If there’s one thing that troubles workers as they move into the second half of their careers (and that I’ve encountered myself), it’s the concept of relevance. We want to make as much of an impact as we can every day and maximize our prime career years. We also want to ensure that our skills and aptitudes won’t become obsolete before our careers wind down, so that we can live our lives on our own terms. I know I’ve thought quite a bit about how to make sure my own skills, experience and interests translate into viable paths forward for myself.
This is a big reason why I was so impressed with the new book Be the Wayfinder, written by One Table Strategy founder and CEO Jeremy Harrison. It introduces The Wayfinder Framework – a model that helps us figure out and lean into what it is about us that can generate lasting impact.
Here’s how the Wayfinder Framework does this:
It focuses on building and optimizing trust. People aren’t valued because they know everything, overachieve, etc. People are valued because they earn others’ trust, deliver when needed and become irreplaceable. Harrison invokes the Wayfinders of Polynesian lore, who knew how to read the faintest of clues and deliver their communities to safety in times of crisis. This book shows us how we can become modern-day Wayfinders.
It’s grounded in time-honored business strategy, not tactics, trends or fads. In marketing, communications and business at large, there are some things that are just plain true. They’ve been proven time and again over decades and generations, and they’ll be true for ages to come. These are the concepts to build around, because they’ll be there when today’s technology becomes obsolete and other flashes in the pan fade away.
It helps us identify our unique skills and abilities, and then build value around them. The Wayfinder Framework doesn’t ask us to become someone we’re not; it helps us unlock our personalities and greatest superpowers and use them to thrive. It helps us leverage what’s innate within us all to achieve our objectives.
I encourage you to go to https://www.jeremyharrison.com/book/ to purchase and/or download your copy of Be the Wayfinder.
