HUMAN RESOURCES Transition to Business By Paul Falcone www.PaulFalconeHR.com
Key Attributes for the Future Workforce Veterans Day on November 11th is our national holiday to recognize veterans of the armed forces who served honorably in the military -- in wartime or peacetime. The observance originated in 1919 on the first anniversary of the 1918 armistice that ended World War I and was known as Armistice Day. On such a special day that emanated from such a significant event and time in our past, it’s healthy to look towards our future. That’s particularly relevant for those transitioning out of the military and into the private sector. What will be the key attributes that will help you navigate the “new world” of the 21st century? How can you gear yourself up to prepare for tomorrow’s unknown challenges and opportunities? Similar to today, the enormous global changes coming out of World War I posed tremendous challenges to returning troops. At that time, the United States found itself recovering from a world war that was built upon the foundations of the Industrial Revolution and mechanized production. Today, we face a new Industrial Revolution—what scientists call “Industrial Revolution 4,” or IR4 for short. IR4 propels us today from IR3 (1969 – 2016), replete with its semiconductors, mainframe and personal computers, and the World Wide Web to what we’re just now beginning to reckon with—artificial intelligence, quantum computing, nano-, bio-, and IT technologies, 3D Internet (i.e., the “Metaverse”), and cyber-physical systems. Sure, that sounds like a lot. But the whole world is experiencing evolutionary change at revolutionary speed, so it’s worth going over some of the “rules of the road” for our 21st century, IR4 world. What CEOs Want Today Let’s start at the top of the food chain. CEOs have always valued leadership, communication, and teambuilding in workers and leaders at all levels. But it’s more nuanced than that today. Nowadays CEO surveys focus on collaboration, creativity and innovation, accountability, and agility. 40
WWW.HomelandMagazine.com / November 2023
Agility is the ability to move quickly and easily, to incorporate and adapt to change, and to seize opportunities that may otherwise miss awareness or be rejected by others (who resist change by nature). Agility is a mindset, an approach to change, that will serve you well. In fact, you’ve likely experienced a boat load of “change management” initiatives in the military that have prepared you well for the future challenges ahead in the business world. An Agile Approach to Change Economists and corporate futurists will provide general guidance that speaks to expecting the unexpected, exploring the unknown, embracing uncertainty, and learning how to “unlearn.” Their logic? Opportunities for change are massive. Just like many of the jobs of today didn’t exist a decade ago (think social media marketing and online data security), many opportunities will be created in the near future that don’t exist quite yet. Ever heard of “vertical agriculture” (i.e., growing vegetables without sun or soil)? How about 700 mile per hour high-speed rail that will move goods from Los Angeles to San Franciso in 20 minutes? Solar carports, solar roof tiles, and solar pavement are already in development. And automobiles may soon become moving health checkup facilitators every time you get behind the wheel, checking your weight and heart rate and potentially dispensing medicine aromatically. Even smart toilets are getting into the game, which can be constructed with biomarkers to detect illnesses early. Albert Einstein famously said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” And that about sums up the critical skills necessary for tomorrow’s job market— and tomorrow’s military, for that matter. Corporate futurists constantly ask, “What else am I missing? What’s hidden in plain sight that’s right around the corner?” That very same approach will help you navigate tomorrow’s career opportunities. It’s true that artificial intelligence will likely replace repetitive types of jobs. But similar fears occurred decades ago when prototype robots “learned” to perform spot-welding operations, as Victor Scheinman created the Stanford Arm, a programmable six-joined robot. True, those