Prolonged equilibrium means death, we must be disrupted.
In any field, humans must
continuously innovate in order to stay relevant and survive the times. A study from one Harvard scholar has shown that organisms that have prolonged their stay in a certain state
eventually turn extinct due to disruptions made by nature. We all know of a
very successful telecommunications company that eventually sold their mobile
phone business due to the disruption made by two new smartphone operating
systems: iOS and Android. The company that once dominated the international
mobile phone business suddenly lost for they failed to see what is coming and
failed to innovate.
image: mindjet.com
The law also applies to
organizations not just biological systems. Companies that stayed in an
equilibrium state for a long time eventually get knocked off by new disruptive
organizations. Unless they innovate their processes or their products and
services.
What does equilibrium mean in your
professional life? It is stagnation in you role. Staying at your level or at
your current responsibilities for a long time without progress. You must
continue to push yourself to always get out of your comfort zone and set new
initiatives. Acquire new roles and responsibilities to stay relevant. Always be
in the forefront of positive change within your organization.
In order to stay on top of my
work, I decided to be open to learning the best practices in my field, Software
Test Engineering and disrupt my comfort zone so went for certification exams. I took up ISTQB and Test Automation certifications to further
improve my skills. It proved to be a good move since I have applied the
valuable concepts acquired from these certifications as I moved up the
corporate ladder. I also attended several soft skill trainings like time
management and coaching in the workplace. These sessions helped me grow
significantly in my career.
It is not easy to disrupt
yourself but it is essential for your survival in the corporate world. It is
still survival of the fittest out there. Only the landscape has changed into a
concrete jungle. But competition is still the norm. You just have to decide and
actually do step out of your comfort zone. Acquire new skills, propose and
adapt new strategies in your work, be more visible with your leaders and
clients.
Recently, I am trying to move
into an employee-entrepreneur state. I am working on a small business and carefully
manage it to grow (i.e. reinvesting profits back to the business and coming up
with strategies for growth). I believe we must not remain in an employee mindset.
If we are to reach our full potential, we must work on things that give value
to more people.
Do not get complacent in a
seemingly good position in your company, for the times are always changing and
you don’t know what new trend, organization or person will impact you.
