What is the future of work?
I’m asked this question repeatedly online, and after every speech I give. But it’s the wrong question to ask.
When we ask to define the future of work, we remove ourselves as active participants and creators. Instead of being something we can help design, create, and build, we assume the future is something that happens to us.
Here’s the truth: the future of work is whatever you help shape it to be.
Too often we fall into the trap of thinking of the future of work as a single passive thing–the one outcome that will affect us all.
But the future has many different possibilities and potential outcomes shaped by me, you, and everyone else.
With that mindset, the future of work can be whatever you want it to be. The future of work is being shaped right now. The future is ripe for disruption and changes to create a world where employees are engaged and empowered and organizations serve their communities, customers, and employees. This is your chance to be a part of it.
No matter what happens in the future of work, I do know this: the future of work is human. It is full of possibility, opportunity, and transformation. We’ll have technology, but more importantly, we’ll have people innovating, building relationships, and creating.
We all have a critical role in shaping the future of work. Whether we like it or not, the future is coming–we might as well proactively get involved to shape it into what we want it to be.
So what is the future of work? You tell me!
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