Is is the best time to change? Well, we have changed tremendously for the last 9 months. Sorry, I meant, we were changed by circumstances. COVID-19 changed everything we do and how we do it. We have seen many businesses in trouble and we have also seen many who has managed to survive because they changed. We have seen pilot being retrenched and we have seen the same pilot opening up a popular burger stall. Change is inevitable and as they say, the only constant in change is change itself.
Securing our job if that’s the only job we have
Having a job allows us to earn a salary. With a salary we can do many things and invest it for more returns. We can bring our loved ones for vacations. I do know that I have to work until I retire. That’s still a long time in future. (Another 12-15 years perhaps) At least my kids should enter university first? So, I am a working class Malaysian. 🙂 Do we know what would allow us to keep our job for a long time? Perhaps it’s time to change?
These days, many jobs are being replaced by robots, by systems with artificial intelligence which can answer queries as well as humans could, sometimes even better. If we were not replaced by all these technologies, we could still be replaced by our fellow Malaysians who could do our job for less pay. If our fellow Malaysians did not replace us, chances are the MNC company employing us may choose to employ someone else in another country who could do our job for lesser pay!
Time to learn to unlearn
Today, let me share something I learnt from a colleague whom I look up to about how he unlearns to learn. Even though he is a junior manager but he is doing very well and considered an asset to the organisation. One key point he shared was this. He said he’s an analyst which meant looking at numbers, numbers and numbers and then he analyse them. This is where he and his peers differ.
His peers could report the trend to the management but beyond the trend, he could share how this new found information can help the operations to be faster, sharper and better in what they do. He was able to offer many additional insights as a HUMAN analyst. Computers could only present information which has been-set / determined. This is why some analysts move up and some analysts stay as analysts.
Losing our job in the future?
Do we worry that we will lose our job one day? Take a step back. Are we doing the exact same thing today versus 2 years ago? If we are, rest assured that there’s every likelihood that something or someone is already being primed to take over from us. Even if we are a sales person, we may have been the top sales for the last five years but remember, five years later which is today, the company may now be very well known and it can sell the same amount of sales with or without us using an online platform…..
Did we add value?
So, did we add value? (valuable like the image?) If we did not, it’s time to change. Are we able to provide additional consultative service to the customer beyond just the usual, ‘ how many you need? Here’s a quotation?’ As of now, the demand for good sales people is still far outstripping supply but things change extremely fast. Just look at the banks, the oil and gas industry and even the insurance. Once there were many thousands of tellers, petrol station operators and even insurance sales people. These are slowly being replaced by technology.
Conclusion
I believe losing a job is scary but doing the same thing over and over again is scarier! Happy understanding that when we stop changing for the better, the circumstances will change us, whether or not we like it. That’s how the world operates these days because we are now inter-connected and everyone is actually competing with everyone else within the country and outside the country. Time to change or be changed. Choice is ours.
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