INTHEBLACK December - January 2022 - Magazine - Page 16
STRATEGIC CAREER MOVES
Career journeys
thinks the concept of workplace
loyalty can be self-defeating.
“People will come to me really broken,
because they were promised an equity
partnership in a business and then
the owner sells because they get an
offer they can’t refuse,” Bright says.
“I think a lot of employers want to
do the right thing by their employees,
but as events like COVID-19 show,
things are not always in their control.”
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INTHEBLACK CAREER, ELEVATED SPECIAL EDITION
LIVING WITH UNCERTAINTY
Bright believes that, to recognise these
opportunities, employees should learn
how to live with a measure of uncertainty
rather than becoming too focused
on goal setting and rigid targets.
“People often get stuck in jobs
where they are stressed or harassed,
as they do in relationships, because
of a fear of uncertainty,” he says.
Rather than waiting for changes
to occur, the most “career resilient
people” are those who are readily and
routinely testing their abilities against
market demands. They are also keeping
their interview skills up to scratch
by attending interviews “even if they
won’t necessarily take the job”.
“Sometimes, our work myths and
projections are based on the idea
of stability, loyalty and long-term
employment, but the reality of work is
that there is a lot of unpredictability,”
Bright says. “The more you can support
yourself, the better off you will be.”
While Bright believes that employer
loyalty towards staff still exists, he
SKILLS FOR THE NEW NORMAL
In addition to shifts in the employee
mindset, Bright believes there are a
number of steps that workers can take,
starting with “war-gaming” exercises that
map out routes through unexpected events.
“This preparation is kind of like the
awkward conversations you have with a
bank manager when you have to assess
whether you can afford the loan and what
you will do if interest rates rise,” he says.
Bright also believes that it is
important to map out the potential
for positive unexpected events, such
as an international job offer.
“That way, you end up with a collection
of maps for different scenarios, so
if anything does happen – negative
or positive – you can whip out one
of these blueprints,” he says.
Secondly, Bright recommends
improving transferable skills – those that
are not easily automated or replaced.
“Soft skills, such as creativity, will
continue to be important in the
future, and you need to be aware of
the new kind of cultural expectations
in the workplace,” he says.
“If you’ve been an employer in
the past, you might nowadays be
asked, ‘How many women have
you employed in senior roles?’.”
Finally, Bright says “reaching out and
connecting to other people” is critical.
“People employ people they like,
and they employ people who their
friends have recommended, so that is
why networking is so important.”
However, he advises against being
too cynical about your networking efforts
– do not only aim to meet people who are
more senior than you to help you climb
the ladder. Instead, be generous
and collegial.
“Social media [is] a great place to
network, especially LinkedIn groups or
even Twitter,” Bright says.
