What's in Your Future?

I've been pondering the future since my dad took me to visit the World Future Society headquarters in Bethesda, Md., when I was 10 years old. And now that I'm a career writer, it's my job to think about what the workplace will look like -- and what it will demand from us -- in 2025.

You may not be concerned with surviving beyond the current recession, but you should be. Reinvention isn't just for people who are unhappy in their current jobs. In order to have long-term, successful careers, we all must rethink how we'll stay marketable in the future work force.

The twin challenges that face a majority of 21st-century workers are outsourcing and automation. 'If they can put your job into a manual, they will, and if your job can be done by someone cheaper in a less expensive locale, it will go away,' says Seth Godin, the author of 'Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us.'

Close to the Customer

The essential worker of the future will have one-on-one relationships with customers that keep them coming back.

Mr. Godin relates the story of a local supermarket manager who was transferred and then subsequently reinstated because of a customer petition. 'The people who look at every interaction as an opportunity to add value and solve problems will be the most sought-after employees in 2025,' he says.

Self-discipline and internal motivation will also be critical success factors, for the traditional office environment may largely disappear by 2025.

Many will work remotely for a variety of organizations, and hours will depend on the geography of the team with which you're collaborating. Although technology will be available to track what you're working on and when, you'll need to be productive without the boss looking over your shoulder.

Another requirement is comfort with rapid change and initiatives that move at the speed of the Internet. Future workers will learn a wide array of skills from strategic planning and hiring to computer programming and design and will be expected to constantly upgrade those skills. Employees of all ages and levels will contribute creative thinking and operational excellence to projects. Gatekeepers and paper pushers will no longer exist.

Prepare for the Years Ahead

If you're sitting in a cube, doing your work the way you've always done it, how can you prepare to have a viable career in 2025? In addition to honing your technical knowledge and functional expertise in areas like customer service, you should brainstorm ways to position yourself well in the future marketplace -- before you have to.

'Instead of blindly doing what you're told, get in the habit of taking action that invites people to pay attention,' says Mr. Godin. 'Make changes to the organization that will benefit the customer, and you'll be the go-to person today and tomorrow.'

For the under-40 set, a leadership-development course or two will be helpful, too. Starting in this decade, the baby boomers' retirement will leave a gaping hole in the executive ranks, and there will be opportunities for members of Generations X and Y to take on greater responsibilities.

我10岁的时候，父亲带我去马里兰州Bethesda看"世界未来学会"(World Future Society)的总部；从此以后，我就一直对未来进行思考。现在，我是一个职场专栏作家，我的工作就是思考2025年的职场将会变成什么样子，将对我们提出怎样的要求。

你可能并不担心度过眼下经济衰退后的日子，但其实应该关心一下。重新定位并不只适用于对那些对工作不满意的人；为了让职业生涯获得长期成功，我们必须重新思考如何在未来的劳动力大军中保持竞争力。

21世纪的绝大多数劳动者面临着双重挑战：外包和自动化。"如果他们能把你的工作写成操作手册，他们一定会的；如果你的工作能被一个低成本劳动力市场的劳动者完成，那工作就会离你而去。"《部落：一呼百应的力量》('Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us')一书的作者赛斯•高汀(Seth Godin)这样说道。

贴近顾客

未来的成功劳动者将与顾客建立一对一的关系，让他们成为自己的回头客。

高汀讲到一个故事：有家超市的经理被调到其他岗位工作，但随后又被调回来了，因为顾客们写了一份请愿书，希望他能回来。"那些利用每一个与顾客沟通的机会为他们提供附加值和解决问题的人，将是2025年企业最希望拥有的员工。" 高汀说道。

自律和自我激励也是重要的成功因素，因为传统的办公环境有可能在2025年基本消失。

许多人将为各种组织远程办公，工作时间将取决于与之合作的团队所处的地理位置。虽然科技手段可以跟踪你的工作内容和具体时间，但你应该具备在没有老板监督的情况下高效完成任务的能力。

另一个要求是适应快速的变化以及互联网沟通速度下的项目规划。未来的劳动者将要学会很多种技能，从战略规划到员工招聘，从电脑编程到产品设计，并要不断更新自己的技能。各年龄段和各层级的员工都要在项目实施过程中献计献策，并取得卓越成绩。监督员和文书处理人员将不复存在。

做好准备

如果你坐在一个办公室的格子间里，日复一日地用同样的方式处理自己的工作，那怎么能在2025年成为一个有竞争力的劳动者？你不但要在客户服务等领域不断提高技术知识和专业水平，还要积极寻找各种方式让自己在未来的劳动力市场中站稳脚跟－－一定要未雨绸缪。

"你不能盲目去做别人交代的事，而是要养成一种主动让别人来关注你的行为习惯。" 高汀说，"促成组织实现一些有利于顾客的变革，你就将成为现在和未来的职场达人。"

对不到40岁的人来说，参加一两个领导力培养课程也会有一定的作用。从最近这个十年开始，婴儿潮一代先后退休，将在高管层留下不少空缺，这为下一代的劳动者提供了很好的职业晋升机会。
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