

I graduated from UCSC with a double major in business management economics and psychology. I was passionate about finance and business in general. So, I interned at Morgan Stanley before going to work at a start-up in LA that promised me amazing opportunities. A few months in and I was doing ppt presentations and data entry. The day the CEO asked me to go get him coffee was the day I knew I had to get out. After that job working for a start-up I took some time off to learn about SEO and online marketing. I took a handful of other jobs over the course of the next 1-2 years in various marketing roles before I went off on my own (where I’ve been for the past 6+ years).

Had I just brought my passion with me to work, I would have stayed at those miserable jobs I disliked so much, would have probably gone back to get my MBA, and would probably be working at some large consulting firm working 60-7o hours a week. I probably would have never written any books, become a speaker, or done many of the other things that I have done as a “solopreneur.” I became passionate about the future of work and not working for anyone else and I worked hard to turn that passion into a career. Does this mean Mike Rowe is wrong? Not quite, see Mike offers what I consider to be a very powerful piece of advice:

“That’s why I would never advise anyone to “follow their passion” until I understand who they are, what they want, and why they want it. Even then, I’d be cautious. Passion is too important to be without, but too fickle to be guided by.”

That last sentence is really a nugget for most people to live by because our passions change all the time.

I’m all for following your passionate but doing so in realistic terms. For me personally I always had one thought in the back of my mind that kept me going which was, “I must be moving in the right direction because people are hiring me, I’m getting more speaking requests, and people are reading my content.” My rationale was that I should keep going in my current direction until I saw “negative signs,” that is, people not wanting to work with me, a sharp decline in revenue, etc. If you’re following your passion but are getting nowhere or keep seeing those “negative signs,” then something is wrong. There needs to be a balance between what you are passionate about and what you are good at. If you focus just on passion you might end up nowhere and if you focus only what you are good at without being passionate about it you might end up as a zombie in the workplace. Remember that for every person that succeeded by following their passion, hundreds if not thousands have failed.

Again from Mike:

“Just because you’re passionate about something doesn’t mean you won’t suck at it. And just because you’re determined to improve doesn’t mean that you will. Does that mean you shouldn’t pursue a thing you’re passionate about?” Of course not. The question is, for how long, and to what end?”

For how long and to what end? These are questions only we can answer for ourselves but they must be answered. You may try this for a few months or perhaps a year. You may be willing to sacrifice your current savings (as so many start-up founders do) or even your relationships. But at some point we all reach a point where we say “maybe it’s time I tried something else.”

So yes, you should follow your passion but do so with some boundaries set around it, be realistic and practical for what you can and can’t do because the last thing you want to happen is to turn “following your passion” into a “fools errand.”

 

 

 

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Generation Z: Who Are They And What’s Their Impact on the Workplace?

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/futureofworkpodcast/Dan_Keldsen_Podcast_Done.mp3

 

The one stat you need to know

Born between 1994 and 2000, Generation Z is poised to enter the workforce in the coming years.

What this episode is about and why you should care

Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and now…Gen Z? This week, I speak to Dan Keldsen, co-author of The Gen Z Effect to understand what this new group of workers looks like, how they will work, and what they expect. But before you start to smack your head against the wall wondering how you’re going to deal with a new generation it’s important to understand that Dan makes a strong distinction that Gen Z isn’t a generational thing, it’s a “behavior thing.” To understand what that means and how exactly Gen Z is impacting the workforce you can listen to the podcast. Below.

What you will learn in this episode

What are the differences between Gen X and Gen Z?
What behaviors do Gen Z workers show?
Who is considered to Gen Z?
How is job stability affected?
How does technology effect Gen Z
What are the six forces impacting and shaping Gen Z?
What impact will Gen Z have on the workplace?
What should managers be thinking about with regards to Gen Z employees?

Links from the episode

The Gen Z Effect

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Will Amazon’s Echo Change the World?

You may have heard of the Echo, Amazon’s new “virtual assistant” product/service that was just released. We all know of Siri and Cortana, two other popular AI products released by Apple and Microsoft respectively. In my opinion the Echo is far superior to either. I recently purchased an Echo, a voice activate virtual assistant that does everything from play music and read the news to create to do lists and order products from Amazon. It’s actually a fascinating little device that has dramatic implications for creating “smart homes” and “smart offices.” In this episode of the Future in 5 I talk about the potential impact that the Amazon Echo can have on our personal and work lives.

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Three Perspectives on the Future of Work

I recently teamed up with Cisco to do a series of videos around the future of work. We explored three topics together which are: The Wearable Workplace, The Workday of the Future, and The Chief Future Officer. The primary focus of the video was to address issues, concerns, and topics that many CIOs around the world are faced with and are thinking about. Of course there is much more that could be said about these topics and others. I will be exploring these in more detail in the future but for now, enjoy these short videos.

The Wearable Workplace

I explore how wearable devices are making their way into organizations and the potential impact that these devices will have on how we work. If this is a topic you are interested in I also recently did a podcast on wearable devices with the CTO of Accenture and the wearable device practice lead which explores this in more detail (the podcast is just over an hour). The video is just over two minutes long.

The Workday of the Future

In this second video I spend a few minutes talking about what a potential “future workday” might look like in the next few years. While many of the ideas here are enabled by technology they can only happen as a result of new behaviors that organizations must adopt. This video is also just over two minutes long.

The Chief Future Officer

In this third and final video I explore the idea of having the CIO be the “chief future of work officer” and how their roles and responsibilities are changing. For any of this to happen it’s absolutely crucial for the CIO to understand the five trends shaping the future of work. This video is a whopping three minutes!

Stay tuned for lots of content in the form of articles, videos, and of course podcasts, on all of these topics and much more. As usual, please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with me in the comments below.

 

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Wearables in the Workplace and Their Impact on How We Work

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/futureofworkpodcast/Podcast_Accenture_Done.mp3

 

The one stat you need to know

Research last year by Credit Suisse called wearable tech “the next big thing” and predicted the industry was set to grow from around $3 billion to $5 billion today to $50 billion within five years.

What this episode is about and why you should care

Wearable technology is an up and coming trend.  You may have heard of popular of wearable devices such as the Fitbit and Nike Fuel Band, two popular products that are leading the charge with consumers. In the next few years hundreds of millions of wearable devices are projected to be purchased by consumers. It is only natural to conclude that businesses will find a way to incorporate wearable tech within the workplace. But how, when, what will the devices look like, and what impact will wearable technologies have in the workplace?  In this episode of the podcast I speak with Paul Daugherty CTO and Brent Blum Wearable Technology Practice Lead at Accenture. Paul and Brent share their perspectives on current uses of wearables in the workplace and share some great examples. We also explore what the future of wearables is going to look and what companies and consumers should be prepared for.

What you will learn in this episode

The impact that Google Glass has had on present technology and the future
What are the benefit of wearable tech for enterprises and consumers?
What stage are consumers at with wearable technology?
What stage are businesses at with the wearable technology?
What is the future of wearable technology for businesses?
Will wearable technology ever become mainstream?
The relationship between wearables and the internet of Things
How companies are integrating big data with the Internet of Things
Are consumers or businesses ahead in the wearable market?
What are some of the challenges in the next 3-5 years?
What is the future of wearable tech?
How is fashion being fused with wearable tech?

Links from the episode

Accenture

 

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What the Future of Work Will NOT Look Like

We spend a lot of time exploring what the future of work is going to look like (myself included). However, it’s helpful to take a step and examine some of the outdated practices and ways of thinking about work that WON’T be coming with us. That’s exactly what this video is about. Commuting to and from the office, annual employee reviews, relying on managers to make all the decisions, and the like, are all examples of things will go the way of the dodo bird.

Enjoy this latest episode of the Future in 5!

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New Research: The Top 10 Factors for Employee Happiness on the Job

Employee engagement and happiness is definitely one of the topics du jour for modern management and the future of work. Plenty of studies have already (and continue to) come out that show how low employee engagement is around the world (only 13% of employees are engaged and 87% are not!). Low employee engagement numbers correlate and oftentimes cause decreased productivity, waisted resources, and an overall toxic environment that nobody wants to be a part of…and why should they?

This is why it’s important to understand what employees around the world value in their jobs. So what do employees actually want and what do they care about?

A Tinypulse survey from 2013 revealed that transparency was the #1 factor for employee engagement

A 2014 SAP survey found that compensation is the #1 factor that matters most to employees

Another survey by the SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) conducted in 2013 also found that compensation and pay was the #1 factor contributing to job satisfaction

Several other studies have also emerged around what employees care about at work but the most recent one from Boston Consulting Group which surveyed over 200,000 people around the world is one of the most comprehensive. Unlike previous studies which may point to flexibility or salary as the top factor for job happiness, BCG found that the #1 factor for employee happiness on the job is get appreciated for their work!

Based on the color coded categories you can see in the sidebar, out of the top factors the majority are grouped as either “work environment” or “job content and opportunities.” Perhaps what is more interesting is the contrary to some of the other studies which show compensation as the #1 factor for happiness, this report puts salary at #8. This reaffirms what I consistently see in organizations that I speak with. You can’t pay someone a lot of money, treat them poorly, and expect them to do their jobs well just because they get a nice check.

It’s important to remember that the “balance of power” is shifting away from organizations and towards employees. Today, we have a lot of choices to consider and several opportunities to evaluate when exploring how to make a living. Instead of going to work for a large established company that has more money, people can now:

join a small growing startup
become a freelancer on sites like odesk or elance
drive for Uber or Lyft
create their own products to sell on sites like Etsy
raise money through crowd-funding on sites like Indiegogo or Kickstarter
and much more

The war for talent has never been greater so in a world where cash is no longer the #1 factor attracting employees to organizations, these organizations must focus on other factors to create a more desirable and engaging place to work. What do you think of these recent number? Are you shocked or surprised to see that compensation is #8?

 

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Evolution of The Manager

This concept and the visual was taken from my new book, The Future of Work: Attract New Talent, Build Better Leaders, and Create a Competitive Organization.

A few months ago I introduced the concept of the 7 Principles of the Future Employee which was followed by The Evolution of the Employee. I’m taking this same approach (principles and evolution) and applying it to managers as well. Last week I shared the 10 Principles of the Future Manager so it’s only fitting that we now get to the evolution of the manager as seen below.

Based on the above these are the key things to pay attention to.

Managers must be leaders

There’s a constant debate around whether we need more managers or more leaders. Sadly this is a fruitless debate that artificially pits the two against each other. When thinking about the future of work managers MUST be leaders. That is, they are placed in a position of power because they have earned followers, thought leadership, and respect. If a manager is simply placed in a position of power because they are able to bring in the most money or are experts at delegating then they will fail. It’s time we stop referring to managers and leaders as two separate people. If you haven’t earned leadership then you shouldn’t be a manager.

Managers must understand the trends shaping the future of work

These five trends were explored in a previous article called, The Five Trends Shaping the Future of Work but to recap them here they are: mobility, globalization, new behaviors, millennials (demographics), and technology. Managers must successfully understand what these five trends are and how they are going to impact their respective organizations. These trends are the basic building blocks (the DNA) of the future of work.

Managers must embrace vulnerability

We can no longer have managers in the workplace that resemble robots. It’s bad enough that there is quite a bit of concern around actual robots taking jobs away from humans, the last thing we need are humans that act like robots. It makes me think of the saying, “I’m not a doctor but I play one on t.v.” – applied to managers this would be “I’m not a robot but I play one in the workplace.” Brene Brown said it best when she quipped that there is no innovation without vulnerability. This is because people want to build relationships with other…people. This requires trust and a human connection. When managers put up a wall of being stoic, all-knowing, emotionless beings, they kill off any hope of innovation, trust, and connection. Managers embracing vulnerability in the workplace isn’t important because it’s a nice thing to do but because it’s crucial for effective communication, collaboration, and innovation.

Managers must challenge convention

Why is it that we constantly hear about managers that are “putting out fires?” Managers must be the fire-starters! That is, they must be constantly thinking of ways that they can challenge the assumptions that we have around how work gets done. Should managers make all the decisions? Do we need annual employee reviews? Can anyone in the company be a leader? Should innovation be a core skill taught to all employees? Can the organization set up a pool of experimental capital that can be used to test out new ideas? These are the types of questions and ideas that managers should be thinking about. Today, their stereotypical role focuses on constraint, control, order, diligence, and sticking with the common assumptions that have long guided how we work. Instead, managers must heed the word of the band Prodigy to become “fire-starters.”

Managers of the future are very different than managers of the past, they must evolve.

 

 

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Are You Focusing on the ‘Big Rocks?’

Understanding how the world of work is changing and what trends are shaping the future of work is only a part of what organizations need to focus on. Of course, to take this to the next level some kind of action needs to take place. However, what I’m finding time and time again is that many organizations today are not focusing on the “big rocks.” Now to fully understand this analogy you will have to watch the video below. The gist of the idea I’m trying to get across is to move beyond focusing on the superficial elements that might impact your organization and to instead focus on the core first. For example, many companies are experimenting with flexible work programs, collaborative technologies, getting rid of annual employee reviews, and the like. Now while these are all great they are the top layer of the future of work. These are the tactics, strategies, and perks that many organizations are focusing on (in the video below this is the gravel, water, and sand).

Instead we need to take a step back and ask ourselves some very basic questions:

What does the future of work at our company look like?
What does it mean to be an employee at our company and will we even have employees in the next decade?
How do we want our managers to lead our organization and who should become a manager?
What kind of corporate culture should we be striving to create and how does it relate to the future of work?
Does our organization even need to have four walls?

These are the “big rocks” we need to focus on first, then we can worry about all the other nice things that go on top of them.

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