Future of Work

Líneas Invisibles

Están por todos lados. Este barrio contra el otro. Nuestra comunidad contra la de ellos. Mi estado contra tu estado. Este país contra aquel país. Las líneas invisibles crean lealtades. Crean un sentido de pertenencia. Ayudan a estructurar los recursos. Pero con el tiempo, también pueden crear barreras, divisiones y frenar la colaboración.

DOSIS EXTRA

Esta enriquecedora contribución fue escrita por Jorge Sánchez. Este generoso traductor une a líderes angloparlantes e hispanohablantes de todo el mundo.

Los buenos líderes reconocen la importancia de pertenecer, pero también comprenden que el futuro se construye sobre puentes, no con muros. La innovación no se limita a nuestro lugar de residencia, lo que nos invita a celebrar la singularidad de cada ciudad, región, estado y país, mientras abrimos la puerta a la colaboración entre diferentes culturas. Esto se ve desafiado por el contexto histórico compartido entre dos lugares. Cuando las personas de una comunidad tienen opiniones preconcebidas sobre otra, estas suposiciones pueden limitar el interés en la colaboración futura. En lugar de repetir quejas del pasado o lamentarse por lo que le falta a la propia comunidad, reconozcamos lo que sí tenemos. Celebremos la singularidad que aporta una diversidad enriquecedora y avancemos gracias a la colaboración con nuestros vecinos.

Además de la colaboración comunitaria, se requiere un esfuerzo adicional para desarrollar negocios a través de fronteras invisibles. Siempre habrá factores específicos a considerar, pero aquí presentamos algunas actividades clave para construir puentes entre diferentes lugares.

  • Participa y comparte experiencias en ambos entornos.
  • Encuentra un aliado honesto que comprenda las diferencias culturales.
  • Crea una red de contactos en ambos lugares y únelas.
  • Estructura legalmente un negocio para ambos entornos.
  • Mantén al día licencias, permisos, obligaciones fiscales, impuestos aplicables y auditorías.

El lugar de origen aporta valor cultural a cualquier situación, pero esto no tiene por qué convertirse en una limitación. Aprender a desenvolverse en múltiples entornos permite acceder a mejores recursos y ayuda a que las zonas vecinas prosperen sin perder su propia identidad. Respetar las fronteras invisibles es necesario, pero la verdadera oportunidad, los recursos y la armonía esperan a quienes construyen juntos.

ENGLISH VERSION

They exist all around us. This side of town versus that side. Our community versus that other community. My state versus your state. This country versus that country. Invisible lines create loyalties. They create a sense of belonging. They help structure resources. Over time, they can also create silos, divisions, and limit collaboration.

EXTRA SHOT
This contribution was written by Jorge Sanchez. This translator unites English and Spanish-speaking leaders worldwide.

Leaders recognize the importance of belonging, but also understand that the future is built on bridges, not walls. Innovation is not restricted to where we live, which calls us to celebrate the uniqueness of individual cities, regions, states, and countries, while also inviting collaboration between different cultures. This is challenged by the historical context shared between two locations. When people in one community have opinions of another community, assumptions can limit interest in future collaboration. Instead of relaying ongoing complaints stuck in the past or dwelling on what your own community lacks, recognize what you do have. Celebrate the uniqueness that adds healthy diversity and go further thanks to a neighbor who can extend progress.

Along with collaboration at a community level, extra work is required for individuals building a business through invisible lines. There will always be specific environmental factors to consider, but here are key activities to build on any border.

  • Show up and share stories in both environments.
  • Find an honest ally to understand cultural distinctions
  • Build a network in both locations, then unite them
  • Legally structure a business to span both environments
  • Maintain required licenses, permits, financial variations, applicable taxes, and ongoing auditing

Where you’re from adds cultural value to any situation, but this does not need to become a limitation. Learning to inhabit multiple environments enables people to access better resources and helps neighboring areas thrive without losing their own identity. Respecting invisible lines is necessary, but authentic opportunity, resources, and harmony awaits those who build together.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Adaptability

As leaders prepare others for an unpredictable future, an interest in understanding answers and an eagerness to claim confidence is essential. A vital element to both qualities is an ability to constantly adapt.

When technology makes answers easy to find, adaptability makes the human touch unmistakable and more resilient. As students traverse problem-solving activities, they learn to appreciate what goes into the answer. This leads to deeper understanding and boosts adaptability as assumptions are tested and unplanned obstacles are conquered.

Extra Shot

This contribution was written by Nancy Mwirotsi. She is a leader from Kenya who empowers underserved youth through technology education.

Imagine a young student, standing in front of a packed room to pitch her first startup idea. Something unexpected is bound to happen. When it does, real-time adaptability keeps her calm and her voice grows stronger as the crowd responds to her ability to execute despite the disturbance. Outside the classroom, similar manifestations occur when leaders reward team members who adapt to stay ahead of innovation curves and we all know how unpredictable entrepreneurship is, which makes adaptability an ongoing requirement for founders building without a map.

Adaptability strengthens confidence as we then let students lead. When young people are trusted to take the stage, make decisions, or shape solutions, they begin to own their success and claim a confidence that can’t be taught.

As students claim confidence, adults stop underestimating their capacity. This fosters a two-way exchange for students that see themselves in leaders who motivate them to explore, make mistakes, and yet, always remain valued. A shared interest in how things work can then amplify potential as technology is introduced to create awareness, multiply real skills, and actuate ideas. This experience encourages students to go beyond just using technology to find the easy answer. It elevates those who understand how technology works, which continues to shape courageous innovators that avoid the temptation to be mediocre.

Within the unknowns of constant change, adaptability keeps us curious. Enduring curiosity can then activate initiative supported by real skills and expanded through lifelong learning. Leaders who create environments that help others build proficiency in the dynamic elements of playforce principles, prepare us all for the future of work.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Diversified Career Portfolio

From an early age, the world tells us to change it by chasing our dreams. Not one dream, all of them. At the same time, we’re told our work must be focused. The most classic example lies in a loaded question we ask children. What do you want to be when you grow up? This simple question assumes a singular path. In school, the pressure mounts as students are forced to select classes and eventually declare a major if they choose to attend college. In adulthood, side hustles are often discouraged and replaced with the promise of security in exchange for corporate compliance. As a founder, the focus of today can shift, yet remain relevant.

If financial stability relies on a single income or employees depend on you, true focus will support lasting stability. Even with such discipline, many people have lost that safe job, closed a business, had a new idea, or need extra income.

Things rarely go as planned and the promise of security is just one decision away, from being taken away. To avoid the pitfalls of a singular path, activate a collection of initiatives that come together in a diversified career portfolio.

In a digital age, we are more efficient and can unite technology with community to balance more than one quest at a time. When leaders push progress on multiple fronts, each activity injects various flavors of value. For example, you may have a traditional job that provides financial capital in the form of a paid salary. At the same time, a side hustle can generate intellectual capital and innovative energy that translates into more creative work in that traditional job. You may also volunteer within a tribe you trust, which fuels human, network, and cultural capital as well. Such ambition should be celebrated, but it’s more often feared by those who don’t understand how it feels to hammer on one thing, ship progress; pop to the next thing, ship more progress; and then pop one or three more times to fuel even more momentum! This type of work requires tenacity, but over time, a multi-modal focus is refined into an indescribable stamina and lasting stability.

All seven capitals (financial, intellectual, human, physical, institutional, network, and cultural) can be hard to find in one place. When leaders mobilize a diversified career portfolio, we celebrate what we have to attract more of what we want. For example, the common complaint of not having enough money fades when leaders build momentum through a sense of abundance. What you want is replaced by what you have, which attracts what’s needed to fill gaps.

As you make moves to expand a diversified career portfolio, it is important to avoid diluting yourself to mediocrity. We know the entrepreneurial lifestyle requires extra gears, but the exhilaration of building into things you’re obsessed with supports more persistence. The wild card of persistence creates elasticity in how we spend time. When this form of agility is applied on multiple fronts, smaller time windows are still enough to make a big impact on various fronts.

Along with flexibility, a diversified career portfolio delivers unmatched dependability. Even with different activities, the common thread is you. Nobody else is you, which makes a diversified career portfolio hard to compete with.

As an added bonus, no matter the reason, when one creative season receives less attention, other activities still remain. This allows attention to be shared between an evolving collection of activities and adds to the flexibility and dependability of a diversified career portfolio.

For anyone with more to build, there is no permission required to add creative slivers to the pie chart of how you spend time. Does it take extra gears? Yes. Might this require practice to keep your personal bandwidth balanced? Yes. Will your co-founder in life play a tremendous role in how much risk you can apply? Yes. Might you have to play 80 hours in order to avoid working 40? Yes. Is such splendor absolutely accessible for anyone in our connected era? Yes!

By Ben McDougal, ago

Win Win Win

Nicole Crain is the incoming president for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry. She’s been helping to build business throughout Iowa for over 15 years, so it’s neat to have this 2025 podcast be her first interview as the new leader within Iowa ABI. We toast Mike Ralston and his 20+ years of generous leadership, then discuss negotiating, public policy, and advocacy that is valued by members. Nicole wraps up the first part of EP72 by shared timeless insight for students pursuing a business degree.

After Ben narrates Significance, Alessandra and Stella welcome us back by asking our featured guest, what’s worth sacrificing to pursue progress? We then let future-forward ideas flow, scratch on innovative community building tactics, and share how existing business can weave succession planning into their strategy. Congrats to our featured guest on the new role, and here’s to a fantastic 2025!

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://IowaABI.org

Roasted Reflections Break: Significance

http://Win-Win-Win.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

EP32 – Connecting Leaders 🎙️ Jessi McQuerrey

EP40 – Big Business 🎙️ Joe Murphy

EP30 – Exit Ramps 🎙️  Brian Crotty

http://PlayforcePrinciples.com

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, ago

Blurring Lines

Welcome back to Wisconsin! Ben McDougal was visiting UW Stevens Point to deliver You Don’t Need This Keynote at the 2024 Think Like an Entrepreneur event. As part of a wonderful whirlwind, he visited a local coworking and makerspace to record this special “In The Wild” episode.

Kevin Neuman leads the way as Assistant Dean within the Sentry School of Business and Economics at UW Stevens Point, while Christopher Klesmith is the Neighborhood Planner at the City of Stevens Point. Special thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Martin for coordinating such a unique collision between ecosystem allies!

Together, we discuss how placemaking connects with higher education and how entrepreneurial ecosystems can integrate students. We also celebrate agility within the future of work, ask what is school for, discuss collaboration between educational institutions, and close by solving the power paradox. EP54 is a timeless reminder for those who are blurring the lines between the classroom and community, which paints a reality that activates innovative ways for leaders to interface with the world.

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By Ben McDougal, ago