An Era Where Reskilling Is No Longer an “Option” #20
Executives, politicians, and celebrities who were once hailed by the media as the “darlings of the era” disappear with unbelievable ease.
We have witnessed such scenes time and time again.
Shining temporarily may be achieved not only through effort and ability, but also through luck, momentum, or even “bluffing.”
However, sustaining that is an entirely different matter.
In Yukichi Fukuzawa’s book “An Encouragement of Learning,” there is a phrase:
“Those who do not advance will surely retreat, and those who do not retreat will surely advance.”
I feel that these words carry even more weight precisely because of the era we live in today.
This is because we live in an era where “not changing” is rarely tolerated.
The environment is constantly changing.
Moreover, the speed of this change is faster than anything we have ever known.
What is important for a company is not simply “whether it is excellent.”
It is whether it can continue to adapt to change.
I believe that is what will determine the future survival of companies.
■ It is not just work that changes. The talent required also changes
The evolution of digital technology is a symbol of this.
When people hear “digitalization,” many may have the image that “things will become more convenient” or “work will become easier.”
However, that is not the essence.
Digital technology has the power to change the very premises of business itself.
The structure of existing markets changes.
Markets that did not exist before are born.
Business models themselves change.
The way work is done and roles change.
In other words, past success patterns are no longer guaranteed to work.
If business models change, naturally, the talent required also changes.
The necessary knowledge, skills, and ways of working will also change.
That is why I believe that future talent will need not only the “ability to complete assigned tasks,” but also the power to understand change and create new value.
On the other hand, it cannot be said that many companies are keeping up with these changes sufficiently.
The shortage of IT talent, chronic labor shortages, and the reality that existing operations themselves are changing due to digitalization.
However, one thing we must be careful about here is that DX itself should not be the goal.
If “becoming digital” becomes the goal, it is putting the cart before the horse.
What is important is why you are utilizing digital technology.
And what kind of value you want to create through digitalization.
It is about clarifying this purpose.
I believe that as technology evolves, humans are increasingly required to have the ability to think about “what to achieve.”
■ The era of “the company providing a career” is over
It is said that in the next 10 years, many jobs will change, and at the same time, new jobs will be born.
Against the backdrop of these changes, the importance of “Strategic HRM (Human Resource Management)” is increasing in companies.
This is the idea of viewing human resources not merely as a “cost,” but as an investment to build the future.
Japan’s employment environment is also beginning to change little by little.
In the past, the idea that “if you join a company, the company will prepare a career for you” was valid to some extent.
However, it is different from now on.
A career is something you choose for yourself.
This trend is expected to become even stronger.
So, what is necessary to choose a career for yourself?
I believe it is simply “whether you have the skills to choose.”
It is not the company or your job title that increases your options.
It is your own ability.
■ Reskilling is not “starting over”
This is where reskilling becomes important.
Reskilling is sometimes translated as “re-learning.”
However, it is not simply reviewing past knowledge.
It is about acquiring new knowledge and skills necessary for future work.
In other words,I view it not as learning to return to the past, but as learning to advance into the future.When the times change, work also changes.
When work changes, the necessary abilities also change.
That is why both organizations and individuals must constantly update themselves.
■ There is also a risk in the choice of “not learning”
However, there is a big wall here.
That is resistance to change.
In particular, the more veteran a person is who has been involved in that work for many years, the more they have their own experience and success stories.
That in itself is by no means a bad thing.
Rather, the experience accumulated over many years is a great asset to a company.
The problem is thinking that that experience will “work just as well in the coming era.”
People do not want to change the methods they are accustomed to.
“I’ve done it this way until now.”
“There were no particular problems.”
“There is no need to learn new things.”
When such thoughts accumulate, one begins to justify not changing.
And the scariest thing isthat the environment changes while the person does not realize they have not changed.By the time they realize it, the skills that were needed until now are no longer needed in the market.
I think such things will no longer be rare from now on.
That is why reskilling is not just a story for young people.
Rather, I think it is even more important for those who have accumulated experience.
The same is true for companies.
Just because there is a labor shortage, there is no need to let go of experienced talent.
What is important is to connect the experience and strengths that person has to new work and new value.
I believe that is the role of management.
Changing is not about denying the past.
It is about connecting what has been accumulated so far to the next era.
■ Academic background does not determine the value of talent
I have been talking about some big topics so far.
However, this is by no means a story about “some large corporation.”
It is an extremely important theme for small and medium-sized enterprises like ours.
We do not have a large number of talents who graduated from top-tier universities like large corporations.
That is why I think this way.
Just because you graduated from a top-tier university does not mean you are a top-tier professional.
What is truly important is not academic background.
It is how much value that person can create for society and the company.
However, I think there is meaning in the “ability to learn” acquired there, rather than the academic background itself.
Learning new things.
Researching things you don’t understand.
Correcting your own thinking.
Diving into unknown worlds.
People who have this attitude can continue to grow even if the environment changes.
Conversely, including myself, I am still lacking in study.
If asked if my desire to learn is sufficient, I cannot proudly say “it is sufficient.”
That is why I believe we must not look away from that.
■ That is why now is also a chance
You might feel that “the era of intense change is difficult” in the present and future.
Certainly, it is not an easy era.
However, I think it is actually a big chance.
Because now, it is an era where not only past titles, academic backgrounds, and success stories are questioned, but
“what you will learn from now on and what you can do”
is what is being asked.
What school you graduated from in the past.
What kind of company you have been in until now.
How many years you have been doing that work.
The future is not determined by that alone.
You can learn from now on.
You can acquire new skills from now on.
You can create new value from now on.
If you think that way, an era of intense change is also an era where individual possibilities expand more than ever before.
That is why we want to become an organization that:
・Has a strong spirit of inquiry toward the future
・Makes continuous learning a matter of course
・Converts experience into new value
・Does not fear change and takes on the challenge of new work
■ “People who do not disappear” and “organizations that continue to be chosen”
In an era of intense change, the option of standing still may be gradually disappearing.
Will you advance?
Or will you retreat relatively?
I do not think the dividing line is necessarily great talent.
Learning a little bit every day.
Trying to know what you don’t know.
Doubting your own methods.
If necessary, letting go of even your past success stories.
The accumulation of such small attitudes will eventually make a big difference.
Changing is not about throwing away the past.
It is about turning the experience you have accumulated so far into the value of a new era.
And continuing to learn is not just to protect your own value.
It is also to protect the company, protect your colleagues, and pass on experience to the next generation.
“Those who do not advance will surely retreat, and those who do not retreat will surely advance.”
In order not to let these words end as a mere maxim.
I believe we must continue to learn today as well.
To become a “person who does not disappear.”
And to be an “organization that continues to be chosen.”