I’ve been a writer and editor for most of my career. While the core skills remain the same, the mediums have constantly changed…
Sometimes, I have had to reinvent my core skills to suit a particular platform. At others, I have had to add more skills to complement those core skills…either way the reinvention game continues, and always will.
For instance, when I wrote for magazines or did commissioned pieces for clients, I was always conscious of the fact that I had to leave the ‘I’ behind… Nowadays, in the world of blogs, if you don’t add your personal stories, and overtly state that it is ‘your’ view, the blog will fall flat.
To explain the complementary skills - I may be a blogger, but I could eventually convert my content into a podcast, a webinar, or a keynote speech. For this I would need to not just write well, but also speak well…a new skill that would have to be learned.
In this dynamic and organic era, we have no clue how fast things will evolve or in which direction. And no one skill will ever be enough in and of itself… Even if that one superlative skill has served you so far, don’t be surprised if it becomes redundant in the coming months or years.
Thus, you will need to keep working on your existing skills, and adding new ones as your work demands. Some skills may need honing or enhancing, such that you become a specialist in it, while others will need reinvention, where the same skill is adapted for another use.
Hence the emergence of the terms ‘upskill’ and ‘reskill’… Upskill is essentially when you add new skills to do the same job better, and reskill is when you learn new skills to do a different job altogether.
But at the core of all upskilling or reskilling lies the ability to reinvent yourself quickly…
For quick learners, this is not a problem… But for those who tend to be more rigid or stuck in a groove, this can take time, an attitude shift, and lots of hard work… It can even mean unlearning and relearning, so as to come up to speed with the current demands of the workplace and business environment.
To inculcate the spirit of reinvention, the following tips may be useful to you…
Step 1. Identify what’s working and what’s not in your current skillset
Your skillset is like a garden that needs regular weeding… old flowers have to be removed, while those that are still in bloom need to be watered.
The way to do this is by understanding which skill of yours still has value in the market…. Well, at the end of the day, it is a marketplace where demand and supply is still the norm; so no matter how romantic your notions about a skill/venture/idea, if it can’t be sold, it’s time to reinvent.
Some of your skills may pay you immensely, while some may make you small sums… Decide what you want to keep and what you should let go of…it’s like inventory in a store, what’s not selling has to be put on discount for fresh stock to come in!
Also, figure out which one is worth investing time on… Time is money, so spend time learning a skill that will give you ROI…if not now, at least in the future.
Step 2. Identify what skills you need to learn next
This is a cue you can take from your industry. Study its trends, and then understand what part of those trends fascinate you, and how you can play a role there…
Any research you conduct should work on the basic premise of understanding you in relation to the industry or vice-versa. If the skill you learn is not in sync with your personality, you won’t go very far with it.
For example, if as a personality, you are inherently low-key and shy, no matter how big a trend social media is right now, you may not be able to participate in it wholeheartedly. In such a case, it’s better to outsource such skills.
But if you are inherently a people’s person, you will not hesitate to go all out and explore your skills as a social media consultant or maybe even become an influencer in some time.
Step 3. Identify the depth and reach of the new skill
Some skills are purely functional, helping you get a job done better. To give a very simplistic example — improving your knowledge of a new software that aids your presentations.
But some skills have the potential to give your career a new spin. Haven’t we often seen a model turn into an actor, or a writer turn into a great online teacher?
If the new skill you learn has the potential to change the course of your career, you may want to approach its study with greater depth, and practice it for many more hours in the day, giving it the necessary focus it requires.
Any new skill you gain has a short-term functional role to play as well as a long-term far-reaching impact on your career. But gaining those new skills is key.
To conclude, any change in mindset, career or lifestyle, can only be made if we are ready to reinvent our skills, and consequently our lifestyles. So, if at any point in your life or career, you feel you are going into a funk, the best way to get out of it is to learn a new skill.
And, don’t forget to bring it to the table, and showcase it in the best way you can… The more you have to offer your clients and employers — or even the people around you — the more value you will ultimately add to your life…making it more meaningful and spectacular!
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