Let me give you an astounding statistic: Six million jobs are in the process of going away. Are you surprised to know that I’m not describing manufacturing industries? That statistic refers to office administration roles. The topic is so urgent that it made the agenda at the World Economic Forum in Davos this year.
What’s the answer to this bleak indicator? Reskilling.
The idea behind reskilling is simple—as technology advances and markets change, skill sets also need to change. To be competitive, you may need to acquire additional hard skills, like pursuing an advanced degree or learning a new software program. But that’s the obvious approach.
Reskilling gets really interesting when you apply this concept to soft skills, which are valuable in everything from acquiring new customers to project managing your next job search. During July, we’ll talk about how you can make reskilling personal in the series, Reskill, Reframe, Restart. But we’ll do something different for the next four weeks, and that is to focus on the twists and turns of a single story: Lara Merriken and the evolution of her food company, LÄRABARs.
Lara Merriken was a self-confessed junk food junkie. That’s why the “No sugar, no red meat” rule from her volleyball coach at USC seemed like an impossible assignment. However, she was so anxious to play that she decided, “I’m going to embrace this.”
She started feeling better. As her health improved, she discovered a surprise allergy to wheat. She replaced her usual grocery run with products like quinoa, which could then only be found at the health food store. And she exchanged skepticism with enthusiasm after having one of the best meals of her life at a raw food class.
Lara got a big idea while she was out hiking one day. She was frustrated with sugary, caffeinated energy bars that made her feel wired before she crashed an hour or two later. She wanted real, whole food that was convenient and light enough to fit in her backpack. And, oh, by the way, it also needed to be tasty. Not “that’s okay for natural food” tasty. She wanted delicious. That day out on the trail was the beginning of LÄRABARs.
For Lara, reskilling started when she said “Yes” to things that initially appeared to be completely unrealistic. “Yes” to switching up her diet as the coach asked. “Yes” to finding foods that didn’t contain wheat, an almost hopeless task at her big box grocery store. And “yes” to more than having an idea for LÄRABARs—she did something about it when she got off that mountain.
This week, your first reskilling challenge is to use the soft skill of adaptability. Whenever you feel exasperated, try doing the opposite of whatever you would normally do. Step back instead of pushing back. Listen rather than trying to get the last word. And if the world gives you an uncomfortable reality, use Lara’s response: “I’m going to embrace this.”