Amidst rising concerns of AI reducing the need for white collar jobs, especially in middle management, self care has become more important than ever. With layoffs looming inside companies, workforce displacements are creating added stress for millions of workers. As managers are increasingly seen as unnecessary, or disposable, or both, self-directed work teams are becoming the norm for many organizations. Bayer, for example, recently removed 5,000 middle managers from its ranks – and shifted to self-led teams where everyone is involved in strategy, sourcing and decision-making. Inside the rising trend of disappearing managers, and increased reliance on self-direction, the greatest way for employees to prepare for the future of work emphasizes self-care in order to adapt to these changes. Perhaps the most considerate thing that forward-thinking employees can do for themselves is to gain a deeper understanding of self-leadership – the key to career advancement in the era of self-directed work teams. Here are five key self-care principles that can help you to understand what leadership looks like in the age of AI.
- Discovering Your Purpose: awareness is key to self-leadership. Recognizing your own strengths is a great place to start, but as author Marcus Buckingham suggests in the title of his best-selling book, Go Put Your Strengths to Work. Knowing your purpose, and articulating your values, can help you navigate team dynamics where managers are becoming scarce. In order to better prepare for the future of work, a careful assessment of your purpose and values can help you to identify what really matters to you.
- Goal Setting: where do goals really come from? If you said, “My manager”, perhaps it’s time to consider reframing your answer. Think about the goals that have given you the greatest sense of accomplishment. Were they external, or internal? Self-leadership asks you to look inside at what you want to accomplish. And then, reinforcing those goals via self discipline – which is as simple as just remembering what it is that you want.
- Accountability: when managers disappear, who’s there to follow up on your progress? Taking ownership of your role, as well as your professional development, isn’t something you can outsource. Beyond your KPIs, what are your personal goals and responsibilities? If everything you’re working on comes from outside of you, how does that allow time for self-care? Self leadership asks for your ownership – of your tasks, as well as your personal and professional development. Self-directed work teams require leadership from the inside out. Are you keeping your promises – to yourself? By the way, what’s the biggest promise you can keep?
- Ownership: the philosophy of stoicism focuses on what you can and can’t control, with powerful lessons in self-leadership. What we always control, inside even the most difficult situation, is how we show up. In other words, we can’t control our circumstances but we can control how we respond to those circumstances. Taking ownership requires that we stop blamestorming. Finding excuses in our circumstances is giving ownership where it is not deserved. Take back your power, and your ownership, when you see that your actions (and reactions) are within your power. Self care asks you to reflect on a situation, and before you react instantly, consider: What else could this be? What else could this mean? And ultimately, what could I do or say that I haven’t considered here? If you are vexed by this line of questioning, open up a window with your favorite AI and chat it out. Take ownership of your circumstances and your outcomes via a dialogue. That conversation might show you what’s missing.
- Continuous Learning: how curious are you? Self care emphasizes self development. And in the age of self directed work teams, developing your own leadership skills is key. Learning and development is an inside job for the future of work. If you’re not learning new skills (upskilling) you’re missing an opportunity for growth, expansion and career development. Coaching can be a valuable asset, to help you to find new possibilities – especially around vital skills such as communication, listening and relationships. While AI can provide vast insight and a fresh perspective, learning how to interact with team members is something that everyone needs – especially executive leaders who might reject that last statement.
Self Care and Self Leadership Starts Here
Leadership begins with listening. As we find new perspectives to inform our own, new possibilities emerge. Those possibilities can lead to new opportunities, new promotions, even new careers. From a self-care standpoint, listening to what you really need is where the conversation begins. Exploring your values and your purpose can help you to cut through the noise and distractions that bombard us every day.
The future of work features a new team member (AI) and a new team structure (the shifting role of the manager). As greater responsibility is placed on that new team, self leadership is key to moving past burnout – and focusing on what really matters – as team members must become manager-proof. Inside a self care mindset, taking a pause to find your own inner compass is the key to navigating the future of work.
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