A Creative Renaissance is Coming
By Jess Lane, Founder of The Full Cup Co. Career Design Strategist | 20+ Years Fortune 500 and high-growth tech | MA Psychology, Pepperdine University
The Current System is Broken
Did you know that the current 9-5 system was developed 100 years ago by Henry Ford to optimize manufacturing lines? He was actually trying to reduce labor hours by standardizing a 40 hour work week, because he knew that rested workers were better workers. That was in 1926.
And here we are, 100 years later, still following the same construct. Despite the ability for us to re-look at our constructs to adapt to modern-day technology, for our own well-being.
Despite the increased
pace
stress
output
access
pressure
work flow
productivity
health issues
systems failure
overtime hours
extreme burnout
cognitive overload
culture breakdowns
and technology inundation...
We just kept burying ourselves in more.
Taking it on ourselves.
But now, we don’t have to anymore. We have more tools accessible to us than ever before and the barrier to entry to exit the 9-5 system is lower than ever before.
AI as a Tool for Entry; Not an Enemy
Companies may be using AI as an excuse to conduct mass layoffs, or hiding behind it to conduct what are now being referred to as “Forever Layoffs” or “on-going” layoffs.. And while AI may be considered an enemy of the current 9-5 worker, it’s actually a tool for entry to designing the future of work.
The more you differentiate yourself, the less likely you are to be replaced by AI, and the more likely you are to win the future of work. But that means that you have to learn how to use AI to your advantage vs treat it as the enemy. The way you do this is to use AI as a tool for scale and speed, versus a replacement for creativity and strategy.
The sooner you get comfortable with AI and other technology as tools instead of the enemy, the sooner you can embrace designing your future of work and be free of its control over your livelihood. Make AI work for you, versus you working to train your replacement with AI.
The Future of Work Rewards Differentiation
The reason for this is because no one else has your unique combination of background, skills, experience, interests, strengths and desired impact in the world.
You are a blueprint of one and that’s what makes you defensible in the future of work, because it’s what AI cannot replicate.
It’s time to put down the resume and start leading with your entire life, because you are your magic ticket to the future of work. NOt the next job title, promotion or company. We’ve seen that it can be taken away in a nano-second. You have to bet on yourself, not the next company.
My Prediction
My prediction is that there is a creative renaissance coming. That the thousands of talented people that have been laid off (some more than once!) will finally decide to take control of their careers, livelihoods, well-being and self-worth.
Because people are fed up, and they are fed up at scale. Fed up with investing years
With being loyal to a system for years that discards them in nano-seconds.
With forcing their lives, goals and well-being into the two hours a night and two days a week they get to themselves, if they're lucky. With diluting their worth for a paycheck that isn't guaranteed to be stable.With applying to hundreds of jobs, getting ghosted and being out of work.
I've reviewed data & spotted trends for a living for decades.I can tell you people are ready to take back their lives. And this time, they have technology on their side.
There are no longer the barriers there once were to exiting the system.
You can actually do whatever you want. Get weird. Get creative. Do you.
The future of work will actually reward you for uniquely designing it, and not defaulting to a sea of sameness.
My Recommendation
First, ditch your resume. Do the work to understand the best path for yourself based on what you know is going to sustain you and be the most successful path for you long-term. That’s it. That’s the work.
It’s not on another job board. It’s not out there. It’s in you.
You can save yourself a lot of time and do this in 90 days with The Strategic Executive Exit Plan™, which is the only career design program that combines Masters-level psychology with 20+ years of Fortune 500 and high-growth tech business strategy.
And it’s the proven strategic process to design and launch your next chapter in 90 days. For most executives transitioning out of corporate or tech, this timeframe is usually a lot longer because they don't have the right tools or support. Don’t waste years wondering what’s next, design it in 90 days or less.
Ready to get started?
Learn more about the exit and book your free 1:1 strategy call!
The future of work is here, are you ready?
Jess Lane is the founder of The Full Cup Co. and creator of The Strategic Executive Exit™. She has 20+ years of marketing and business leadership across Fortune 500 and high-growth technology companies including Porsche, Visa, Michelob ULTRA, and TheRealReal, and is completing her Masters in Psychology at Pepperdine University. She helps professionals design and launch their next and best chapters yet.