Using your brand to tell authentic stories

The pace and scale that technology disrupts is a social, political and business challenge.
Employers are best placed to make a positive societal impact, for example, by upgrading the abilities of their employees and equipping them with new skills. Employers will also reap the greatest benefit if they can successfully transform the workforce in this way.

Talent is the largest barrier to the successful implementation of new strategies.

Many leading businesses realize that it is quicker and more financially prudent to look internally and develop the talent they already have. Yet only a third of global executives report that their organizations have launched any new reskilling programs.

• It used to be that when you left a job, you were seen as a traitor. Now companies make efforts to ensure people leave on good terms. They have programs that keep the door open in case employees want to return.
• Not only is there less risk in letting your manager know you're looking, but there may also be upsides. Your boss may want to figure out how to keep you.
• If staying with the company isn't realistic, you may find ways to continue to work with the company. But the conversation may be uncomfortable and be far worse if you suspect your manager won't be understanding.

• This conventional wisdom is not always realistic. You may need to relocate because of your spouse's job, for example.
• Staying for only a short term no longer hurt a resume. 32% of employers expect job-jumping. Millennials are especially prone to brief stays at jobs. 70% quit their jobs within two years.
• Gaps in job history are no longer seen as problematic either, but you have to show that your time off wasn't a waste of time.
• However, you should avoid jumping around if you can because of the emotional drain of finding a new place, new friends, and reproving yourself.

A good team player is not fearful of failure.

Head hunters are now actively seeking out those employees who can clearly recount what went wrong with a project and what lessons they learned.

A good team member doesn't regard other team members with suspicion, envy or resentment.

They understand that sharing information is vital to efficient problem solving.

Companies with increased growth are 72% more likely to have high diversity in their organization.

Use Learning & Development (L&D) training to raise awareness about the current state of diversity and inclusion in your work environment.

Up to 70% of trainees forget what they learn within 24 hours after training. However, it does not have to be the case for your employees.

An effective leader will implement and integrate an agile training infrastructure into their daily operations that can change quickly to keep up with the pace of innovation.

• Work together, complement each other, and function as a team.
• Able to operate on and enable environments that are more dynamic, team-centric, and connected.
• Lead and build teams and partner with the broader ecosystems, keep people connected and engaged, and drive a culture of innovation, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Lead a workforce that includes contractors, the contingent workforce, and crowd talent.
• Understand how different business functions, industries, and technologies come together to form solutions.
• Comfortable and competent with risk-taking.

Millennials expect to be developed via opportunities, mentoring, and stretch assignments. However that is hard to come by in top-heavy companies. 

Most millennials think their roles provide little development while most companies report they have excellent or adequate programs for Millennials.

Sudden changes in the industry can disrupt the status quo, potentially derailing the success of your organization. In these situations a leader must remain flexible and adaptable, ready to make the quick decisions that can keep the company on track with minimal negative impact.

Putting speed and innovation ahead of tried-and-tested business practices often makes leaders cautious. However, in a fast-changing world, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.

For a start-up, the risks can be even greater but innovation is impossible without risk. And if you can’t take risks, you may not be cut out to be a digital leader.

1. Risk-taking. Create a culture in which risk-taking is encouraged. Fear of failure is one of the most common inhibitors of innovation. 
2. Increase learning agility. People with a high learning agility are able to take feedback and adjust strategies accordingly, without becoming discouraged. 
3. Creating cross-functional teams. Organise teams with different skill sets together on an ad hoc basis to tackle particular projects. It creates a smaller pool of decision-makers and allows the team to benefit from cross-departmental knowledge.

• Develop an equal opportunity policy.

• Be transparent about hiring criteria.

• Improve retention of minority workers.

• Analyze problems and adapt. Train managers to spot their biases and avoid communicating in ways that unconsciously deter minority candidates.

• Implement workplace flexibility.

• Your skill sets are of no value if no one knows about them, and sometimes we ourselves do not know the value of our unique skills.
• Updating your resume regularly with a clear list of your old and new skills helps you understand and shape yourself for your next adventure.
• It is also a good idea to create a brand for yourself in a specific sector, listing out the relevant skills that are concentrated and leave an impact.

The last decade has changed the way a recruiter looks at a profile. You need to constantly update and restructure the content with the market realities and demands.

• A good resume has brevity, action verbs, and skills that fit the job being applied for.
• It helps to have a formal tone while providing hard, countable facts.
• Making use of keywords and familiar buzzwords(corporate lingo) makes finding and selecting easier for the recruiter.

In this ever-changing marketplace, chances are you’ll never feel 100% prepared. 

If your next step is unclear, the best way to find clarity is to move forward. Your view of the situation and potential solutions will be clearer when you're in the middle of it rather than when you’re on the outside looking in.

Pay attention to those activities that feel scary - they're usually your next stretch goal waiting to be tackled.

You might make mistakes, but your other option is to do nothing and remain stagnant.