3 min read
Always Be a Beginner
On Saturday, I went to my first creative writing workshop. I walked in fairly confident. I've published two books, (non-fiction) and I write...
I was listening to the radio this morning when a soundbite caught my attention - a business expert talking about "intangible assets." I've been using this phrase in my leadership training for years, so I tuned in keenly.
1. Businesses are valued differently
New research suggests that from now on, business growth will be driven by different stuff. Non-physical things like data, brand, reputation, strategy and content.
The logic is pretty clear - while any business can get their hands on the same plant or equipment, they can't all deploy it in the same way.
Intangible assets, while a bit unknown and scary, have some real advantages: there's no limit on growth, they're easier to scale, and they're far more flexible than buildings and machines.
This will be a scary shift for some companies. Just as the pandemic has shown us - it's only the most adaptive organisations that do well in disruption. Others panic, and many fail.
2. People are valued differently
The same is true for us. In the knowledge economy, as we wade through an uncertain transition toward automation and artificial intelligence, how we do things is far more important than what we do and what we know.
This is the way of the strategist, and what we teach in Not An MBA. There, we turn the traditional paradigm for education and leadership on its head. While our value in the job market may once have been in accumulating knowledge and having unique technical skills, the pendulum has swung well in the other direction.
The UN Future of Jobs research supports this - the most in-demand (and missing!) skills are clear: critical thinking, problem-solving, and flexibility.
3. Know your value
Think about the skills you draw on most, and which really make you valuable. Maybe it's your people skills, drawn from your time in sales. Maybe it's your resilience, after a big move in your teens. Maybe it's your strategic outlook, or your knack for problem-solving. It's unlikely to be your Word 95 competency or Anthropology degree.
Then, think about what it might take to get to the next step - when the methodology you're using goes out of favour, or large parts of your work become an algorithm... where will you add the most value?
Importantly: how can you build that now? (Check out the resources below for a good start)
TL;DR It's time to stop accumulating knowledge, and start building the skills that will really set you up for the future.
Til next week,
- A
Quizzes
Not An MBA strategic leadership quiz
100 year Life Intangible Asset test
Videos
Not An MBA Sneak Peek: What's your real job?
Reading
Medium Article - What You Need to Be A Successful Leader
Five Secrets of Successful CEOs
Training
3 min read
On Saturday, I went to my first creative writing workshop. I walked in fairly confident. I've published two books, (non-fiction) and I write...
1 min read
Nobody knows what they're doing. Literally nobody. We're all winging it. We're digging through mental filing cabinets and muscle memory, every...
2 min read
Welcome to another Wednesday Wisdom. Every week, I share with you what I'm thinking about life, work, and leadership. This week we're talking...
1 min read
What are you tangled up in knots about right now? I bet you've got a decision weighing on you. Whether it's a job offer, a location change, a...
1 min read
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that priorities shift. As we returned to our homes, spent more time with our families, watched our health...
In this article Your 4 minute strategy MBA We are all strategists 15 tell-tale signs of a strategist