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Over the past decade the proverbial ‘job for life’ has virtually disappeared. Even in ‘secure’ professions, such as medicine, tenured positions are vanishing as short term contracts become the norm.

The big challenge facing each of us has evolved from career choice to career resilience. How can I remain attractive to potential clients and employers? In short, ‘how can I future-proof my career?’

Here are some insights to help you strengthen your position in the workplace, i.e. turn your career from a verb into a noun. I hope you find them useful.

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• Switch careers into consulting (from all sorts of professional backgrounds)
• Land jobs with the big consulting firms (includes LBS & Judge MBA students)
• Secure their next roles following redundancy (I am particularly proud of this)
• Set up as independent consultants (this is enormous fun!)
• Grow their consulting practices

A common theme in all my work is the discovery that consulting skills give people a major advantage in today’s competitive workplace. This is true even for those with advanced degrees and other professional qualifications (~30% of my students have MBAs). Why is that?

I was recently interviewed by the editor of Professional Manager (the Chartered Management Institute magazine, circulation ~90,000). Click here to download the article.

What I argue in this article is that managers spend a great deal of their time tackling investigative problems and that consulting skills help them become much more effective at this. Why risk ‘winging it’ when there are extremely powerful consulting methods that can help you and your colleagues tackle complex problems and challenges much more effectively at lower risk?

Click here for more information about our work.

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The Professor of Management Practice was speaking at the launch of phase two of The Future of Work at London Business School. Her prediction came in the wake of results from phase one which showed that developed skills rather than those that were general would be the most transferable in the future.

The findings came at a time when many employees are becoming more transient at work. Future of Work is a 43-country research consortium which represents the US, India, China and Europe. The aim of the project is to understand what state the world of work will be in by 2020.

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Speaker: Ellen Miller, Faculty of Organisational Behaviour

Whoever you are and whatever your aspirations, the chances are that your success is closely linked to your professional networking skills.

I recently attended a number of events on the subject. This one was particularly interesting due to the following check list which I have adapted to make it more useful:

• Do you constantly seek ways to expand the size and diversity of your network?
• Do you prepare for networking events to maximise the opportunity?
• Do you run have enough business cards for each event?
• Are you comfortable with starting conversations?
• Do you introduce yourself in a way that is clear, concise and engaging?
• Do you reintroduce yourself to people rather than wait for them to remember you?
• Do you remember people’s names and facts about them?
• Do you make notes on people’s business cards to remember them?
• Do you proactively introduce members of your network to each other?
• Do you record information about your network and can you easily retrieve it?
• Do you organise your thoughts before making calls to people in your network?
• Do you regularly keep in contact with people in your network?
• Do you return phone calls within 24 hours?
• Do you ask for assistance or guidance from people in your network?
• Do you provide useful information or contacts to the people in your network?
• Do you find opportunities to ask others ‘Who do you know who…?’
• Do re-evaluate your network?
• Do you operate with integrity and professionalism in your interactions?
• Do you help others develop their networks?
• Do you enjoy networking?

The more strongly you can answer the above questions the better you are at networking. If you have any ‘areas for development’ act on them now!

This is just a small part of a much larger and fascinating topic.

Acknowledgements & Useful Links

My thanks to Elen Miller and LBS for organising such an interesting event.

Details of the many excellent Executive Education programmes run by London Business School can be found by clicking here.

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Well, if you are at all serious about making yourself indispensable and earning the rewards associated with this (i.e. job security, dosh or even a promotion), you are going to have to work smarter. What is the key to all this? Become an expert.

It has been said that: ‘Your income and influence are directly proportional to the number of people who consider you an expert’.

Many of us, when we think of the term ‘expert’, assume that it’s well beyond our grasp. We believe it requires an innate talent perhaps bordering on genius. However, becoming an expert is in fact something well within the grasp of most of us. All it takes is a bit of enthusiasm and commitment.

Most of us go through a ‘learning spurt’ at the start of our careers, and perhaps to a lesser degree each time we change jobs. We dutifully attend the relevant training courses in an effort to keep up-to-date with new methods or technology through our employer. Other than that, any new learning tends to happen by osmosis rather than through any deliberate effort to stretch ourselves. We often only aspire to gain the minimum amount of knowledge to do the job at hand.

An alternative approach is to choose a subject of value in the workplace which one happens to be interested in. We then aim to become a true expert in this field. We devour every piece of information we can find on the subject by:

• Attending suitable courses (you’d expect me to say this!)
• Reading books on the subject
• Creative web ‘surfing’

More than this, we need to thoroughly understand how our expertise can be used to create value in the real world. We need to develop informed opinions about how our expertise relates to and creates value for:

• The core business of our employer or clients
• Other industries
• The economy and society large (including public sector and not-for-profit organisations)

In short we need to immerse ourselves in our chosen field to the point we are bursting with useful information and wisdom about how to apply this.

Being a ‘closet expert’ of course does not get us anywhere in life. We need to find ways to visibly demonstrate our expertise. We therefore need to explore:

• Publishing reviews, articles, papers and books
• Give lectures and seminars
• Network with the media

We need to be visible, active and never stop adding to our knowledge bank. By going well beyond the call of duty in terms of professional development, we become recognised experts. This is ultimately an interesting thing to do, professionally satisfying and strengthens our position in the workplace.

Discover what really gets you excited and turn yourself into an expert!

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So how do we make ourselves attractive in a competitive world? How do we tell everyone we’re the greatest thing since the SmartPhone but in a way that is subtle, understated and of course typically British (I wish I wasn’t!).

Well, we have two tasks. First we need to find a way to ‘radiate value’. We need to tastefully broadcast that we are a quality product, a fantastic bet and that any prospective client / employer would be negligent not to engage us. Some tips for how to ‘radiate value’:

• Good, relevant academic qualifications (collect them like stamps)
• Professional certifications (hoover them up)
• Have an ‘iconic’ company on your CV (if possible)
• Testimonials (use LinkedIn or similar)
• Be knowledgeable and generous with your expertise
• Be enthusiastic and creative (without being annoying)
• Come over as ‘professional’ (develop a good ‘bedside manner’)
• Engage in CPD (Continuous Professional Development)
• Above all else, be visible in your marketplace

Second we need to be able to actually deliver value. This is more challenging (look at any politician). Here are some tips:

• Understand value for your client / prospective employer
• Work out how to increase it
• Sell yourself as the best bet to deliver this value increase
• Give them a ‘free trial’ – show them what you can do
• Deliver results (and trumpet them tastefully)

If you can do both of these tasks successfully you will rarely be short of work.

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1. You meet a Chief Executive at a networking event. How do you do business with them?
2. You are facilitating a workshop and some smart-ass asks you a difficult question. How do you handle it?
3. You are leading a team of experts. How do you steer them?
4. You are dealing with a difficult person. How do you quickly win them over?
5. You are about to be mugged. What should you do next?

I have to confess that I lasted 3 weeks as a Boy Scout at the age of eleven - I got bored and took up judo instead. But I did learn one valuable lesson – Be Prepared!

Like many other skills, being prepared and practice are the key to thinking on your feet. Here are a few quick suggestions for dealing with the above situations (in order):

1. Chance Meeting: Prepare several ‘Elevator Pitches’ which you can adapt on the fly.
2. Smart-assed Question: If you can answer it, do. Otherwise consider a) opening the question up to the rest of the team or b) offering to handle it offline or c) simply smile, say that it’s an interesting point, that you would like to give it some proper thought and come back to it later. You could also try what politicians do which is to thank the questionner, say how interesting it is and then give a completely different answer to publicise your own agenda!
3. Working with Experts: Have a clear and evidence-based methodology, set of frameworks and some cool tools and techniques.
4. Difficult People: Attend a good negotiating skills course (too complex to cover here).
5. Muggers: If they are dangerous give them what they want (i.e. the ‘light’ muggers wallet you carry when you use public transport). If they are harmless tell them to go to hell!

Your life is infinitely more complex than this and you probably face a wide range of different challenges. Think them through. Prepare in advance and practice if possible.

If you do this you can both handle stress better (thinking on your feet and worrying about it can be very stressful). You are also better equipped to future proof your career by seizing opportunities when you meet the right people.

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It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that qualifications:

• Enable you to switch careers
• Offer clients new services
• Expand into new markets
• Differentiate you from other people in a competitive world
• Build rapport with fellow professionals

Or that membership of a professional body:

• Helps you build your professional network
• Keeps you up-to-date with developments in your speciality

Although many professional qualifications take years to secure, some take previous experience / qualifications / certifications into account and can therefore be gained quite quickly.

True, there are costs but these are normally far outweighed by the value gained. They also have the benefit of being tax deductable.

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Good stress (‘ eustress’ in the literature) clears our minds and focuses us, quickens our reflexes and makes us very, very alert. Good stress places us in the eye of the hurricane, in a quiet place brimming with potential. We’ve all marvelled at musicians, sportsmen and performers of all types as they strut their stuff in the glare of the spotlight. We can potentially do the same.

So what’s their secret? How does the musician, the professional golfer and the athletics champion master the waves of fear that threaten to engulf the rest of us? What is their secret? How can we use stress to our advantage?

Contrary to logic, these people are no different from the rest of us. They are not somehow magically wired to handle stress in a way that allows their skills to flow flawlessly, fearlessly and rarely have an off moment. Moreover, this magic wiring doesn’t somehow allow them when they do make a mistake to just shrug their shoulders, laugh, learn and get it right next time.

No, they are just the same as the rest of us but they are conditioned differently. They have practiced their sport or craft for thousands of hours and delivered it in a ‘threatening’ environment on hundreds of occasions. They receive expert tuition and coaching. No wonder they are good at what they do and can manage stress to their advantage.

And then, of course, there are the rest of us. We do have real skills and talents, yet we are strangely fearful and lack confidence. 

There’s nothing wrong with the quiet life if that’s what you truly want. If so, retire to the country (if you have the cash), get a job (if you don’t) and certainly avoid anything as high profile and potentially dangerous as public speaking or setting up your own business.

However, if you want to get to the top of your professional game, whatever this is, there’s no point in hanging back. Go for it but you really need to put some effort into mastering stress to make the most of it. You’re going to have to become a champion at ‘stress surfing’.

What we can learn from the champions is that:

1. They practice a great deal (you can apparently become a genius at anything if you have a basic aptitude for it and are prepared to spend 10,000 hours practicing it!).
2. They are used to performing in public starting at small events and gradually working up.
3. They receive expert coaching and mentoring.
4. They use science and technology to their advantage.
5. They are prepared to fail, pick themselves up and try again.
6. They have a ‘Plan B’ i.e. something they can do when they retire or perhaps are injured

Here are some tips for how to surf stress:

• Develop a vision for where you would like to be, for example a world-class public speaker in your field.
• Be bold – throw yourself into it but start small, e.g. at a regional event organised by your professional association. The worst thing you can do to yourself and your confidence is to overstretch yourself and crash at a major public event.
• Find someone you trust to coach and advise you.
• Do some media training if you intend to appear in the mass media.
• Be enthusiastic and prepared to take small risks – you will be amazed by what emerges when they pay off.
• Practice, practice, practice. Polished performers have done hundreds of gigs before you see them.
• When you are about to perform, acknowledge and ‘welcome’ the feeling of fear – just this process alone normally melts it and allows you get on with the task.
• Imagine you are in a place where you have made a success of it before and recapture that feeling.
• If it goes wrong, laugh! This may not be easy but I have some great war stories where things went wrong . They get a laugh and seem to get people more on your side.
• Develop a ‘Plan B’ – something you can do if your primary plan does not work out for some reason.
• Above all else, really go for it – you only live once!

If you really can’t find a way through the fear barrier get professional help. Visit your GP, explain your problem and they will point you in the right direction. They may even be able to prescribe legal medication for your chosen activity.

Mastering fear is a terrific achievement. It allows you to achieve goals you would never have dreamed possible. It also significantly reduces stress and gives you more options allowing you to further future-proof your career. It may sound corny but the biggest fear is fear itself. Time to roll up your sleeves and tackle it head on!

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Some years ago a good friend of mine successfully applied for a job with the Essex Chapter of the Hells Angels. He did this despite not meeting any of their normal entry requirements:

• A heavily customised chopper (Harley Davidson)
• An ornate but slightly tired biking jacket
• Extensive yet artistic tatoos
• Body piercings in interesting places
• Passing a tough and possibly illegal initiation ritual

No, he wasn’t applying to become their bookkeeper. He’s a talented  musician who at that point was in the Roy Wood Band, an excellent ’60s group much revered by Hells Angels (UK). He got the gig!

My point is simple. If you are serious about future proofing your career, you need to take a good hard look at your personal impact – how you come across at a first meeting with a prospective employer or client.

Be honest. How do you really come across when someone meets you for the first time – do you have any idea? First impressions are by their nature instant and you don’t get a second chance to make them. As Darwin pointed out, life is unfair. So how do you survive in the modern workplace?

Whenever we seek a full-time or part-time role we are taking a gamble. Should we match our client’s appearance or should we make a point by standing out? It’s your call…

The dress code of the large consulting firms is clear. Staff need to match client appearance so that an external observer cannot tell the difference between consultant and client. This reassures the client, i.e. “Hey, this guy is one of us”.

However, we are all blind in some respect to our failings in this area. Here are some useful questions we can ask ourselves:

• Is my clothing suitable for the job at hand?
• Are my shoes reasonably clean and in one piece?
• Do I smell of cigarettes or have any other stange niffs?
• Do I have odd hair? (this is the easiest thing to fix)
• Are my front teeth OK? (if not get them fixed)
• What does my jewellery say about me? (women and men)
• Do I have any obvious tattoos?
• Do I really need to flaunt that body piercing I am so proud of?
• Is there anything else about me that might put someone off?

Each of the above is quite a complex subject in its own right which I can’t go into here. For example, take something as simple as a man’s tie. In the UK a tie says a surprising amount about you. For example:

• If the tie clashes, is dated or stained this person lacks judgement
• Does the tie reflect what typical people in my sector wear?
• Windsor Knot – is this guy a toff? All mouth and no trousers?
• What does this tie tell me about the profession of the wearer?
• Nobody wears a tie round here (i.e. safety hazard / uncool)

You may laugh but I have landed consulting contracts on the strength of a tie. I am a chartered engineer and I make a point of putting on my IMechE tie whenever I meet someone I know to be an engineer. We have a laugh about it (most engineers I meet are civil engineers). However, it does give me an opportunity to signal that I am a competent professional who perhaps ought to be listened to. In my field the chances of the same client meeting another chartered engineer are low and this gives me a real edge.

The good news about all this is that most of the above problems are easy to fix. All you need are: two or three smart suits with matching shirts and ties, suitable smart casual wear (my normal ‘uniform’ these days) and several pairs of good quality black shoes. If you build everything else into your daily ritual you are well equipped to make a reasonable first impression.

My conclusion is this. If you want to future proof your career you must ensure that nothing about your appearance puts people off. If there is, the chances are that you won’t notice it and it will cause you an enormous amount of grief, puzzlement and lost income over the years.

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