Mindset Is Job #1 in the New Work World
We can all agree that the year 2020 has been a year of unprecedented change for most people. Although the last several months have been extremely challenging for so many, there have also been many positive happenings in relation to how we work, with new developments allowing us to continue to grow, develop and expand our positive work experience as we are all in this together.
A famous quote I’ve always liked by Albert Einstein comes to mind when I think of change, and he says:
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”
This is so important as we begin to evolve into anything that is new. We so often resist change because it’s not in our comfort zone. As in the third step of the Faremouth Method™ proports, we often need to embrace change and “Step Out of Our Comfort Zone.”
Moving into a new time in the work world, with so many new trends and technologies around us, many leaders these days are looking at how they can embrace the changes resulting from the havoc of the pandemic. We are designing new strategies, methods of working with positive future enhancements that will make the work experience of the future a better, more meaningful experience for customers, employers, and employees. It seems that every week companies are being challenged with new ways to incorporate these new ideas in an ever-changing style of keeping up with what is becoming new and different and how they conduct business.
It has even been reported that some of the colleges, one of which just happens to be the University of Houston, is creating a “Customer Experience” program because of the new developments and demands of the workplace going forward.
We had the pleasure recently of talking to a “Customer Experience/Technology” expert, Rox Burkey, who happens to be on the Advisory Board of the University of Houston. We talked with her about her direct experiences with clients about insightful developments that might be helpful for understanding critical developments that she has been dealing with in the New Work World. She has a lot of good advice as well as observations in her dealings with this new working experience that could be very invaluable for all of us going forward into this new design of working.
The below list included some of the information we received from this expert, Rox Burkey, which also includes other topics that we have heard from other various professionals in the working environment:
1. The Human Element
Although technology has become an enhanced mainstay of the New Work World, there is a growing demand that builds on human skills, and using more of technology, perhaps such as AI for repetitive tasks is becoming the preference. The customer still needs to have a trust factor in doing business with a company, and a human on the other end of the phone with understanding of the customer’s needs and specific challenges is really one of the best methods to facilitate developing and keeping customers in an ever-changing, more competitive market.
2. Doing More Research
Before a candidate actually conducts an interview, usually online these days, with an HR company representative, the candidate needs to do their homework. Taking the time to investigate the web presence of the company, learning how their social media presentation could be enhanced, etc., is an area of discussion that might produce much interest from the prospective company representative. If you have experience or knowledge that could contribute to the company in a way that effects the bottom line, it’s always seen as a positive and might allow that candidate to stand out from the many others that may also be in contention for a particular opportunity. The candidate needs to find areas where they can offer a level of experience or expertise of benefit to that company. It is becoming more and more imperative that each employee become an integral participant of the organization to ensure customer response by embedding themselves into the value of the company.
3. Ongoing Training
With so much of the digital world becoming front and center in the workplace, a candidate that demonstrates ongoing training of particular software or systems might be viewed as a valuable asset. It was brought up that the Cloud is a technology trend that more and more customers have been using. If the candidate can express familiarity with this as well as any other technology system that may be beneficial to the client in expanding efficiency and operational systems, the more valuable the candidate might appear to the company. The client or employee needs to seek out and stay ahead of the game with any type of technology that the company may be interested in. The more you are able to show how that may benefit the company, this will get you farther inside that doorstep.
4. A Positive Mindset
If the prospective employer discusses security measures that have been implemented on their operational systems, the candidate should express understanding of these new trends and also, it’s often helpful if they present ways to streamline operations, and their compliance with the new developments. The prospective employee never wants to insinuate any negative issues in regard to these methods. Their mindset should be positive and present more of a “We” as opposed to a “Me” attitude and will often score more positive vibes with the company representative. A positive mindset goes a strong way with any company as they interpret that as the employee’s willingness to work together and promote the best possible outcome of their business operations.
5. Creating Community
With remote working becoming more of a norm than an exception and even might be an on-going practice for many companies in the future, the prospective employee or current employee could suggest ways to interface with teams to be able to create more of a sense of community in the company. Any suggestions that can be brought out to demonstrate more positive influence and team orientation to the work process, will be always looked upon as a positive quality.
The future of the New Work World can be filled with much positive momentum going forward. “Mindset does have to be Job #1.” As another powerful philosopher, Henry David Thoreau, has been quoted saying:
“Things do not change; we change.”
Let’s be determined to change our mindsets going forward to make the New Work World an even more enjoyable experience not only for the employees, but for the leaders of companies as well that are trying to navigate new waters and bring about more positive results going forward. It takes a positive attitude for all to get through this together and find a workable solution. This has to be our best game plan going forward.
Mary Ann Faremouth has been a regular contributor to the USA Daily Post since April of 2020.
