How less professionalism will get you ahead in the workplace of the future | Aaron Hurst | Big Think

How less professionalism will get you ahead in the workplace of the future
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Dell and the Institute for the Future recently conducted a study that found 85 percent of the jobs in 2030 don't exist today.

Having the conversation with kids on what they want to be when they grow up is becoming increasingly irrelevant because of this. They will need to be more adaptable for what future jobs may arise.

We commonly describe a "professional" as someone who can do the same thing multiple times with the same result. However, where A.I. is most effective is in producing the same output via consistent, repeatable activity. Because of this, it's being as "unprofessional" as possible that may secure a job — that is, acting in a way that is not predictable. Acting on your humanity may enable you to thrive.
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AARON HURST

Aaron Hurst is a globally recognized entrepreneur who works to create communities that are empowered to realize their potential. He is the CEO of Imperative, a B Corp advocating for Purpose-Oriented Workers and supporting the organizations that embrace them. Hurst is the author of The Purpose Economy (2014) and a regular advisor and thought partner for many global brands.

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TRANSCRIPT:

AARON HURST: Dell and the Institute for the Future did a study a couple of years ago trying to really think about, what are the jobs that will be here in 2030? 10 plus years out, what are the jobs that are going to be most prevalent in 2030? And what they came to realize as they did the analysis, and this is forward looking, so it's not proven, but I think it's very credible, is that 85 percent of the jobs in 2030 don't exist today. Eighty-five percent of them. And you think about that in terms of your career, like, what advice would you give a kid about their job and career trajectory when 85 percent of the jobs you don't even know what they are? Or how would you think about it as a 25-year-old, a 35-year-old, a 45-year-old, how are you going to need to adapt to address that change?

So my kids now are 11 and 13. And I think one of most common conversations is around, what do you want to be when you grow up? And traditionally the answer to that question, like, we're going to be a doctor, a nurse, a teacher, a banker, a politician. This sort of concept in and of itself is basically becoming less and less relevant. And one of the things you have to really think about is how is work going to be different when we see automation, when we see these changes happening in the workplace, and what does that mean for your specific career?

There's a couple different aspects of this. I think one is to think about the idea of a professional. For a long time, we've said, you need to be more professional. You need to act like a professional. But I'd encourage you to rethink that. So if you think about what is a professional, like, how would you define a professional? There's a couple different ways to define it. But the way that I've seen it defined pretty consistently is that a professional is someone who can do the same thing multiple times with the same result. You go to a doctor because they've seen other people. They've done that surgery before. You don't want to grab someone off the street and have them do surgery on you. You want someone who has done it before and reliably produces the same result, the same thing you want from, you know, a lawyer. It's the same thing you want from a teacher. You want that ability to consistently produce the same outcome.

Now let's think about artificial intelligence and what it's automating in the workplace. Where A.I. is most effective is when you've got something that you do multiple times to produce the same output because that enables us to basically program machines to do that task if it's a consistent, repeatable activity. So the actual definition of what's going to be replaced through A.I. is the definition of what a professional is. So to be able to really compete in the workplace going forward, my advice is to be as unprofessional as possible, that actually it's your humanity, it's your ability to do things that are not predictable, to be able to do things that a machine wouldn't be able to do that are going to enable you to thrive.

So, all these definitions we've got around professions doctors, lawyers, educators, these are actually incredibly dangerous ways to think about our careers. The second we think about ourselves with a professional label, we're basically creating a fixed ...

[Tyler_WI]

His idea of a professional is not the definition I have or was expecting

[Fauxmadd]

You have a completely different idea what it means to 'Act like a professional" than anyone else I've every heard of. Acting like a professional is being respectful, courteous, polite, but also proper forums when taking notes like an appoint, its not written down on a sticky note, correct grammar and no slur words, etc.. A professional is someone that seems like everything is well put together, they know what they are doing, they are well organised, not that they actually are good. I can be a professional and still be learning my trade when I talk or are in front of others.

Now that is for sure not the same as being a professional at your job, but "acting" like a professional is what I'm talking about.

With the topic you are talking about, it doesn't matter if we do that, it wont change, it is up to the CEO's and shareholders how the business will progress, not the workers.

[FacelessProjects]

He defines professionally and then takes it for granted to sneak in an extra level concern of where AGI will be in a decade than is warranted.
A lot of professionals don't merely take a consistent input and produce the expected output. A lot of these higher skilled jobs require a capacity to adapt to not-seen-before situations and use experience, intuition, and also abstract reasoning to produce the desired output.

[TheInstantUpgrade]

It's amazing that simply 'being yourself' is the key to success in life. But what does that mean? It's about digging DEEP into your consciousness to see who you really are, outside of the habitual programming and conditioning that has kept you feeling stuck and limited. When you do that, there are no limits to what you can create.

[robertlopez]

I forgot that professional means skilled. We all now associate professional simply with having manners. No wonder we have a skilled workers shortage in the US. We are too busy trying not to offend anyone that we forget we actually have to acquire skills.

[malcolmthebear]

A lot of professionals include creative thinking/lateral thinking in their jobs, so "doing something and getting the same result" is a very limiting definition of "professional" that feels contrived just to arrive at this point about automation and AI.

[Fuzzled]

If you close your eyes it's Jack Black talking

[robertlopez]

Most people here think his definition of professionalism is off but it’s actually correct. Being a professional is not about wearing a suit, acting polite and speaking industry jargon. It’s about having a skill that you can consistently repeat. If you think his definition is wrong then you’re probably the type of person that will have their job replaced by automation because the first thing you need to do is get your definition right before you can even understand his argument.

[TheAsem]

To me people who will be successful in the future..

Are not necessarily humane or professional...
But i think it's the creative guys..
Innovation is the most valuable thing in my opinion..

I really wish i have more of it..

[nayyararahman]

I don't agree with how you define professionalism. Professionalism means good business ethics. Personal integrity responsibility and accountability. We need more of that now than ever

[johndecicco]

I'm seriously reconsidering my subscription.

[jaafars.mahdawi]

Forget about AI and alternative definitions of one ambiguous term; this man has a clear point to make, and it's definitely a good one: BE MORE HUMAN! FOR GODSAKE, BE YOU!

[sageryan]

You have to adapt. Reach taught me well.

[Bigfoot_With_Internet_Access]

I wonder if that's true with us bigfoots

[joecramerone]

It's abstract but very wise food for thought.

[cybersekkin]

redefine a word, strawman it, and then tear down that strawman.

[lacigoldude]

To summarise, just make sure that you are not replaceable by AI and you will have a job in future.

[AngusRockford]

I hope that the one job AI makes totally redundant in the very near future is giving glib, half-assed, generally incoherent career advice on the internet, but I fear that will be the last thing to go.

[Turklean]

I think he mixed up professionalism with profession.

[sanjuansteve]

There is no workplace of the future per say. Let's automate everything and #SkipToAbundance.