UPSKILLING Is One Key To Success In The New World. Have You Begun?

I’m sure you’ll agree that a career in the Workers’ Comp industry wasn’t a thought when exploring career options as your college graduation approached. It wasn’t on my radar for sure!

Equipped with a degree in journalism with a specialization in advertising management and classes in psychology, my first career after college began as a Station Editor at TV Guide magazine in a high-rise office in downtown Cincinnati. I thought I had arrived, until on my first day when I realized my title was the same as everyone already there; most in their 40-50’s. My 23-year-old mind saw that as being “old.” I was immediately concerned that career progression wasn’t likely to occur there.

Eighteen months later, I received an offer as a Casualty and Liability Claims Adjuster with a national insurer. After successfully matriculating four weeks of on-site training in Seattle, WA, I immediately loved the magnitude of opportunities for growth a career in insurance offered.

As a 25-year-old introvert, navigating through an industry where no one looked like me, I recognized early on, it was necessary to find and use my voice immediately. Feeling overlooked by my manager wasn’t an option for me. A growth mindset began then and because it has served me well in all aspects of life, I encourage you to cultivate a growth mindset too.

Growth comes when navigating through professional and personal challenges. You can choose to make it a positive experience even during trying times. It’s unlikely that anyone will tell you mental growth is easy.

One of the emerging areas of focus in 2022 pertains to upskilling and reskilling. The early days of the pandemic created a rapid increase in digitization, Additionally, working remotely, placed demands on employees who previously had no interest. Businesses began to offer training opportunities to equip employees to become “future ready.”

Personally, and professionally, if you want to live a thriving life, you too can benefit embracing a mindset of becoming “future ready.” If you’re connected to me on social media, you’ve seen that I often describe this as “growing forward.” 

Facts:

·       Our world will continue to evolve.

·       Maintaining a fixed mindset won’t allow you to grow. It may create frustration for you.

 The good news is that you don’t have to maintain a worn-down mindset nor approach to life. You can redefine your core values to live in more meaningful ways while lightening your load. You can choose to embrace opportunities to gain experience new things.

Being ready for the future begins with a growth mindset. You can begin by creating a vision of the specific areas you want to address. You can choose to position yourself for future success in all areas of life.

The reality is… professional and personal challenges often collide.

Becoming equipped today for tomorrow’s workplace is clearly a smart business move. Becoming equipped today for tomorrow’s personal success is equally, if not more important.

Licia Thompson, CPC, ELI-MP is a certified Leadership Reinvention Strategist and published author of “When Your Soul Whispers: Strategies for leaders to redefine values and move forward after life’s transitions.” She’s a former corporate Workers’ Compensation Director of Return to Work, Managed Care and vendor relations who now equips Workers’ Comp leaders and others with growth strategies to navigate through and beyond personal and professional challenges so they can THRIVE.

Email:  Licia@LiciaThompson.com   Website:  www.LiciaThompson.com. Instagram: @Licia_Thompson Facebook: Licia Thompson, The Reinvention Strategist LinkedIn:  Licia Thompson, CPC, ELI-MP