Have you noticed that just when you ‘need’ a good sleep to prepare for a big event, you have the worst sleep ever? If you must get up ridiculously early for a flight, you wake 10 times during the night. If you have a big presentation, you lie awake for what seems forever running it through in your mind.

Over the next few years, we will start to see changes in the workplace. These may be massive changes for some industries (coders are leading the way), but subtle changes in all other industries have the potential to gain momentum. Our way of working in 10 years will likely be significantly different to now.

Change has always been a source of consternation for most of us. Some are excited by it, but the masses become nervous. Questions start to form: “What will happen to my job?” “Will I be out of work?” “Am I too old to retrain?”

Whatever industry you’re in, as this happens your team will be looking to you for answers. You won’t always have them. You can start by building a vision for the future and sharing it with them. But a vision that excites and motivates you, may not inspire and engage your team.

An understanding of the value to them not just the value to the business can help with engagement. A process to routinely temper the vision with the reality of progress builds momentum. You need to take them on the journey of continual improvement.

Your people may start to get nervous over the next few years. I hope it’s nervous excitement and not fear.