FOREWORD
Goldberg and Steven-Waiss’s book addresses an enormous and existential topic: the new world of work. We are all now “gig workers,” even those of us with full-time jobs in large well-managed companies.
Let me explain. Over the last decade, digital tools and digital business models have transformed businesses in every industry. Retailers are digital sales and distribution companies; banks are digital commerce and service companies; and workers in healthcare, pharmaceutical companies, professional services and other industries are all now powered by digital tools.
The big change is not the tools or the technology: it’s how they’ve changed the way we work. In my latest study of talent trend (2019), more than 35 percent of companies say they’ve shifted from hierarchy to network as their primary organization model. Most of us now work on projects and programs, our real job description is more of an estimate of what we do. And in a company where our value is driven by our contribution to the team, each of us have to make sure our skills and teamwork capabilities are up to date.
I often call this the biggest disruption of all—rewiring a company to operate in a digital way, not just build digital solutions.
In this world where we focus on work, not jobs, we are all in a sense gig workers now. Sometimes we carry on the responsibilities of our job description, but often we help others, contribute to a project, or lend our expertise to others. Internal talent mobility, an area of HR which was often neglected, is now one of the most important elements of talent management—forcing business and HR leaders to rethink what high potential really means.
And as far as leveraging external talent, this is an enormous new opportunity for companies. My latest study (2019) found that more than 35 percent of all workers operate in some gig fashion (full time or as a side hustle), yet only 12 percent of companies even know who their gig workers are. Companies often have 30–40 percent of their workforce on some contingent contract, but few have standards for hiring, management, development, and cultural integration of these people. This is all good stuff for HR to focus on, and this book will show you how.
Finally, this new world of highly interconnected teams, operating on projects around the world, demands a new type of leadership. The leaders of the future are often younger (40 percent of employees now work for someone younger than they are) and more interconnected, and they act more as a coach and enabler and less as a “boss.” As gig workers, we are really responsible for our own successes and careers, so we need leaders who can facilitate and empower people in this kind of company.
As the book title describes, if you can learn how to leverage gig work for everyone, you can unleash untapped talent and drive organizational growth. This book will serve as a guide, and I think every business and HR leader should read it carefully.
Best wishes for the new world of work—the opportunities for all of us are endless!
Josh Bersin, global industry analyst
PREFACE
FOR US, THIS BOOK WAS MUCH MORE than a bucket-list item—it comes from an ambition to start a movement. We strongly believe that we have a vision of how to make work better and want to challenge the long-held paradigms about how work can and should be done. We believe this is good for employees, managers and the companies and shareholders they serve. We know the future of work is going to transform organizations. We believe that technology that is available today can enable an entirely new way of utilizing all the skills our employees bring to the company and create opportunities for continuous learning and growth.
We have deeply personal reasons for being so passionate about this topic, so we want to share our stories.
Kelley:
If someone had told me when I was a child that I would grow up some day and not only lead people, but change the world by building a technology platform that would revolutionize the way people work, I certainly would have said they were crazy. Despite having quite an active imagination, I don’t believe I ever dreamed big enough and I often allowed other people to define me. As I look back on my life experiences and my story, I realize that everything that has happened to me personally and professionally is part of the fabric of who I am today—someone who is passionate about the future of work and the legacy that I hope to leave in my profession.
That journey to change the world really started in 1994 when my mother, Christy Hamilton, who had dreamed of becoming a police officer, finally got that chance to reimagine herself and change her career from an accountant to an officer for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). She was 44 when the LAPD lifted the age ban for new cadets (prior to this time, women that age were not able to enter into law enforcement). She looked up to her father, a detective for the LAPD during her childhood, and now she would have an opportunity to follow in his footsteps, as she also dreamed about becoming a detective.
Despite what would be a grueling academy with physical challenges, especially for someone her age, she sailed through them with flying colors. In February 1994, she graduated at the top of her class and won an award for most inspirational cadet. Three days after graduating from the police academy, she was killed in the line of duty responding to a domestic violence dispute. Losing her so early caused a shockwave for the LAPD, but it also shocked the countless number of people who were inspired by her story and her ability to make good on a “second act” in her career.
It was a very difficult time for me, trying to make sense of this tragedy and all the questions about why this had to happen to her. However, in the emotional chaos, there was some peace in knowing that she’d had the opportunity to pursue a lifelong dream. It would later become one of the strongest and most meaningful messages that would define the rest of my life’s work. My mother’s experience taught me the importance of being able to reimagine yourself, pursue your passions, and be recognized as being able to contribute beyond what you are doing today based on the holistic portfolio of your experiences.
The tragedy surrounding her death became the catalyst for a dramatic change in my perspective about people and their professional journeys. It was the beginning of internalizing the “growth mindset”—the belief that people are not fixed beings; they have the ability to change and grow over time and are an amalgamation of all of their career and life experiences. This was a transformative realization and I wanted to find a way to bring the growth mindset to organizations and apply it.
As a human resources (HR) executive, I knew that the current HR systems had no way to operationalize this belief and solve for talent mobility at scale. Setting out to solve this problem, as my organization and others embarked on the future of work, became the genesis of the talent platform at HERE Technologies, and what would later become a commercialized solution in the market known as Hitch.
That life experience is a central reason for my strong belief in being able to pursue your passions and to reimagine yourself. I believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to their work and that people are so much more than what they are doing today. And, much like my mother’s example, I have had a “jungle gym” career. I have spent my career motivated to learn, grow and pursue my passions and interests. I have held so many roles and have had so many wonderful, diverse experiences that have shaped who I am today. My hope is that more people will adopt this new way of thinking—seeing themselves not as fixed beings but as full of opportunities to be reimagined several times throughout their career.
Edie:
It was early career experiences that created my awareness
