This topic will center on the concept of the work rather than the job. The job and job title are functional terms and can often be arbitrary. Your work is what you actually do and carries the real meaning for your career.

Let’s review the “world of work” the way it is now and will continue to be in the future. The pace of change is increasing exponentially due in part from technology and globalization. Companies that fail to match this effectively and smoothly will falter or fail. The workforce must be at least one step ahead of employers and seek those organizations which are visionary and adaptable.

Here are some basic parameters taken from Tom Lombardo, faculty chair of psychology, philosophy and integrated studies at Rio Salado College in Tempe, AZ. Many of these concepts were published in the January/February (2006) edition of The Futurist magazine. I have taken these cognitive dimensions as he identifies them and applied them to successful career management.

Imagination: “The ability to create mental images and hypothetical realities in our minds”. Can you see the possibilities? Can you see the outcomes of your ideas? If you can’t envision them the likelihood of their fruition is greatly reduced or prevented.

Foresight: “The ability to imagine or envision the future”. The future has a funny way of becoming the present. If you’re already there; you’re ahead of the pack. The only cautionary note here is that if you’re too far ahead, the timing may be off and you won’t match what your employer needs at that time.

Goal Setting: “The ability to identify and conceptualize desirable goals of action”. Note the three key words in Lombardo’s statement. Knowing what action is to take place and “seeing” the action to achieve it is critical for this item. Start practicing goal setting in your daily life to develop this skill. Successful companies of the future will be requiring it.

Possibility Thinking:. “The ability to imagine multiple or alternative hypothetical future realities”. How do you think Milton Hershey, Walt Disney, Mary Kay Ash or Bill Gates became successful? These people met this criteria. Sometimes becoming an entrepreneur is the only way to be successful with this item. But be on the look out for a company that welcomes and develops “intra”preneurs.

Scenario Building: “The activity of imagining and describing detailed, complex and realistic hypothetical future realities”. Corporate America will insist on reality and you must be effective in getting the “buy-in’ of your ideas. Your communication skills must match the audience for them to get as excited as you are.

Critical Thinking and Reasoning: “The ability to apply principles of sound and valid reasoning to logical inferences; to be able to compare and evaluate different points of view. Accomplish the opposite of egocentric thinking”. This is vital in a global market with diversity in cultures through out the world. Your co-workers, vendors, employer or customers can be anywhere in the world. You have to be able to connect with them.

Open-mindedness and Creativity: “The ability to be flexible to evaluate with fairness other points of view besides one’s own view. To be receptive to ideas that are different from standard beliefs; the production of novel ideas, inventions and behaviors”.

Start practicing this trait ASAP. Some people have it but exhibit a delayed reaction behavior which reduces the effectiveness of their responses.

Problem Solving: “A form of thinking where some solution or answer to a question, problem or challenge is identified and successfully enacted”. To quote one of my associates (Jeffrey Percival, Percival Enterprises) “Ideas are wonderful, but worthless unless you use them”. Again, as I always maintain; you don’t need to have all of the answers, just the ability to get the answers. There will always be plenty of problems to solve. Companies look for sound solutions that are timely and cost effective.

Decision Making: “The ability to make a choice among alternative goals and courses of action and follow though on the choice”. The critical item on this trait is the follow through. In the recruiting world we had a saying “Time kills all deals”. The inability to make a timely decision often resulted in undesirable outcomes with no way of reversal.

Planning: “The ability to construct a hypothetical series of connected actions that lead to the realization of an identified goal”. This is the standard if...then scenario. I actually experienced my nephew doing this as he was helping me with technology issues. He knows how this end user thinks so he began to apply this technique to match my level. He started this process at the age of 14.

Hypothetical Thinking: “The ability to imagine and evaluate possibilities”. This item ties all of the above areas into a process that must be completed with an effective communication style. Without that added component you have just gone through an exercise in futility.

Holistic Insight: “The ability to understand the big picture, to see how the details of a situation fit together. This is frequently experienced in a sudden flash of comprehension”. How many of us have been through the “Aha, now I get it!” experience? The ability to read other’s reactions for this moment is also a talent that must be identified and refined.

Empirical Observation: “The ability to perceive and understand observable facts or patterns of facts”. Catching patterns or trends will enable you to be ahead of the pack. You’re seeing things earlier and acting upon them first. If you’re with a like-minded company this is a recipe for success.

To quote Jeff Percival again, “All of this is a p-r-o-c-e-s-s”. It does not happen overnight, nor is everybody a natural. Here’s your mission now: identify the traits that you already possess and refine them. Then develop the remaining traits to the level that will supply you with the leverage needed to fit that Ideal Work. Practice, practice, practice until much of it becomes second nature.

You have to make sure that the employer or client that you choose is at the same level or ready to be at the level you already possess. These practices must be through out the entire corporate culture and especially at top management. Become a valuable asset for your manager. Look for a reciprocal environment to what you have to offer.

Will this be your final employer? No, not necessarily, especially if you are under the age of 60! This environment is fluid and will remain so due to the nature of change. All of these above traits will help thrive in this environment.