A couple of weeks back while travelling on a flight from Munich- Mumbai, I struck up a conversation with the youngster sitting next to me. After exchanging pleasantries, I looked at the book he had in his hand. It was a book about impact of Industrial Revolution and I was curious to know why he had picked this up.
He was a Doctorate in Physics who took to Computer Sciences and was leading the Software Development in a large German MNC. He said he has started to feel that it was increasingly difficult for him to keep pace with technological changes and wanted to know how could he stay relevant. And nothing could be better than learning from history.
Staying relevant is an important topic that confronts all individuals and even organisations , at me point in time.
Relevance is a measure that can be applied to seeing how are we adapting to an increased body of knowledge and changes one sees all around.
The consequence of being perceived to be irrelevant are too easy to fathom – isolation, being passed-by, and worst of all ignored.
Organisations which do not cater to the changing customer needs or that do not provide services at competitive prices would find themselves being referred in the past tense.
Can we coin a new term to denote Relevance Quotient (RQ) to define the ability of managers to adapt to changes and continuing to be effective?
Irrelevance is perceived through external signs but the best way to test your relevance is to have an internal compass and be on the lookout for signs before events overtake you.
Internet is a great boon that can be used as a reservoir of knowledge, to stay current and be connected.
I remember my grandfather who always used to tell that he was an eternal student and today, I cannot but agree more ….. Staying relevant means retaining not only the mindset of a student but being a good student too!