Time to update your LinkedIn profile (before radically rethinking how you design your career)
Future Work/Life #116
Future Work/Life is my newsletter in which I explore ideas focused on the future of work and how to design legendary careers. Every week, I share something I’ve written, a few things I’ve enjoyed reading, and something great to listen to. If you find it interesting, please share it!
The Writing:
After the collapse of the Sam Bankman Fried (SBF) empire, plenty of collateral damage has been left in his wake.
People at SBF's various, toxically intertwined businesses are either looking for new jobs or distancing themselves from the colossal sh*t show he created, including Amy Wu, head of FTX's venture capital arm, who seemingly received the news from a random Twitter user.
Brutal.
This follows the Muskification of Twitter's staff over the past couple of weeks, many of whom discovered they no longer had jobs because they'd been booted out of their email server.
Harsh AND unnecessary.
Aside from the many lessons in corporate governance, leadership and staying classy that we can learn from these examples, the after-effects are creating some interesting trends that might inform how people think about their careers.
After a horrific few weeks for many workers at tech companies, there's been an understandably huge spike in updates to LinkedIn profiles. As we slide down the other side of what's been a long, upward growth curve, particularly within the tech industry, over the past decade, the reality of having an up-to-date CV/LinkedIn profile is dawning on people. These things seem a little less urgent during the good times, of course.
All of which begs the question, why leave career development until you need a new job?
Among the various insights I discovered during the research for my book, Work/Life Flywheel, was how actively most people think about growing their careers. Or, more accurately, how little they think about it. While plenty of people are ambitious and have big goals, very often, their approach to recording their achievements and analysing how to develop their skills and expertise is sporadic at best. This is less a reflection of their capabilities than the busy reality of life flying by without opportunities to stop, reflect and take action on their day-to-day work/life.
So what's the alternative?
Break career development down into manageable chunks. Instead of being reactive – for example, applying for a new job, preparing for an appraisal, or making a case for a pay rise – collect daily insights into your achievements and contribution.
Rather than cobbling together a poor retrospective representation of your career (when you’ve forgotten half the stuff you’ve done anyway), curate a collection of your highlights over time.
In short, create a work/life portfolio - a dynamic, constantly changing showcase of your best bits.
Don’t let the narcissistic megalomaniac in your work/life throw your career into disarray. Start small and stay consistent by designing a proactive (but manageable) approach to career development, which means you’re always on the front foot.
I've written about how micro-journaling has helped me achieve this in Work/Life Flywheel, which I'll share with you below.
Thanks and have a lovely weekend,
Ollie
Micro-journaling is one habit that has changed my life over the past couple of years. At the end of each day, I spend five minutes noting down answers to the following questions:
1. How do I feel about the day in general – was it productive, frustrating, exciting, sad?
2. What's the main reason for feeling this way?
3. What was my biggest achievement at work?
4. What was my biggest achievement in my personal life.
I then do what the author Matthew Dicks calls Homework for Life, noting down the answer to the question:
5. What were the most story-worthy moments of the day?
The goal of an exercise like this is two-fold – focusing your attention on the things that matter most and recognising your progress each day. As we scrutinise what's happened during the day – however large or small – we acknowledge the significance of our work. We're placing a marker down by identifying a highlight that demonstrates our progress.
Five questions in five minutes, which have had the following five results for me:
Reduced stress and anxiety: Why? Taking a moment to pause helps me unwind before laying down to sleep.
I can see I'm making progress: It's easy to get caught on the treadmill of life but tracking my highlights shows me how far I've come.
I can spot patterns: After a while, it's easy to see the activities and people that give you energy and those that suck it up. Do more of the good stuff!
I see a positive connection between work and life: I do better work when life is good. I'm a better dad, husband, and friend when work is good. I no longer dream of work/life balance. I design my work/life to work in harmony.
My memory's improved, and time's slowed down: I struggled to remember key events in my children's lives for years. Everything seemed to be flashing by. Now I have a memory log, can recall even the smallest moments, and I feel like I have more time to play with.
Breakthroughs keep your Work/Life Flywheel spinning in the right direction but require rest, reflection, and acknowledgement of your progress. So, to gain perspective and recognise your progress, take a step back from life's craziness and start tracking your achievements today.
My book, Work/Life Flywheel: Harness the work revolution and reimagine your career without fear, will be published on 17th January 2023. You can pre-order your copy HERE. And here’s what Daniel Pink has said about it:
"Creating new opportunities requires fresh thinking. With the Work/Life Flywheel model, Ollie Henderson gives you the system you need to make bold changes in your career and the motivation to share your ideas with the world.”
The Reading:
In the wake of the big tech layoffs, there’s been plenty of analysis about ‘better’ ways of firing people of which this article in the FT is one of the best (behind a paywall, but you get a few free articles each month).
Another good read from former podcast guest Dror Poleg, who write about ‘the scalable imagination’ of our work future, explaining how:
“The internet's potential to unleash the highest performers in various fields. Most contemporary analysts still fail to imagine the implications. They see "automation" as the main threat to future jobs. They assume that humans will either be replaced by machines and become redundant or survive for a while longer and keep doing what they're doing — with the help of machines.
The biggest threat to your job is not a robot; it's your colleague. Technology will enable more professions to become scalable. It will allow more individuals to serve more customers in more locations. These individuals will take business away from their peers. They might be helped by technology, but they will not be robots.”
Despite more than 118,000 job cuts in the tech industry so far, prospects for tech talent remain strong - this Wired article breaks down why. One reason is the growing need for tech specialists in non-tech-industry businesses.
The Listening:
Who wants to use their time to be happier and more fulfilled? Well, in that case, listen to Chris Williamson’s interview with UCLA Professor Dr Cassie Holmes, author of Happier Hour: How to Spend Your Time for a Better, More Meaningful Life, on the Modern Wisdom podcast.