Linda Sharkey - The Future-Proof Workplace: Six Strategies to Accelerate Talent Development, Reshape Your Culture, and Succeed with Purpose

By anticipating the future we thrive in it. Linda and Morag do an outstanding job of helping us see what is coming and then make both organization and personal choices to live and work better. Their ideas are insightful, stories captivating, and recommendations useful.

Dave Ulrich, Rensis Likert Professor of Business, University of Michigan Partner, The RBL Group

The Future-Proof Workplace provides the insights you need to ensure your organization is prepared today for the changes that are already upon us.

Margaret M. Keane, Chief Executive Officer of Synchrony Financial

Linda and Morag share their clear thinking regarding the future-proof workplace. It's a new day in the work world, and to stay alive and competitive, employers and employees must understand and appreciate the myriad factors affecting the workplace at an alarming rate. Staying abreast of how globalization, demographic shifts, and technological advances impact our world are the keys to success.

Dale Mason Cochran, President, Concourse Ventures, Inc.

Future-Proof is a home run! It challenges us to embrace the most important discussion every leader must havehow to future-proof their organization.

Jason Jennings, New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Think BIG-Act Small, The Reinventors and The High-Speed Company

The Future-Proof Workplace highlights a subject other management texts avoidthat the nature of work has changed and yet our approach to work, in many cases, has not. This book is packed with stories and practical approaches and solutions to future-proof your organization.

Jean Elizabeth Lee, Principal, PwC Human Capital Consulting

Recent business and technology shifts have created a workplace that is almost unrecognizable from that of two decades ago. And yet many of our approaches to leadership have remained unchanged. Sharkey and Barrett wake us upcrystallizing the changes and giving us new, values-driven tools for powerful, effective leadership.

Jim Ludema, PhD, cofounder and director of the Center for Values-Driven Leadership, Benedictine University

Linda and Morag have scored a Touchdown! They have challenged each of us to embrace the most important discussion that should be at the forefront of every organizationhow to future-proof your organization in the ever-changing landscape of business.

Jason Carthen, PhD, The Leadership Linebacker, Are You Living Your Destiny?

The Future-Proof Workplace provides valuable insights that will help organizations seize opportunities in this rapidly changing landscape, transforming possible vulnerabilities into a competitive advantage.

Nazneen Razi, Chief Human Resources Officer, Health Care Services Corp

Cover image: Volokhatiuk/iStockphoto
Cover design: Wiley

Copyright 2017 by Linda Sharkey and Morag Barrett. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom.

For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

ISBN 9781119287575 (cloth); ISBN 9781119287643 (ePDF); ISBN 9781119287742 (ePub)

For Tom, whose love and support made my life sing.

Linda

For James, Matthew, and Christopher. My future.

Morag

The focus of my entire career has been to assist leaders who are successful to be even better. This is not just my career, it's my purpose. I am very humbled and proud to have been named a number one leadership thinker in the world by Thinkers50. It is a great honor to be recognized for the work that I'm so passionate about by such an outstanding organization.

That's why I'm excited about the book you now hold. The Future-Proof Workplace puts forward six critical factors that must be addressed for the twenty-first century. These cannot be ignored in these turbulent times. They must be embedded in how you do business every day or you won't survive.

Whitewater rapids are the new normal in business. Many of the lifeboats captained by twentieth-century leaders will capsize. Linda and Morag lay out powerful research and arguments about why we need to embrace these factors now. How we lead and work today is being shaped by massive globalization, seismic demographic shifts, and game-changing technology.

Jobs that used to be the bedrock of the workforce are disappearing. Leaders with self-centered behavior will go the way of dinosaurs. Toxic cultures are being exposed for what they are and no longer tolerated.

I have had the pleasure to meet both Linda and Morag to exchange ideas and things we have learned. Their experience is not only deep but also wide, spanning many industries and public sector organizations.

I've worked with Linda over the years, and we share a common passion for helping shape great leaders. Linda has successfully used the behavioral coaching process outlined in my book, What Got You Here Won't Get You There, in a Fortune 100 company, and in many other organizations.

What most impresses me about this book is that Morag and Linda spell out a winning formula for exactly what leaders need to do to thrive now and continue thriving. They share their vast experience working with Fortune 500 organizations and CEOs to prepare for what is happening tomorrow, today.

The real-life stories and examples they share are fascinating and packed with tips to future forward your career. Not only are they serious researchers but they have a wealth of experience as hands-on practitioners.