I speak to clients frequently about how they are keeping current in their particular industry. This is often reacted to with a look of confusion; they have a good job, worked hard to get where they are, so what would be the need to keep up to date. We carry on talking about future plans and careers and it then becomes apparent that in order to keep progressing they need to keep current and know what is new and the latest innovation in their sector.
The world of work is changing at a rapid speed, over the last 10 years we have seen changes in.
- The use of smartphones
- Increase in freelance and contract workers
- Working from home
- Teams, Zoom and skype
- Social media
- Moving jobs more frequently
- Equality and diversity
- Mental health awareness
Most of these things impact on all our sectors, but there will be many more changes and innovations specific to the sectors in which each of us work.
More recently we have heard the term ‘quiet quitting’, which is a new name for an old behaviour where staff do the minimum in their jobs https://hbr.org/2022/08/quiet-quitting-is-about-bad-bosses-not-bad-employees?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin
As a manager in any industry, it is also useful to keep up to date with developments within HR practice and new trends that are being seen in the workforce.
So, what do you do to keep up to date?
Social media
Following industry experts and leaders on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. LinkedIn is especially good for communicating with others in similar job roles, joining groups for specific industries and finding out about webinars and other useful training opportunities.
Blogs/podcasts
You can subscribe to bloggers or podcasters who post industry relevant stories, keeping you updated to the latest trends and innovations.
Industry publications
These might be magazines or articles. Harvard Business Review are a good source of articles about leadership and management. Try this example.
Find a mentor or buddy from the same industry
This might need the help of your line manager and can take a bit of setting up, but it can take you out of a formal environment and can encourage a conversational flow, with the opportunity to ask questions without judgement. This can improve your industry knowledge and allow you to look at things from another’s perspective.
Attend Conferences
Industry specific conferences are a great way to keep up to date and network with others in the same industry.
Formal and informal training opportunities
Formal training can be useful in that moment in time to keep us up to date but as things change, the training becomes outdated. However, shadowing others within your organisation or attending seminars and webinars can be more frequent and more current.
YouTube
Take care that the source of the information is legitimate but there are many opportunities to gain knowledge from world recognised leaders in their field. Take this video from Simon Sinek, which is really useful if you manage a team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5qQJhe7sLE&t=4s
If you’re not keeping up to date with your industry, you are not standing still, in fact you are moving backwards because everything and everyone are moving forward with new ideas and innovations, leaving you behind.
