Dealing with Career Anxiety
Embrace the Three Unchanging Expectations Every Employer Values
“How do I survive AI?” “What if my skills become obsolete?” “What can I keep my job?”
I hear these and similar questions constantly when I talk with the folks I mentor. Thinking about these topics can be overwhelming. The fear of addressing the massive changes you hear and read have put most people in a defensive mode when it comes to their careers. This can paralyze your career growth.
But instead of obsessing over what will change, ask yourself: What is NOT going to change?
During an interview, Jeff Bezos said something that stuck with me:
“I very frequently get the question: ‘What’s going to change in the next 10 years?’ ... I almost never get the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?’ And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two — because you can build a business strategy around the things that are stable in time.”
Bezos notes that customers will always want low prices and fast delivery. It is impossible to imagine a future where customers want the opposite.
“... we know the energy we put into it [things that do not change] today will still be paying off dividends for our customers 10 years from now. When you have something that you know is true, even over the long term, you can afford to put a lot of energy into it.”
Things that are stable in time. Things you can put your energy into. Things that will pay off into the future.
These are the key ideas to bring sanity back to your career planning.
Employers may change tools, software may improve, and markets may shift. But three expectations remain stable in time:
1. Behaviors
Employer’s Question: Can you lead, collaborate, and be trusted?
The Expectation: Getting things done, a sense of urgency, collaboration, and trustworthiness are part of cultural behaviors employers expect. For example – You may have to demonstrate that you can learn fast and embrace AI.
2. Outcomes
Employer’s Question: Can you deliver results?
The Expectation: You must deliver the expected results on time, at the lowest cost, and highest quality. Your perceived ability to deliver impactful future outcomes is what decides your career progress. For example – You may have to figure out how to leverage AI to deliver more outcomes or more impactful outcomes.
3. Skills
Employer’s Question: Can you adapt your toolkit?
The Expectation: You must have the skills necessary to deliver outcomes—not just for the current state of the business, but for the future state. Move fast and upskill if you see a gap developing. For example – You may have to learn how to use AI to make yourself relevant.
The Antidote to Career Anxiety
Lower your career anxiety by anchoring yourself in these three stable expectations. Instead of panicking, double down on:
Modeling the right Behaviors.
Delivering the right Outcomes.
Acquiring the right Skills.
These will pay dividends for the foreseeable future.
The question now becomes: How do you create an action plan to address each of them?
I’ll cover that in my next posts.
Focus and invest in the three unchanging expectations:
Behaviors, Outcomes, and Skills.
The road ahead is yours to shape!
Suresh 😊