25. The new world of work: How to pivot your career in a crisis (COVID Series).

For the past few weeks, we have talked about how the covid-19 pandemic affects all areas of our lives, especially our work. Living and working from home, market disruption, and government interventions are now the new normal, at least until we control the outbreak and most likely up to the point where we have a wide distribution of an effective vaccine.

With that said, our world has changed. So, how is our new world of work going to look like? What challenges and opportunities will it present us? On Friday, the 27th of March 2020, I spoke to Marianne Roux, who has over 25 years of experience as a New World of Work Strategist. Marianne helps leaders and HR executives understand how to adapt their organizations to the new world of work by training their leaders and teams and transforming their businesses. She is a regular keynote speaker, author, business school lecturer and works pro-bono to develop women's entrepreneurial skills and alleviate poverty and trauma. Her work takes her to all corners of the earth, including countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. She is highly regarded as an expert in her field. She is called upon to support large multinational organizations, governments, and nonprofits in adjusting their business models, culture, and workforce to be more future-oriented and entrepreneurial.

In this episode, Marianne helps us understand how to thrive during a crisis: pivot and develop your career to adjust to new ways of working and living. 

Critical advice from Marianne to thrive under crisis - be it COVID-19 or any other you may encounter in the future:

• For a week or two, take time to get through the shock and the grief.
• Sort out an area at home to be your home office, and make it a friendly and happy place.
• Have a workday every day, give yourself a job title, continue learning, and network and connect with others.
• Schedule activities in your day to help keep your spirits up, like exercising and volunteering.
• You are not on holiday: You're employing yourself into a job, and you've got to keep that mindset.

Marianne's foresight to help you plan for the following stages of your career:

• The new world of work will most definitely include all things digital: data analytics and design thinking; there are a lot of free courses and public content you can access, so use this opportunity to update your skills.
• If data is not your thing, focus on relationships: health care, aged care, and other sectors require relationship management skills. 
• Entrepreneurial skills are essential, especially in developing countries: use your youth and get them involved in your business idea. They understand digital and can help you build your success. 
• Advice for career hunters in developed countries: There are opportunities in entrepreneurship, innovation, and how business and government work together. These are the areas that need much improvement.
   

Listen to the audio podcast:

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Marianne Roux's website: https://marianne-roux.mykajabi.com/
• New World of Work - Marianne's free training module: https://marianne-roux.mykajabi.com/offers/7BKDC6Sn/checkout
• Marianne Roux's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-roux-b459a34a/
• Click here to open the transcript of this episode on our new blog.