TOP OF MIND Nick McKissack

I never think of the future –it comes soon enough. (Albert Einstein)

Map out your future – but do it in pencil. (Jon Bon Jovi)

This issue of Human Resources magazine is all about future-ready HR. I wanted an inspirational quote about the future to kick my column off and came across these from Albert Einstein and Jon Bon Jovi, quite different perspectives, you’d think. When I considered their quotes more carefully, I decided they were probably driving at the same point. You can plan for the future, but it’s going to be here quicker than you think and probably won’t look exactly the way you expected.

For many people at the moment, thinking about the future is a bit of a luxury. There are plenty of challenges just to get through the day or week, and we are greeted by some pretty grim news headlines every day. When we do turn our minds to the future there are many hard things to consider: the evolution of AI, climate change or even just our own retirement plans. Thinking about the future can be quite challenging but I recently stumbled upon a good way to start, quite by accident.

My wife bought me a subscription to Storyworth as a Christmas present. What this consists of is that every week, I am provided with a question about my life, and I write a wee story in response. The questions are about my childhood, interests, career, family and many other things. At the end of the year, all of these stories are assembled into a book, which can be kept as a keepsake and shared with family. You can include photos with your stories and create a nice album of memories.

Initially, it seemed like a bit of a chore to write a new story every week, but I’ve come to realise that this process of quiet reflection is actually quite energising. I’ve reflected on the things I have achieved in life, the passions I had hoped to pursue and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. These reflections have caused me to want to reignite some old passions and make sure I get better at using my future time on the things that matter to me in life. Who knew that looking back was so important to helping you move forward?

We get this same feedback from many of our members who decide to progress their applications for Chartered Membership. The process requires reflection on things you’ve achieved and what you’ve enjoyed about your work in HR. Some of our best experiences can happen early in our careers and be the things that have spurred us into the careers we have today. By reflecting on these past experiences, we can regain energy for our next steps and maybe identify how we want to develop our talents and make a difference in the future.

The overriding message is that, to be future-ready, you need to understand the journey that has brought you to where you are. At the end of the day, your future can only be written by you.