Becoming future-proof in the age of AI

Everyday there’s more speculation about the future of B2B selling.

In the age of AI.

Three, five, 10 or 20 years from now, what sort of world will we live in? What will the economy be like? What will the sales environment be?

No one knows.

Nils Bohr, the Danish Nobel Prize winning physicist, famously said:

“Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.”

In fact, the only thing we can know for certain about the future is that any predictions we make about it now will almost certainly be wrong.

However, Charles Darwin got it right when he wrote:

“It is not the strongest of species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.”

Adaptability. That is the key for success in an uncertain future.

Which means you need to proactively take steps to future proof your mindset, skills and habits in order to position themselves to have fulfilling and successful careers now and in the future.

So, how can you future proof yourself against an unknowable future?

I like to consider future-proofing as the opposite of child-proofing.

As new parents we all installed child locks on kitchen and bathroom cabinets to keep curious minds from exploring their contents.

Future-proofing means to figuratively take the locks off your mind and indulge your child-like insatiable curiosity to explore your world and constantly learn new things to help you master your environment.

It means to respond to change by seeking out new knowledge and new skills to prepare yourself to make the most of the opportunities that change presents.

In short, to future proof means to learn. And keep learning.

No human is immune to the future. It’s coming for us whether we like it or not.

The challenge is to be prepared to positively respond to the changes the future brings rather than be dragged, kicking and screaming, into it.