Peter Cripps

Whilst researching another article recently I came across this quote from Bob Metcalfe , the founder of 3Com and co-inventor of  Ethernet:

“Be prepared to learn how the growth of exponential and disruptive technologies will impact your industry, your company, your career and your life.”

As Metcalfe points out a disruptive technology not only impacts companies or entire industries it eventually (inevitably) impacts one’s career and therefore life as well. This video from the Harvard Business Review talks about the importance of disrupting yourself occasionally to stay “fresh” and keep yourself relevant to the marketplace. After all, by 2030, most of the jobs we do today will no longer be recognisable according to this report from FastFuture.com. Instead we will have such jobs as ‘Knowledge Brokers’, ‘Longevity Providers’ and ‘In-House Simplicity Experts’.

For many of us, especially if you have been in the same career all of your life, this can be a frightening idea which takes you way out of your comfort zone. However, like it or not, the world is changing. Of course, this has always been the case, it’s just that right now it’s changing faster than ever and knowing how to ride each wave of change is becoming increasingly harder.

Part of the versatilist zeitgeist we are advocating in this blog is that you are responsible for your own experience. If you don’t go and seek out new experiences occasionally, no matter how scary they may seem, rather than riding the next wave you may find yourself drowning beneath it. So go ahead, disrupt yourself.