improvising careers: the 21st century work paradigm

Christopher BishopStrategic PartnerFuture Workplace

NYU SternNovember 21, 2013

improvising careers:the 21st century work paradigm

1

Agenda

• Why me?

• Socio-cultural perspective

• Secret formula

2

AGE

YEAR

1970 1980 20091990 2000

Graduated from

Bennington

McKendree Spring

Jingle producer

Web producer

Business Strategist

Comms Specialist

20

30

40

50

60

Consultant70

?

3

NYC session

musician

AGE

YEAR

1970 1980 20091990 2000

Graduated from

Bennington

McKendree Spring

Jingle producer

Web producer

Business Strategist

Comms Specialist

20

30

40

50

60

Consultant70

?

4

NYC session

musician

5

AGE

YEAR

1970 1980 20091990 2000

Graduated from

Bennington

McKendree Spring

NYC session

musician

Jingle producer

Web producer

Business Strategist

Comms Specialist

20

30

40

50

60

Academia70

?

6

7

AGE

YEAR

1970 1980 20091990 2000

Graduated from

Bennington

McKendree Spring

Jingle producer

Web producer

Business Strategist

Comms Specialist

20

30

40

50

60

Consultant70

?

8

NYC session

musician

9

AGE

YEAR

1970 1980 20091990 2000

Graduated from

Bennington

McKendree Spring

Jingle producer

Web producer

Business Strategist

Comms Specialist

20

30

40

50

60

Consultant70

?

10

NYC session

musician

11

AGE

YEAR

1970 1980 20091990 2000

Graduated from

Bennington

McKendree Spring

Jingle producer

Web producer

Business Strategist

Comms Specialist

20

30

40

50

60

Consultant70

?

12

NYC session

musician

13

AGE

YEAR

1970 1980 20091990 2000

Graduated from

Bennington

McKendree Spring

Jingle producer

Web producer

Business Strategist

Comms Specialist

20

30

40

50

60

Consultant70

?

14

NYC session

musician

15

16

17

Five historical cycles …

InventionInnovation

The Industrial Revolution

Age of Steam and Railways

Age of Steel, ElectricityHeavy Engineering

Age of Oil, Automobilesand Mass Production

Age of Information and Telecommunications

Frenzy SynergyDeployment

MaturityPanic1797

Depression1893

Crash1929

Dot.comCollapse

2000

• Formation of Mfg. industry• Repeal of Corn Laws opening

trade

• Joint stock companies • Industry exploits economies

of scale

Current period ofAdoption

• Separation of savings, investment banks

• FDIC, SEC

• Build-out of Interstate highways

• IMF, World Bank, BIS

1

2

3

4

5

Source: “Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital”, Carlota Perez, 2002

Panic1847

1771

1829

1875

1908

1971

1873

1920

1974

1829

Crash

Increasing technology advancements foster decentralization

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Increasing decentralization makes motivation, creativity and flexibility more important than ever

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Workers are not being rewarded for carrying out orders, but for figuring out what needs to be

done…who needs to be on the team, doing it…and then doing it again

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U.S. Department of Labor predicts that todays’ learners will have ?? jobs…

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U.S. Department of Labor predicts that todays’ learners will have 10-14 jobs…and by age 38!

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•Social network manager

•Mobile and cloud software engineers

•Sustainable energy technician

•3D printer operator

•iPad app developer

Many of today's top in-demand jobs did not exist a few years ago!

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Estimates are 85% of the jobs you will be doing haven’t been invented yet…24

You’ll be using technology that doesn’t exist …25

To solve problems we don’t yet know are problems.

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•Creative problem-solving

•Comfortable with ambiguity

•Passionate

•Self-directed

•Resilient

•Able to learn, unlearn, relearn

•Work across disciplines

•Global perspective

To be successful…

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Changes driven by technology…will create new careers in every discipline!

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Medicine…

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Transportation…

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Education…

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Entertainment…

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Government…

Energy…

Finance…

Global community = global workforce

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Social recruiting

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Siemens: Tumblr for global recruitment campaign

• Campaign uses Tumblr to identify the "brightest minds" in regions around the world while driving interest in the company

• Positions working at the company as a "cutting-edge career opportunity for the managers of tomorrow" 35

• Specialty retailer of children’s merchandise in

North America

• Enables job seekers to apply using LinkedIn

app their mobile phones

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Secret Formula1) Antenna

• what you want to do• what is happening in the world

2) Brand - defining and assessing your own brand 3) Network - finding people with similar interests

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1) Antenna

• Monitor the world• Focus on your own

skills, needs• Map the two against

each other• Trust your instincts• Chase the maelstrom• Follow your bliss

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1) AntennaExternal•Elite newspapers

• WSJ, NY Times, Financial Times•MIT Tech Review•BBC World Service•Futurist authors•Wired•Huff Post

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Internal•Self assessment – likes, dislikes, talents, challenges•Trending – how has this changed•Ask friends, family, professors

2) Brand•Essence of who you are•What makes you unique•Everything you say & do•Establishes your expertise

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2) Brand

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• Write down your 5 most valuable

characteristics - ad for “you”

• How would you then market yourself - what

makes you unique?

• Remember that your brand is represented by

everything you do

• It’s not what you know, it’s who you know• Lifelong job• Strangers with expertise• Share your perspective• Use the tools!

3) Network

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3) Network• First dissect your network: who do you know based on what?

• Find people who can help you directly and can also connect

you with others: “Getting the job is the job”

• Send intro emails, make calls, ask someone to introduce you

• Use the tools: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube

• Find groups discussing topics you like and join in

• Try to add at least 2-3 people a week to your network

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What’s next?• Go forth• Have fun• Change the world• Keep me posted

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christopherbishop123@gmail.com

http://twitter.com/chrisbishop

http://www.christopherbishop.net

http://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherbishop123

THANKS!

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