The Future of Work is Now with Cherie Mylordis, Work Futurist and Founder of nexgenify
Is your organization ready for the future? What does it mean to be future-fit? How do you prepare for the future and what are the key elements of the future of work?
If you google 'future of work', you'll get over 6,480 million results.
While there are varying views, and an extensive amount of research, the goal is simple: to develop an informed perspective on what organisations need to know about how work is shifting and how the workforce can prepare for these changes, big and small.
Joining me on The Uncharted Leaders this week is work futurist and author of Rethinking The future of Work in a Fragile World, Cherie Mylordis.
With a belief that traditional ways of working are no longer fit-for-purpose, Cherie says, “We’ve reached a pivotal moment in the evolution of work. Despite four industrial revolutions and remarkable progress in business and technology, the way we organise people and work hasn’t changed"
Work practices are no longer fit for purpose and it's hindering our ability to meet today’s challenges.
Cherie is an accomplished high-impact transformation and innovation expert, leadership coach and Founder of Nextgenify. On a mission to find out what’s stopping people from doing their best work, Cherie spoke with 200 leaders from around the world and combining decades of experience with in-depth analysis and insights, she has three bold claims:
We’ve reached a signpost in the evolution of work.
Most organisations are running on outdated models which no longer serve us.
The future of work is already here and the clock is ticking.
Cherie explains “As the whole world emerges from the pandemic and looks to the future, leaders have a choice to set their GPS to the well-trodden path with a few minor upgrades (hybrid working, 4-day weeks etc), or to be bold and choose a road that’s new and fit for the future”
Progressive organisations from all over the world are achieving extraordinary outcomes. The problem is, most people don’t realise there’s an alternative to commonplace organisational models.
In her recently published white paper: Rethinking the Future of Work in a Fragile World, Cherie summarises the following key take-aways:
Most leaders are not consistently doing their best work, and this extends to the broader workforce.
The shift in workplace attitudes and priorities following the global pandemic has been astounding. Thresholds have changed.
Outdated organisational models are clearly holding businesses and their people back.
We know what good looks like and leaders are trying to drive change in the right direction.
There are big problems to solve in the world and leaders would love to contribute to issues or causes they care about.
When asked what success looks like, Cherie says “seeing ambitious people achieve extraordinary outcomes beyond what they could have imagined. Playing a part in that is always extremely rewarding to me, as it amplifies the impact I can have in the world”
"My purpose is to inspire leaders at all levels to embrace the future of work, amplify their impact and achieve extraordinary outcomes towards a better future" - Cherie Mylordis
As for Cherie’s greatest success, she shares “the most career-defining and life-changing experience was the five years spent organising the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games”
As employee number 52, I started in the strategy team five years out. It was my dream job, but I’d never been to an Olympic Games before, let alone organised one! And I wasn’t alone.
In true Aussie spirit, we developed the strategy, plans, and built the workforce that would peak at over 150,000 people, with a third of them volunteers.
At the closing ceremony, Sydney was declared the best Games ever, and we achieved many firsts, including the first city to integrate the Olympic and the Paralympic Games as one big event - something we’re all extremely proud of.
How did a team of mostly Olympic rookies achieve that? It turns out, we embodied many qualities of the extraordinary organisations I follow today:
A clear and compelling purpose that served as our destination
Strong, authentic and inclusive leadership helped us navigate new and challenging terrain
Autonomy and collaboration that turbocharged our energy
“A leader is someone who inspires and empowers people to do meaningful work that makes a difference. They create a constructive work environment that values solving problems and creating opportunities through collaboration, feedback and continuous learning”
What is one of the biggest challenges you experienced and what did it teach you?
I had an exciting role bringing agility and change management into a large organisation. Ironically, I found leaders saw themselves far too busy to change. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time. I had a choice – persevere, which felt like swimming against a tidal wave, or try something else.
It started with a question, “what do I do?” More training? Change teams? Find another job? Surely things will be better there!
I stepped out of the corporate world because I knew there was a better way to do things. I believed there was something bigger going on and as many organisations weren’t providing the ingredients for people to do their best work, I decided to conduct some research to get some answers.
The solution was simple: We can all make better, faster and more meaningful progress by working in 3D - my vision is for #workin3D to be a beacon for future-fit ways of leading and working.
Dare: to set a bold new direction which is purpose-driven
Ditch: outdated practices that no longer serve us
Dial: up proven, new ways of leading and working
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Ignite Your Passion and Amplify the Impact You Have in the World!
Follow Cherie Mylordis on LinkedIn and visit NextGenify to get a copy of ‘Rethinking The Future of Work in a Fragile World’.
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