Disrupt Yourself

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.