The modern world is fast moving, and we are, more than ever, required to try to keep pace with it. This requires the following…
To have a big enough WHY – If you’re not driven towards something, you’re going to struggle to find the motivation to learn what needs to be learned, and to do what needs to be done. Aligning your inner purpose with your outer purpose is a sure way to commit to the cause.
Ensure there is NO RESISTANCE – let go of the way things are, release any fixation you might have on the way things are or have been and open yourself up to the new, which brings me nicely onto the next point.
Open your mind to new ways of working, at least to the actual way things are now, today and keep one eye on where things are heading.
Keep looking forwards – stay ahead of the curve. The pace of change might scare you, because often change means risk and uncertainty, but with the right mindset, it also presents opportunities. Position yourself to take advantage of the way things are going to be. It’s going to happen, whether you like it or not, so better to make the most of it, rather than burying your head in the sand and pretending it’s not happening.
The next point is to become a FAST LEARNER! The skill that is going to future-proof you is the ability to learn new things as fast as possible. This starts with having the right mindset; be a lifelong learner, a master of what you know and an apprentice of what you don’t know. The fastest and most effective way of learning is by doing. You really can’t beat experience and purposeful practice.
Keep bureaucracy to a minimum, that of you or your organisation. This includes any regulations and rules you might operate within. Use just enough to get the job done. We can take a lead from nature with regards to this. The impressive flying acrobatics of Swallows runs on 3 simple rules; avoidance, direction and distance. Complex communities like that of Ants is based on simple rules that don’t rely on mountains of regulations, paperwork, check sheets and meeting about meetings.
Give yourself a a GOAL, and use it to gauge general direction, rather than it being a rigid, fixed, non-movable destination. Remain open to accidental discoveries and serendipity, but be wary of temptations and distractions that gets in your way and damage productivity and progress. There’s a fine balance to be struck here, which can only be fine-tuned through trial and error.
Finally use the getresults framework to ensure you KNOW – WANT – DO what’s necessary to get the results you’re seeking. Sign up for our newsletter to learn more.