Forget everything you know about the world around you. Technology and globalization are breaking down everything from employment, to markets, to corporate leadership. We’re in a world where everything is being disrupted. Everything is constantly changing, so fast. How in the world do we survive? Fast Company introduced us to Generation Flux in 2012, a term which describes the attitude of risk-taking, self-reinventing creative entrepreneurs who manage to live and thrive in the chaos in the face of recession and financial instability.
The Generation Flux mind-set embraces instability and tolerates quick career jumps, and ever-changing business models. But Fast Company Editor, Robert Safian, says that everything we live through- education, work and politics, are not built for this new lifestyle and way of thinking.
“Our institutions are out of date; the long career is dead; any quest for solid rules is pointless, since we will be constantly rethinking them; you can’t rely on an established business model or a corporate ladder to point your way; silos between industries are breaking down; anything settled is vulnerable. Information is being exchanged faster than ever and our personal, professional and social networks have the freedom to expand infinitely.” – Robert Safian, Fast Company Editor.
Robert Safian says that the next decade or two will be defined more by fluidity, and that it’s most important to be critical in a time of this chaos. Traditional/conventional career tactics don’t prepare us well enough for a world where the most important skill is the ability to acquire new skills.
We’re living in a world of rapid change and uncertainty, so it’s a competitive advantage to face the change head-on. The bottom line for the new generation is to be adaptable, and be open to change. As Charles Darwin wrote 150 years ago. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives; nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” What do you think? Have you been affected by Generation Flux? What ways have you learned to adapt or have found trouble adapting? Join the conversation and tell us your thoughts on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
Zairah Khurshid
Former Marketing and Business Development Manager
