Today’s workplace requires a new set of skills. But it’s not all that new.
In 1970, Richard Bolles wrote the first edition of What Color is Your Parachute? My mentor, John Crystal wrote Where do I Go From Here With my Life? in 1974. The concept of creating our own work, versus finding jobs was thus introduced by both of these experts. We’re still working on the evolution of the workplace to being more equitable and flexible to provide the kind of opportunities that will match and attract talent.
Then in 1989, Charles Handy wrote an extraordinary book entitled: The Age of Unreason which introduced the concept of portfolio careers. These were to replace the traditional career path, with a logical progression that might go onward and upward or include lateral moves based on the individual’s interests. And now, many more of us are self-employed using our portfolio of skills in a number of ways as we learn to promote ourselves. We must also become project managers and hopefully hire others to support and complement our services as we realize there simply is no career security. Except in learning about the new workplace, how to navigate it and find work within it. In the next few weeks, we’ll cover all the skills required for today’s worker to create a successful portfolio career. Stay tuned, or go to www.lifeworktransitions.com to access more information quickly. By Deborah Knox, Life Work Transitions
