Author: hadeedakmal

Traditionally, kindness has been considered a personal attribute whereas business is business. While being kind might have made you more likeable, business principles dictated that one had to have a competitive, win at all costs type of a personality. After all, personal life and work do not mix.

More recently, we see kindness and similar attributes not just being accepted into the world of business – they are considered a prerequisite for business success. This line of thinking has merit.

With the advent of social media and the era of open conversations, being kind, definitely gives people the edge.

A hiring manager who helps out a candidate by providing constructive feedback (even if the candidate did not make the cut), leaves a memorable impact. Years down the line, the same candidate might be in a position to help out the hiring manager.

Circle of life!

A colleague being kind to new joiners, might end up being part of a successful company when one of them ends up starting it.

Karma!

Employers who look out for their employees, especially in challenging times, do themselves a favour, resulting in positive employee reviews and better company image – not to forget the employee morale and low turnover.

What goes around comes around!

However such advice should be taken with caution so as to not fall into the trap of using kindness as a currency, a stepping stone to success. Being genuinely kind is the way to go and any initiatives to fake this attribute can only ever lead to short term success at best.

Find the common element in the following scenarios.
– Attending an interview
– Deciding what new place to eat out at, with friends
– Presenting your school, college, university or work project

While the audience for each scenario is unique and the activities different, the aim across all is the same. To convince stakeholders!
– These are the reasons why I am the best candidate for the job
– That is why, the newly opened cafe serving Italian cuisine should be our go to spot tonight
– Here is why my project should get the desired outcome (the best grade in class, implemented at work etc)

Focus on every day scenarios and quickly a pattern emerges – we all are trying to sell something or the other. Humans are sales people by nature and holding a sales job should be second nature to us.

To explore human nature, observe children at different ages and their habits.
– When hungry – they cry. In other words they communicate and don’t stop until they get what they want.
– When they want a new toy – they make certain expressions, throw a fit or follow instructions. In other words, they observe and adapt until they get what they want.

Applying the above to sales results in concepts like, communication, understanding target audience, learning and adapting. Above all, the relentless focus on the goal is something that children and sales people share the most.

Sales is second nature to us since we are born, yet it is one of the most dreaded careers out there. I believe all job roles involve element of sales to a degree. So why not spend a portion of your day explicitly trying to convince an audience? Better yet, hold a sales job for sometime and see if it is as dreaded as you made it out to be.

The New Reality

Layoffs, redundancies, company shutdowns, recession, economic downturn, are words that you will have come across in recent months. Some of the most renowned organisations, (Netflix, Robinhood, Klarna, Compass and many others) have undergone layoffs this year. In fact there is a tracker with information about companies and the number of staff that have been let go.

For the average worker, the pressing question is, if global companies with arguably robust business models have had to struggle on this front, is any company immune? A widely cited sentiment is that it is only a matter of time before one’s time comes – oh the dread!

One answer is, were our jobs ever secure? The majority of stories about being made redundant have an element of the affected employees being taken by surprise. Were we in a state of false security all along?

The great resignation, quiet quitting, declining employee loyalty all point to changing dynamics of the workplace – one governed by new rules. The million dollar question revolves around finding best ways to thrive in the new world of work.

Changing Attitudes and The New World of Work

Career transitions might have traditionally been frowned upon. How could you ever leave your profession? Attitudes towards careers have also undergone significant changes over the last couple of decades.

As a result, being able to shift to a new career to carry out more meaningful work, higher pay, increased flexibility is not only acceptable but is looked upon favourably in a lot of cases. The ability to learn and unlearn and carrying across soft skills are some of the highly in demand attributes. Transitioning from a field that is more prone to automation to another that is going to grow over the next few decades carries a lot of benefits, both for workers and employers.

Final Thoughts

With the above in mind, it is important to keep an eye out for the changing dynamics of the workplace, the evolving elements in the economy and in relevant industries. The way to future proof careers might just lie in career transitions. What is there to fear about?