- Careers are also being dramatically transformed,
catalyzed by technological change.
Previously, we spent decades,
one corporate behemoth,
climbing the rungs of a well-worn vertical ladder,
up endless hierarchies.
We worked long, boring hours
to achieve incremental growth of job scope, salary,
and seniority, which eventually paid off at the very end
when we retired.
Now, scalable, sophisticated technologies have shrunk
and flattened companies,
accelerated non-linear business developments,
broadened evolving responsibilities,
and automated many routine tasks,
increase in the complexity of entry level jobs
by three to four years.
Fewer hierarchy layers mean promotions are diagonal,
and even horizontal, as well as vertical.
There's little to no job security,
and no retirement is anticipated
after a series of careers over our longer lives.
The fundamental employment equation has changed.
Younger employees are focusing on upskilling
to address their lifelong learning needs
and rapid salary progress,
so they can build some financial independence and security.
Their emphasis on corporate purpose
gives their work meaning.
And our corporate values gives them a reassurance
about how they will be treated.
It's a very different landscape
requiring profoundly new approaches to careers,
to attract, nurture, and retain talent.
Start by working with employees
to develop new career pathways
that acknowledge the traditional,
linear, continuous compounding careers
that took care of themselves have been replaced.
Every one of your reports needs your help
to plot their different possible, nonlinear routes ahead.
Explore relevant next steps with each person,
such as Kim in marketing,
who is interested in data analytics.
And you help her consider a diagonal move
to a hybrid IT marketing role,
a horizontal move into the IT department,
and adding IT projects
to her current marketing responsibilities.
These steps each develop different skills,
and lead to different future opportunities.
Most entry-level jobs are more complicated
now that automation has taken over many easy
and boring tasks,
which has increased immediate coaching needs,
and changed promotion, timing, steps, and skills planning.
Support employees' self-directed
and self-managed career development.
I've been transparent about career progression opportunities
and updating timeframes at every level of seniority,
adjusting for the faster pace of business.
Share what roles are available or opening up,
what skills do they require?
And what lies beyond?
This helps employees think through their options
at different stages to advance, gain new experiences,
apply their skills in new ways, as well as learn new skills.
Encourage talent mobility,
which means enabling employees
to move across company divisions,
to develop new skills and explore additional opportunities.
This improves retention,
and better matches skills and business needs.
Like Kim considering moving from marketing to IT,
where business needs are growing.
Lastly, help employees stay on top of tracking career
and skills development regularly,
encouraging them to be proactive,
as well as helping them get the most
out of their current role.
People need to be proactively involved in their careers,
which requires your support
with many rewarding opportunities,
engaging and nurturing
your report's professional growth.