Organisations need their employees to deliver better results and improve their impact over time. Employees want to earn more money, win awards, be wanted by their employer and respected by their colleagues and thus, ascend in their career. What can organisations do? How can employees make their ascent smooth and meaningful?
New tacks for the new age
VUCA as an acronym came into business parlance in the early 90s. Since then we are seeing more and more of these elements in our life. In COVID19 times, all the 4 elements were felt by almost every human being in this world. This event has taught the business leaders and everyone in the workforce to stay agile and flexible so that one is better prepared to deal with the uncertainties which could surprise us.
As a result, in the years ahead, we are going to see careers become shorter and increasingly discontinuous; employers will make a huge number of roles flexible in terms of the scope, duration and the rewards connected with the role. Every successful enterprise and ambitious individual alike, will have a vision and focus on reaching short-term goals. The path of growth in a journey will have multiple lanes and by-lanes co-exist with the superfast highways and several milestones along the way. The quest for talent is going to be more intense in the years ahead and thus, we need new tacks for the new age.
Employers need to provide the tailwind
Organisations typically have a vision and know the path they would take to reach their destination. They have an established set of core values and beliefs; hence, they know how they will deal with the challenges along the way. Accordingly, they select the right people for their business and nurture them to take on bigger roles and deliver a larger impact.
Not every company goes about these tasks in a rigorous manner. As a result, they follow a haphazard path in picking the talent, defining a path for them to walk on, training them to excel in the journey and providing them with rewards and recognition when they show the right behaviours and most importantly, the desired results. They need to understand that everyone needs the right environment and constant support to grow.
Leaders have to spend time and efforts in giving shape to this common knowledge and make this a reality. After all, an organisation well-known for providing an enabling environment to learn and grow becomes a talent magnet and at the same time, a fertile ground for the talent to perform and deliver superior results. In the new age, this is more important than ever before.
Following the passion is not enough
We have heard advice from many great people that we must follow our passion to stay happy and grow into a complete human being. We have been told, it is easier to succeed and leave one’s mark behind when one is pursuing a career that has a special place in one’s heart. All these advice are golden words, however, we must think if excellence a field can be achieved just because one is passionate about it.
Passion can surely draw one to an area of work, may it be a kind of sport, music, art, literature or any other profession. However, to excel in it, there are many other dimensions such as setting lofty goals, knowing the fine nuances of the act, rigorous execution, continual efforts to improve and inspiring many others to follow the path. The ascent in one’s career is a long process like a marathon and unlike a sprint. It is about building an institution which takes shape over the decades and has a life of its own.
One’s career similarly can be a living organism which can grow over time. We need passion in the chosen field of work so that one is naturally drawn towards it and inclined to do well there. However, the passion is not enough; we need perseverance, ambition, drive and competitiveness.
