Search
Close this search box.

We need to adapt to thrive

William Buist, founder of xTEN Club looks at how business is changing and moving from a structured careerist approach to one that is more collaborative and values contribution. Buist also explains what businesses need to do to thrive in this new environment.

William Buist, founder of xTEN Club looks at how business is changing and moving from a structured careerist approach to one that is more collaborative and values contribution. Buist also explains what businesses need to do to thrive in this new environment.

The world of business is moving from that of jobs, of tasks performed for money, to the world where what we do, and how we do it, is valued by the contribution made and the manner of its making. In the 1990’s, when PC’s began to appear and email (and the Internet) became pervasive, the speed of business accelerated significantly. It became much more of a team game. Where once the exceptional stood out by what they knew and how they applied it, the remarkable at the turn of the millennium were well connected and got things done collaboratively. Where collaboration is a greater driving force than competition, people come together and do extraordinary things collectively. When we do remarkable work, not because of the possession of a capability, but because we choose to excel at it and act on purpose, then we create a future built on the value we bring. This future is not a careerist approach. It is purposeful, and works across the organisation differently from a career. When our personal purpose drives what we do, it no longer makes sense to tie our long-term future to an organisation, (nor does it make sense for the company). Instead, our personal mission becomes our guiding light. 

For businesses, that means creating the right environment to enable talent to flourish while purposes are aligned – and to recognise the time when that changes. Portfolio working and short term (yet purposeful) engagements will be the norm. Businesses working in this new collaborative world will do remarkable work and will do it in alignment with all whom they impact. They tread lightly and leave a better world. In this new environment, individuals need to narrow their niche to the extreme. For example, rather than being a lawyer, become the country’s most skilled entrepreneurial investment contract lawyer.  

This is because expertise on its own merely denotes knowledge of how to apply a particular skill in certain circumstances. What makes expertise powerful is an association with the authority of not just ‘an’ expert in the field but by ‘THE’ expert in the field. When done well businesses do not narrow their market but lead it. They will not lose referrals, but will gain them; they will not lose credibility, but will gain it. How do you move from being good at what you do to being, authoritatively, THE only business that does it? 

The answer lies in clarity, strategy and implementation: 
  • Remarkable Implementation springs from great planning, from robust and considered strategy
  • Exceptional Strategy comes from having an absolute understanding of the vision, purpose, and pace of the organisation, its collaborative teams and partners
  • Profound Clarity comes from genuinely understanding all aspects of the business and its place in the world; now and with the vision of what it will become. 

Business owners who seek to stand out must concentrate on building the environment where this way of working flourishes, for them, for their staff, the markets they operate in, and their communities. There are challenges with this approach as it goes to the root of societal structure, changing it from a model of exchanging money for the time employed, to one of the collaborative community.  Not least of those challenges is that many of today’s business structures derive from legislation and regulation. For example; in an environment not based on advancement within the corporate structure, employment protection laws can become anachronistic. 

Remarkable people have a profound clarity about purpose. Someone not able to explain their skills, experience, or ways of working in a way that others immediately understand will lose attention quickly. The biggest returns come when that clarity is applied strategically – creating positive, sustainable businesses that add critical value to a collaborative community. Together, the people with purpose, and the companies that support them, are changing the world. They will leave a tangible legacy that will shine across the generations. Standing for the things that matter attracts an aligned enthusiastic community, together focused on sustainably creating meaningful value for all. Will you strive for the clarity, focus and skills the new world demands, or settle for gradually being sidelined?

www.xtenclub.com

Read more

Latest News

Read More

AI’s Impact on the Workplace: A Survey of American Managers

27 March 2024

Newsletter

Receive the latest HR news and strategic content

Please note, as per the GDPR Legislation, we need to ensure you are ‘Opted In’ to receive updates from ‘theHRDIRECTOR’. We will NEVER sell, rent, share or give away your data to third parties. We only use it to send information about our products and updates within the HR space To see our Privacy Policy – click here

Latest HR Jobs

University of Cambridge – Judge Business SchoolSalary: £32,332 to £38,205 pa, pro rata

University of Cambridge – Judge Business SchoolSalary: £29,605 to £33,966 pa, pro rata

University of Oxford – Blavatnik School of GovernmentSalary: Grade 5: £28,759 – £33,966 per annum (with a discretionary range to £37,099)

Software Development Director (Exec Team Seat). Remote Working with Ellesmere Port Office-Based Minimum 1 Day Per Week. + Contribution towards membership fees. £120,000 – £140,000

Read the latest digital issue of theHRDIRECTOR for FREE

Read the latest digital issue of theHRDIRECTOR for FREE