We’re all a work in progress

Software companies often keep a product in a beta test phase long after it’s been introduced. This is to emphasize that their offering is not complete and that the company is continuing to make improvements.

You can also keep your career in “permanent beta” – a key idea in The Start-Up of You by Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn. Hoffman writes that with this “permanent beta” approach, “each day presents an opportunity to learn more, do more be more, grow more in our lives and careers. Keeping your career in permanent beta forces you to acknowledge that you have bugs, that there’s new development to do on yourself, that you will need to adapt and evolve.” (p. 22)

As a business coach, I will sometimes discuss with my clients how to maintain the mindset of a learner, to stay curious about opportunities. Keeping one’s career in permanent beta is an approach that fits well with a willingness to be intentional about learning, and to make mid-course corrections. Here are some questions to consider:

• Over the past year, what have I learned that improves my performance?
   
• What types of learning can I access in the next year to boost my career?
   
• What are my learning goals for the coming year?

Nowadays our world of work is marked by a white-water pace of change. A lifelong commitment to learning and personal growth is a good starting point to making periodic investments in yourself and your career, investments that will set you up for continued success.