“If you don’t think about and plan for the future of work, then your organization has no future” – Jacob Morgan
Earlier this week, I was one of the speakers at a webinar organized by one of the leading West African Human Resource Consulting Firms – Human Leadership Resources Group (HLR). The theme of the webinar Maximizing Synergies between the People and Business: Re- Calibrate within the evolving COVID-19 Realities. The other speakers were Enife Atobiloye, Managing Partner of HLR and Convener; Dr Muda Yusuf – the Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce; Wale Adediran, the President and Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Personal Management, and Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Co-Founder Andela and Flutterwave.
It may appear to you that there are a lot of webinars been conducted at this time. However, I don’t believe we can have too much of credible and insightful information, being shared by experts. It is especially important at this time, that you acquire as much reliable knowledge as possible to help you navigate these uncharted waters. This webinar hosted by HLR was very enlightening and I will like to share some highlights of Wale Adediran’s session. He addressed the issue of the workforce been the unavoidable victim group in the final analysis. He also answered the question of what COVID 19 means for the workforce. Some highlights of his session were:
The future of work is no longer in the future, but now. Both employers and employees must immediately consider and plan for what kind of workplace and worforce, post-covid will look like;
The skills required at this time include adaptability, agility, problem-solving;
Work itself known as the normal 8am-5pm will inevitably change; especially as a result of the level of unpredictability in the global economics, which will liely lead to a reduction of the permanent workforce in a lot of organizations;
Work will now be more about adding value, problem-solving, creativity, innovation and technology;
The GIG economy will likely become the primary way of employment. According to Wikipedia, the GIG economy is a labour market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.
On a different note, I had a Facebook group live interview with Ijeoma Ubosi. Ijeoma is the founder of multiple retail establishments in Nigeria with over twenty years’ experience. She is an investor and mentor to several start-ups. That was also a very informative session. Some of the areas she delved into included:
05:40 – Her success strategies from over 20+ years in business
12:05 – The importance of putting structures and systems in your business
20:30 – The mindset required of entrepreneurs and business starters to thrive
24:05 – The key to retaining customers – she has kept some of her for over 20 years!
27:37 – My biggest financial mistake and the lessons learned
28:38 – How to know when to call it quits
32:25 – How to thrive in these times of covid-19
37:52 – Taking risks and financial discipline
43:00 – How to get started in business
My interview session with Ijeoma is a must watch. The lessons she shared can be applied to any business! Click here to watch the video.