The job market continues to change, especially as technologies evolve and as information quickly flows and influences decision makers and companies’ cultures. Employers expect more from their employees, and there is no job security. All enterprises turn their attention towards digital transformation and want to be with a workforce that can stay relevant and updated. In the highly competitive business environment, everyone must continue to learn and update their skills to be valuable and useful, to be future proof. If you are looking for a new job, or if you want to explore new business possibilities, you should certainly display your curiosity and network efficiently to stay in touch with people of power in your industry.  

Below I will share some of the things I try to do and that can serve as tips that will help you stay relevant in your niche: 

• Finetune your superpowers;
• Network actively;
• Turn competitors into allies – learn from them.

Update & finetune yourself and your superpowers

Technology changes are massive and continuous in the modern world. The technology that your enterprise used in the past year may be obsolete. In my experience, on the other hand, some concepts still valid for decades, even though the technology realizing that concept may change. 

Technology must be used to boost your work. In order to do that, you must identify what are your main strengths (your superpowers) and how technology can make them more evident, so that you can become even more a reference on that skill. Alternatively, understand how you can use technology to support you on your weaknesses, creating more space for you to show your superpowers to the world.

You need to learn about the latest news in technology and work practices, while you understand the current market requirements. Then, when learning, question if that technology is something essentially new, or what is key differentiator in that technology compared to the one you already know. If that bit is promising, it could be interesting to explore more about it. If necessary, enroll in a training course, workshop or even a quick YouTube video to finetune and upgrade your skills. There is no point in learning some recent technology just because it is available. Understand the usefulness and applicability of that technology in your specialization and focus on sharpening your unique skills.

Network Actively – Communicate and Collaborate 

Always keep in touch with industry experts to stay relevant as a professional. Global thought leaders will always have ideas to share and innovate. Listening to expert speeches, podcasts, and webinars will help you improve your niche knowledge. Conferences and networking events happen online and offline to bring together industry leaders. Participating in these events and exchanging ideas will help you develop your knowledge base. At your job, how many times have you had a coffee with a stranger? Maybe it is that colleague that seems to inspire you from a distance, but you never had the chance to speak for more than 5 minutes with them? Use the people you know to introduce yourself to them. I’m sure it will be insightful.  

Often, middle-level leaders struggle with communication and collaboration with peers, which can impede team growth. In the globalized workplace, the enterprise hierarchy is becoming less relevant. Find ways to open communication channels between your peers and outsiders. You often only need to update your communication skills to work with your team effectively.  

While you take measures to stay relevant to your job and niche, ensure that you take steps to improve your visibility in the organization. Being proactive and establishing a good rapport with your colleagues will directly affect your career growth.  

Turn competitors into allies 

To beat the competition, you must first understand what your competitors are doing. Staying one step ahead is crucial to retaining your market share. However, sometimes, you must compete with giants who may be “out of your league”. If one of your competitors is more successful, focus on them and understand what they are doing differently. There is nothing wrong with learning from success, even from your competitors. You can find new ways to mimic their growth strategy so that you can reach success. 

Paradoxically, on a high organizational level, competitors are so much so as competitors as they are collaborators. Once companies belong to the same ecosystem, they are subjected by the same rules and regulations, then sometimes leaders from those companies even need to cooperate with those who they compete with to influence the environment as much as it influences them. Sometimes they have a common operational baseline, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, processes, partnerships, and there will only be small key differences that tell that they are competitors. 

Thinking on that way can help you benchmark on your competitor’s way of working, and it will also make you understand what temporary leverages you have (because the world quickly shifts: they will chase after you as well). But benchmarking also means you are reframing their position of competitors. They become references. They become allies.

On an individual level, competitors could be people that are doing the same thing as you; maybe they share the same job function or title; they are eventually disputing towards the same job as you. What do they do that inspires you? Emulate that behavior to make you noticeable by others. Turn them into allies for your development. 

Focus on your uniqueness. It is your superpower. Use it to collaborate & ally.

In summary: Focus on your uniqueness. It is your superpower. When chasing modern technology and new ways of working, don’t lose focus on your specialty, on what you are good at. Your exceptional skills make you valuable in your organization, and you should focus on finetuning them. They are what you can use to get the visibility in the company you work for, or in the job market, and are the things you can immediately bring to any project to succeed. 

Don’t forget that networking, communicating and collaborating are also key to giving you a more holistic view of what is happening. You can collaborate even with those you think are competitors, as long as you reframe your view.

Collaboration and communication will let people know that you exist, what are you singularities and superpowers, and what they can count with you for.