By: Jeff Zych, DePaul (IL), Executive and Partner – IBM Corporation

In 2015, during the 50th Grand Chapter Congress keynote address in Chicago, I presented predictions for “Workplace 2020 – and Beyond”.  I included facts about where the work-world was going and what brothers needed to do at that time to succeed in the workplace of tomorrow.  Suffice to say, some people agreed with me, some were surprised at what I was predicting, and others thought I was completely crazy. 

As of this publication, the year 2020 is officially OVER!!  Five full years have passed since I made my predictions about what Workplace 2020 would look like and I believe most people will agree that the world (in general) has absolutely changed. I also believe in holding myself and other “expert speakers” accountable for what we say publicly as “experts” so it is only fitting I do a post-script on the “Workplace 2020 – and Beyond” keynote, assessing how right or wrong I was now that we have lived through the year I specifically spoke about. 

The biggest overall prediction I made about Workplace 2020 was that by now, society would evolve into what I called “Five Main Labor Classifications centered around Cognitive Computing”.  These five classifications were:

#1 – The Implementer: “I will work with Cognitive insights to deliver work products”.

#2 – The Aggregator: “I will include insights which may come from Cognitive Processes to make business decisions”.

#3 – The Teacher: “I will make Cognitive Systems smarter by teaching them versus teaching humans”.

#4 – The Skilled Labor Worker: “I am in trades like electrician or plumber which don’t use Cognitive processes very much”.

#5 - The Trailblazer: “I am working on the next great technical innovation to change the world” (ex. Elon Musk, technical researchers, etc.).

While this prediction was bold, it was slightly off.  What has happened is the start of the evolution of the workplace into these five categories, but we are not there yet. For example, IBM Corporation is deep into the development of Intelligent Workflows or workflows that harmonize emerging technologies in the back, middle, and front end of the office, utilizing curated data, artificial intelligence and cognition to reimagine business processes.  However, we have not yet progressed to this level of evolution. Trust me when I say IT IS COMING!!!  MY overall 2021 prediction GRADE = C+.

2015 Detail Prediction #1 – “In 2020, you will need to bring your employer a value proposition or reason for them to invest in you rather than just sharing a desire to be their employee. Prepare yourself to write your value prop and present it in the interview.”  Prediction #1 2021 GRADE = A -. 

With Intelligent Workflows, Robotic Process Automation and Cognitive Processing of tasks coming into the operating DNA of companies, professionals at ANY LEVEL now need to be highly aware of HOW they add value to their employer with their contributions. They also need to anticipate where else they can add value tomorrow and shift to that area. This level of awareness comes from self-assessments, manager performance evaluations and a mindset shift that needs to happen quickly because the moment you can’t articulate your “future value” to your employer, you will be gone.

2015 Detail Prediction #2 – “If you are going to survive 2020 and beyond, you need to have the courage to reinvent yourself quickly even if it means doing something you fear and failing.” Prediction #2 2021 GRADE = A+

If the Great Pandemic of 2020 has taught us anything, it is that your job or even your workplace can change or disappear in an instant. Therefore, we must always be ready and willing to take a short-term step back and reinvent ourselves even if we fail at first. It is called living in the Growth Mindset and to survive beyond 2020, it is a place all of us need to shift to. If you choose to continue living in the past (a.k.a. with a Fixed Mindset) you will not thrive in the new, post-COVID-19 workplace.

2015 Detail Prediction #3 – “At some point in your professional journey between now and 2020, you will need to embrace tragedy and learn from it. Your career path, like mine, will be filled with high points and low points and you will be ready to quit. Have your cry, punch your pillow and go be a leader by reshaping your own story.” Prediction #3 2021 GRADE = A.

This year has been filled with tragedy for many people. But from tragedy comes great victory. People, processes and technologies needed to pivot on a dime to survive this year and in general—we have done that. Whether you are still in school and looking to enter the workforce, or you are one of the 11,000,000 people who were once employed, but now find yourself on the outside looking in, DO NOT GIVE UP or fear the future. SHAPE YOUR FUTURE! You will make no progress reinventing yourself if you do not commit to doing so immediately, so START NOW. No excuses!! 

This was my message in 2015 to get people ready for Workplace 2020 and beyond, and I am screaming it louder and clearer now that we have reached 2021.