Bet on what makes you unique! Bet on your "Uniquability."
20 November 2011
Read by 1864 persons
“Tell us what makes you unique”: this is the question Google asks its candidates. The famous Internet pioneer is full of people who cultivate their originality – former neurosurgeon, crocodile hunter, etc. In short, creative minds. With its recruitment strategy, this company raises an essential question about the evolution of the concept of professional life: how do you present your personal equation of talents, skills, and passions, in other words, what makes you unique?
Every day, the economic crisis gives us examples that confirm that training and an irreproachable career are not enough to protect us from job loss, demotion, and unemployment. The proven concept of “employability” has reached its limits. According to the logic of employability, someone who has a good education, who has studied the right disciplines, who constantly evolves in their profession, and who adapts their skills to the needs of the market remains “employable.” However, such conformity to the market sometimes produces opportunistic careers, without enthusiasm, and employees whose profiles closely resemble each other, at the risk of falling into interchangeability. The job market works like the consumer market: comparable and interchangeable goods put pressure on prices (or income). In short, if we push the point, we are worth no more than toothpaste, refrigerators, or insurance.
Interchangeability is scary, very scary, as evidenced by a YouTube video posted in 2009, the year of the crisis. It shows a dozen businessmen in suits waiting in front of a company's administrative building, phoning or reading the newspaper. Suddenly, a pickup truck driven by a Hispanic-American in a checkered shirt arrives. The man gets out of the vehicle, and all the businessmen approach, full of hope. He holds a list in his hand and begins to read in broken English: “a marketing manager, two qualified accountants, a senior programmer”... Only a few of these former white-collar workers, once handsomely paid, will be hired that day (www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XGJq8wrw5I). This scenario, a kind of “hiring employees for the harvest,” with role reversal, is the ultimate nightmare for those who have bet everything – rightly so – on training and knowledge.
Certainly, one thing is sure: without solid knowledge and good training, nothing works anymore in our knowledge society. But knowledge is no longer enough on its own. The law of “be different or disappear” applies to professional life. Someone who stands out from their competitors encourages companies to choose them. It is therefore wise to apply this principle as early as possible in one's life plans. It is better to have relief to avoid being crushed.
Uniqueness: the substantial marrow of tomorrow's careers
This is where the notion of uniqueness takes on its full meaning, this individual equation of assets, talents, and passions that makes us unique. Tomorrow's careers will inevitably go through uniqueness, which represents a formidable source of energy for the most varied and remarkable destinies. Indeed, what we do with happiness and fervor – regardless, at first, of whether we are paid for it or not – gives us energy, makes us strong, and pushes us to achieve great feats.
Marcus Buckingham, a former researcher at Gallup, gives us the following advice, simple to apply at first glance: “identify what you don't like to do and stop doing it.” After studying the biographies of very successful men and women, he found that the common denominator of these personalities lies in their ability to follow their own path, to develop their personal strengths, and not to want to follow a standard career at all costs. Working with pleasure gives energy. Passion creates performance. When a person's uniqueness and the tasks they perform coincide, the company and the employee have everything to gain.
In the coming years, we will therefore witness a significant change in perspective in professional choices. Instead of observing the market and acquiring the qualifications that will likely be required in the future, instead of asking themselves “what should I be?”, new priorities will emerge: “what makes me unique, what gives me energy? In what environment am I strong? Who do I want to work with?” Someone who knows where they excel and under what conditions they are most effective has all the keys in hand to negotiate and influence their future. Knowing oneself and knowing how to manage oneself have become essential qualities to make the most of one's personal talents.
However, many people do not know what makes them unique. School, family, and professional experiences have often not helped them become aware of their uniqueness. Companies that encourage their current and potential employees to discover their talents will prevail in the coming years. Rightly so, the new discipline of positive psychology presents itself as a Uniquability Coach with diagnostic tools and training modules. In this perspective, the University of Zurich has developed “strength training” (www.staerkentrainieren.org).
Life projects instead of career plans
New concepts of security are emerging as the world of work is uncertain by definition and almost unpredictable. Let us mention, for example, networks, always present – even when things are not going well – as well as a new form of personal insurance, based on good self-knowledge. Moreover, resilience – the ability to stay healthy in stressful situations – is also an appreciated quality.
“Working with pleasure gives energy. Passion creates performance. When a person's uniqueness and the tasks they perform coincide, the company and the employee have everything to gain.”
In this new context, the notions of success and career take on a new direction. By career, we now mean more an individual journey, an adventure strewn with unforeseen events, detours, reversals, new beginnings, risks, failures, and successes than the logical sequence of predefined steps in a career plan. In tomorrow's world, the lives of a growing number of people will become a global life project, a personal work of art that no longer radically separates work from the private sphere. Employees become “talent entrepreneurs” and “destiny creators,” who develop their own life and work concepts without taking contingencies into account. A breeding ground where the most varied professional modalities apply: full-time or part-time occupation, fixed commitment or independence, unpaid work (charitable projects, for example), or even several jobs at the same time. The think tank of Deutsche Bank confirms that flexible work structures and increased autonomy result from a real macroeconomic trend.
Although careers based on uniqueness are as varied as the people themselves, they all share one thing in common: they come from the heart and draw their strength from confidence in their own assets.
We see that the symbols of social status are also changing. “My title, my company car, my Blackberry”: that was yesterday. Tomorrow, it will be time management that counts, the freedom to not always be reachable, to set one's own priorities, and to have free time for friends, family, and passions. Health, personal and professional development, inspiring networks are also becoming essential values, as is the pleasure of doing what one does, stimulating goals, and interesting projects.
Uniqueness and recruitment
As the lifespan of acquired knowledge melts like snow in the sun, human resources specialists have every interest in prioritizing innovative recruitment methods to assess the development potential, character, and creativity of candidates, instead of focusing on past achievements (diplomas and certificates). Attention must now be paid to new factors: in what environment is this person particularly effective, to what extent do they know themselves well and know how to manage their productivity? How does the company culture influence the creativity, problem-solving skills, and innovative spirit of a potential employee? Given the growing importance of the creativity of networks in problem-solving, it is necessary to assess the ability to work in a network. These new perspectives shift priorities by emphasizing a multidimensional approach to individual creative and development potential rather than evaluating skills based on the past and titles obtained.
Whether at the individual or company level, uniqueness is shaping the work culture of tomorrow. All those who are embarking on professional life today are witnessing the emergence of a new culture: Creative Work. More and more companies are experimenting with this new way of working, which is based on greater autonomy, openness, and flexibility in the face of future needs, and more freedom in terms of personal responsibilities and development.
By Imke Keicher.
Succes-and-career.ch
Posted on November 20, 2011.
Every day, the economic crisis gives us examples that confirm that training and an irreproachable career are not enough to protect us from job loss, demotion, and unemployment. The proven concept of “employability” has reached its limits. According to the logic of employability, someone who has a good education, who has studied the right disciplines, who constantly evolves in their profession, and who adapts their skills to the needs of the market remains “employable.” However, such conformity to the market sometimes produces opportunistic careers, without enthusiasm, and employees whose profiles closely resemble each other, at the risk of falling into interchangeability. The job market works like the consumer market: comparable and interchangeable goods put pressure on prices (or income). In short, if we push the point, we are worth no more than toothpaste, refrigerators, or insurance.
Interchangeability is scary, very scary, as evidenced by a YouTube video posted in 2009, the year of the crisis. It shows a dozen businessmen in suits waiting in front of a company's administrative building, phoning or reading the newspaper. Suddenly, a pickup truck driven by a Hispanic-American in a checkered shirt arrives. The man gets out of the vehicle, and all the businessmen approach, full of hope. He holds a list in his hand and begins to read in broken English: “a marketing manager, two qualified accountants, a senior programmer”... Only a few of these former white-collar workers, once handsomely paid, will be hired that day (www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XGJq8wrw5I). This scenario, a kind of “hiring employees for the harvest,” with role reversal, is the ultimate nightmare for those who have bet everything – rightly so – on training and knowledge.
Certainly, one thing is sure: without solid knowledge and good training, nothing works anymore in our knowledge society. But knowledge is no longer enough on its own. The law of “be different or disappear” applies to professional life. Someone who stands out from their competitors encourages companies to choose them. It is therefore wise to apply this principle as early as possible in one's life plans. It is better to have relief to avoid being crushed.
Uniqueness: the substantial marrow of tomorrow's careers
This is where the notion of uniqueness takes on its full meaning, this individual equation of assets, talents, and passions that makes us unique. Tomorrow's careers will inevitably go through uniqueness, which represents a formidable source of energy for the most varied and remarkable destinies. Indeed, what we do with happiness and fervor – regardless, at first, of whether we are paid for it or not – gives us energy, makes us strong, and pushes us to achieve great feats.
Marcus Buckingham, a former researcher at Gallup, gives us the following advice, simple to apply at first glance: “identify what you don't like to do and stop doing it.” After studying the biographies of very successful men and women, he found that the common denominator of these personalities lies in their ability to follow their own path, to develop their personal strengths, and not to want to follow a standard career at all costs. Working with pleasure gives energy. Passion creates performance. When a person's uniqueness and the tasks they perform coincide, the company and the employee have everything to gain.
In the coming years, we will therefore witness a significant change in perspective in professional choices. Instead of observing the market and acquiring the qualifications that will likely be required in the future, instead of asking themselves “what should I be?”, new priorities will emerge: “what makes me unique, what gives me energy? In what environment am I strong? Who do I want to work with?” Someone who knows where they excel and under what conditions they are most effective has all the keys in hand to negotiate and influence their future. Knowing oneself and knowing how to manage oneself have become essential qualities to make the most of one's personal talents.
However, many people do not know what makes them unique. School, family, and professional experiences have often not helped them become aware of their uniqueness. Companies that encourage their current and potential employees to discover their talents will prevail in the coming years. Rightly so, the new discipline of positive psychology presents itself as a Uniquability Coach with diagnostic tools and training modules. In this perspective, the University of Zurich has developed “strength training” (www.staerkentrainieren.org).
Life projects instead of career plans
New concepts of security are emerging as the world of work is uncertain by definition and almost unpredictable. Let us mention, for example, networks, always present – even when things are not going well – as well as a new form of personal insurance, based on good self-knowledge. Moreover, resilience – the ability to stay healthy in stressful situations – is also an appreciated quality.
“Working with pleasure gives energy. Passion creates performance. When a person's uniqueness and the tasks they perform coincide, the company and the employee have everything to gain.”
In this new context, the notions of success and career take on a new direction. By career, we now mean more an individual journey, an adventure strewn with unforeseen events, detours, reversals, new beginnings, risks, failures, and successes than the logical sequence of predefined steps in a career plan. In tomorrow's world, the lives of a growing number of people will become a global life project, a personal work of art that no longer radically separates work from the private sphere. Employees become “talent entrepreneurs” and “destiny creators,” who develop their own life and work concepts without taking contingencies into account. A breeding ground where the most varied professional modalities apply: full-time or part-time occupation, fixed commitment or independence, unpaid work (charitable projects, for example), or even several jobs at the same time. The think tank of Deutsche Bank confirms that flexible work structures and increased autonomy result from a real macroeconomic trend.
Although careers based on uniqueness are as varied as the people themselves, they all share one thing in common: they come from the heart and draw their strength from confidence in their own assets.
We see that the symbols of social status are also changing. “My title, my company car, my Blackberry”: that was yesterday. Tomorrow, it will be time management that counts, the freedom to not always be reachable, to set one's own priorities, and to have free time for friends, family, and passions. Health, personal and professional development, inspiring networks are also becoming essential values, as is the pleasure of doing what one does, stimulating goals, and interesting projects.
Uniqueness and recruitment
As the lifespan of acquired knowledge melts like snow in the sun, human resources specialists have every interest in prioritizing innovative recruitment methods to assess the development potential, character, and creativity of candidates, instead of focusing on past achievements (diplomas and certificates). Attention must now be paid to new factors: in what environment is this person particularly effective, to what extent do they know themselves well and know how to manage their productivity? How does the company culture influence the creativity, problem-solving skills, and innovative spirit of a potential employee? Given the growing importance of the creativity of networks in problem-solving, it is necessary to assess the ability to work in a network. These new perspectives shift priorities by emphasizing a multidimensional approach to individual creative and development potential rather than evaluating skills based on the past and titles obtained.
Whether at the individual or company level, uniqueness is shaping the work culture of tomorrow. All those who are embarking on professional life today are witnessing the emergence of a new culture: Creative Work. More and more companies are experimenting with this new way of working, which is based on greater autonomy, openness, and flexibility in the face of future needs, and more freedom in terms of personal responsibilities and development.
By Imke Keicher.
Succes-and-career.ch
Posted on November 20, 2011.
