The mind that opens up to a new idea will never return to its original size[1]
The measures of social isolation adopted in the country and in much of the world, however, contributed to accelerate changes that had been occurring at work even before the pandemic. In the globalized world, employment, in the classic sense, was already in the process of transformation.
Even after overcoming the delicate moment of health crisis caused by Covid-19, in the current context, of "new normal", reinventing is the key word.
Competences such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, communication, collaboration, curiosity, initiative, persistence, adaptability, leadership and cultural and social awareness form the core of the so-called soft skills[2].
The Covid era has undoubtedly bothered those who had already settled into routine and the same way of doing things.
The works of António Damásio[3] that lead us to the principle of not dissociating the cognitive and emotional dimensions, or in the formulation of Anthony Giddens[4], in the need to develop a competence, simultaneously cognitive and emotional, learning to deal with the unpredictability of the inevitable transitions to life with curiosity and creativity.
Another idea, to think about the importance and centrality of a set of knowledge considered basic and structuring for life, work and for the conscious construction of all subsequent paths. As Hanna Arendt[5] wrote, we are only contemporaries of what we understand, any time devoted to training must include a concern for "powerful knowledge" and raising levels of literacy essential for understanding the world and guiding everyday action, including the goal to continuously pursue high digital fluency.
The post-covid era is an era that comes to test the learning that we obtained during the pandemic and that shows, once again, that only the most resilient adversities survive. To be resilient, to be reinventive and, above all, to put aside the idea of ??making and putting "being" at the forefront.
The moment we are going through shows us that we must increasingly be flexible in the areas of professional practice. And that implies that we are not focused on what we learn to do our whole lives. It is important to be prepared for situations that can change at any time. Having a fixed mental model prevents us from experiencing new scenarios and adapting to different contexts.
In practice, times require flexibility, communication and the ability to solve complex problems, this includes productivity to be able to work from anywhere, outside of what it would be on normal days. Working the mind, controlling emotions and anxiety are also crucial factors for being productive and not getting sick.
As systems will become increasingly complex, human creativity will prove to be increasingly necessary in present and future times. The most creative people will obviously be the winners, which in the end is nothing new as it has been happening throughout history.
Education will have to reinvent itself in order to prepare new generations for a future different from the present and for professions that do not yet exist today. Adults will increasingly need education, training and lifelong learning systems.
What is guaranteed is change, and the more we know about what is at stake, the better we can prepare to participate in it.
The type of economy that Peter Drucker[6] addressed decades ago under the name of "knowledge economy", where money capital gradually loses weight as a major tangible organizational asset in favor of the intangible knowledge asset, is now enhanced by the possibility of using digital devices of "increased intelligence", it invites us all to ask a new question about the most effective strategies to generate more and better results in more fluid, volatile and complex environments.
It is in this context, that the word reinvent is the central word, it may not be easy to move from action to practice, but getting started is a requirement for:
- Get new skills
- Improve digital self-transformation
- Revaluate objectives
- Opening to change
- Invest in soft skills
- Revaluate your purpose
- Be curious
Knowing your starting point is crucial to moving forward!
