After months of disruptions and social distancing, there is no better time than now to discuss how we can best future proof our careers and businesses in the rapidly changing world.
On May 15, HKUST Business School invited Diana WU DAVID, former Financial Times executive and author of Future Proof: Reinventing Work in an Age of Acceleration, together with moderator Prof Albert PARK, Director of HKUST Institute for Emerging Market Studies, and Head and Chair Professor of Economics, to host the “Future-Proofing Your Career in Uncertain Times” lunchtime webinar to exchange valuable advices on this topic.
Armed with 20+ years of experience managing disruptions, Diana published her book on “future-proofing” our careers and businesses in early 2019. Since then, she has gone from convincing people that disruptions are the “new normal” to witnessing everyone desperately accelerating their plans for adaptability in uncertainty.
While thinking about the uncertain future may cause discomfort, it is an important mental process for us to build resilience, be anti-fragile, and learn to adapt when disruptions hit. In the webinar, Diana advises the participants to consider an array of elements that contribute to future-proofing:
- Build self-awareness and take time to think about what we want to accomplish in life
- Have future foresight and consider how to develop the right skills and competencies that remain relevant with time
- Work on a clear “brand promise” and the values that underpin it
- Develop a strategic network to learn from each other and attract new opportunities,
- Develop Adaptability Quotient (AQ) and the confidence and competency to adapt to changes as our world evolves
“The great thing about this disruption is that we have all gone through the massive learning curve of working remotely so that when we have another crisis we can act quickly.”
Changes are inevitable. It can be overwhelming to catch up with the swift changes we are experiencing. And how well we adapt and bounce forward lie in our ability to strike a balance between acquiring new knowledge and holding on to the know-how we have already mastered. Either as senior leader or recent graduate, Diana suggests not to “...settle for what you were given, .… work hard for the life you want.”
Watch the full webinar here and stay tuned for more engaging and thought-provoking events here.
Download Diana’s Free 11 Questions to Prepare for the Future here.
