If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know I talk quite a bit about the importance of adaptability.
To succeed in a dynamic market, you’ve got to be forward-thinking and flexible.
I read a real-world example of this concept in an interview with David Perlmutter, the new director of the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication (my alma mater).
What he had to say had broad-reaching relevance...far beyond the world of journalists.
Mass communication, of course, is undergoing rapid – and significant – change. When asked what kind of advice Perlmutter had for alumni who might be concerned about their futures in the field, he had this to say:
“Twenty years ago, for example, we trained someone to be ‘the camera guy,’ to carry a big heavy camera around and shoot video. He may have done some producing and writing, but mainly he could focus on one thing because people had the luxury to specialize within a career for a lifetime.
“Now you have to be able to do everything and anticipate what your employer’s going to ask you to do tomorrow – including changing your area of specialization. The reality is that if you can’t, you will be replaced by someone who can (my emphasis). The days of earning a degree and being done with your education are over. Journalists need to constantly retool and retrain – to be adaptable and innovative by taking additional courses or learning on the job. If people in your office think of you as the go-to person for what’s new, I bet they’ll keep you around.”
Perlmutter was speaking specifically to J-School grads, but this advice applies to just about everyone.
Are you relevant? Are you perceived as a person who’s on top of what’s new?
Have you taken the initiative to retool and retrain as necessary? (Hint: don't wait for your employer to lead you by the hand and show you what you need to do next - it isn't going to happen.)
You’ll be a lot less vulnerable to the inevitable changes in your company, your field, and the market in general if you make it a point to be adaptable.
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