The 4 things to do before your lose your job | Paolo Gallo | TEDxPlaceMuseux
The speaker argues that instead of expecting a "new normal," we must embrace a "new context" defined by chaos, complexity, and constant change. To thrive in this era, one must prioritize self-care and systematically build professional value by developing knowledge, nurturing relationships, and fiercely protecting reputation. The core mechanism involves treating oneself like a client, while the ultimate source of personal happiness is found within one's own heart.
## Theses & Positions
- Expecting a "new normal" is inaccurate; the future is better defined as a "new context."
- The nature of this new context is defined by five elements: constant change (amazing speed), complicated problems, complex problems, and changing human relationships.
- Professional value is calculated as: **(Knowledge Capital + Relationship Capital) * Reputational Capital**.
- The first rule for job loss is to take care of oneself, similar to caring for a pet or following a doctor's instructions.
- Happiness is not found externally (on mountains or at the bottom of the sea) but must be found within the "bottom of people's heart."
## Concepts & Definitions
- **New Normal:** A term that should be avoided; suggests expectation, predictability, and conforming to a standard.
- **New Context:** A state that must be actively shaped by chaos, crisis, necessity, complexity, confusion, and constant change.
- **Complicated problem:** Requires technical expertise to solve.
- **Complex problem:** Requires constant learning, adaptation, sense-making, contextual intelligence, and collaboration.
- **Homo Society:** A society where online life merges with offline life, compared to mangrove plants.
- **Knowledge Capital:** What one knows; includes two types of learning: technical learning and personal learning.
- **Relationship Capital:** Analogous to a bank account; must be deposited before withdrawal.
- **Reputational Capital:** What people say about you when you are not in the room; requires careful curation.
- **PPV (Professional and Personal Value):** The quantifiable self-worth equation: $\text{Knowledge Capital} + \text{Relationship Capital}) \times \text{Reputational Capital}$.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Losing a job due to technological change:** Historical examples include people whose jobs were displaced by the invention of the alarm clock or the proper railroad.
- **Building Career Value:** Focus on increasing the *value* and *impact* provided to the company, rather than solely increasing salary.
- **Developing Knowledge Capital:**
* Invest at least **five hours per week** in professional development.
* Ensure learning translates into practical results/impact (demonstrated skill).
- **Reinforcing Relationship Capital:** Focus on being "at the service of others" rather than maximizing the number of contacts (e.g., LinkedIn followers).
- **Increasing Professional/Personal Value:** Follow the formula: $(\text{Knowledge Capital} + \text{Relationship Capital}) \times \text{Reputational Capital}$.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **3000 years ago:** Superpowers were invented/created in Greece; the Greek gods were the original source of such figures.
- **Arrival of Romans:** Romans cut and pasted Greek gods into the Roman religion, creating only one original Roman god, Janus.
- **The Anecdote:** The speaker recalls a traumatic professional experience when, after allegedly working over the weekend, the boss stated, "I don't have time to dwell into details, go."
- **The Realization Period:** The week following the termination was marked by sleeplessness and desperation.
- **The Shift:** Writing a story for his daughter revealed the need to focus inward, realizing the battle for meaning was internal, not external.
## Named Entities
- **Zeos:** The most important of the 12 Olympian gods in Greek mythology.
- **Janus:** Roman god of transitions, symbolized the shift between life/death, war/peace, summer/winter; honored January.
- **Akiko Kondo:** Person mentioned who recently met and married an hologram.
- **Ferrari T8:** Luxury car used as an example of integrated system performance.
- **Jordan Peterson:** Author cited regarding the need to treat oneself like someone responsible for helping.
## Numbers & Data
- Superpowers originated in Greece **3000 years ago**.
- Greek pantheon included **12** Olympian gods.
- **5** minimum hours per week recommended for professional development.
- **96 percent** of people tend to care for their pets by following vet instructions.
- **88 percent** of people follow doctor's instructions when caring for others.
- Less than **40 percent** of people follow their own doctor's instructions when self-caring.
- The model's equation requires the multiplication of three capitals.
## Examples & Cases
- **Greek Mythology Example:** The gods attempting to hide happiness; the failure of hiding it on mountains or at the bottom of the sea.
- **Modern Work Example (Losing Jobs):** People losing jobs due to technological advancements (e.g., invention of the alarm clock, proper railroad).
- **Vehicle Example:** The Ferrari T8's ability to reach 350 kilometers per hour depends on multiple elements, crucially including the **brakes**.
- **Self-Care Example:** Comparing pet care compliance (**96%**) and care for friends (**88%**) to self-care compliance (**<40%**).
- **Career Value Example:** A portfolio manager's objective is to increase portfolio value; mistakenly increasing salary instead of providing greater impact is a "big mistake."
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Hologram:** Used by Akiko Kondo in a personal anecdote.
- **Ferrari T8:** High-performance car used to illustrate system synergy (brakes' importance).
- **Alarm clock:** Technology used as an example of job displacement.
## References Cited
- **Jordan Peterson:** Author cited regarding the necessity of treating oneself with care.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **New Normal vs. New Context:** The trade-off between accepting simple predictability ("normal") versus adapting to fundamental uncertainty ("new context").
- **Career Focus:** Trading immediate financial gain (salary increase) for long-term strategic asset growth (increasing value/impact).
- **Internal vs. External Happiness:** The contrast between seeking external meaning (mountains, deep sea) and the internal source of happiness (the heart).
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The speaker warns against the assumption that "normal" is an achievable or guaranteed state going forward.
- Mistaking salary increase for true career value increase.
- The belief that one can isolate sources of happiness outside the self.
## Methodology
- **Analogy:** Using the Janus god (two faces) and the Ferrari T8 (brakes) to illustrate necessary dual perspectives and critical underlying components.
- **Quantitative Self-Assessment:** Using comparative data (pets vs. people vs. self) to highlight neglect of self-maintenance.
- **Personal Narrative:** Recounting a professional firing and the subsequent internal journey to define self-worth.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- First: Take care of yourself.
- Second: Identify what you are good at (strengths, passion).
- Third: Treat your career like a portfolio, focusing on *increasing value* rather than just increasing salary.
- Develop the three capitals: Knowledge, Relationship, and Reputation.
- **Primary Action:** Send an SMS/WhatsApp to **50** close contacts asking which three words come to mind when they think of you.
## Implications & Consequences
- The inability to maintain self-care leads to an inability to build value capital.
- Finding internal meaning through self-reflection is necessary for personal freedom and sanity.
- Personal fulfillment is rooted in understanding one's own heart, not external achievements.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"superheroes with superpower were actually invented and created in greece 3000 years ago"*
- *"he name is janus and is considered the god of transitions because he symbolized the moment of transition between life and death war and peace summer and winter"*
- *"normal is a greek word for canonicus means conforming to a type standard regular average predictable what people expect"*
- *"what I think is coming next can be better defined as a new context something that we need to shape that's going to be made by chaos crisis the necessity to take decisions complexity confusion and guess what constant change"*
- *"you are going to lose your job"*
- *"the magnitude of the problem problems are not exclusively being complicated but also complex"*
- *"the society we're moving into it's called the homo society which a society in which online with merge with offline"*
- *"when i see questions to my in my workshop and seminar people responded by saying the engine the aerodynamics the road condition the tires the pilot the technology and this sensor are correct but when you think about what allows this car or any car to go up to the speed are the brakes"*
- *"In less than 40 percent of the cases we are taking care of ourselves the way the doctor is telling us to do"*
- *"you have to treat yourself like someone you're responsible for helping"*
- *"send an sma so what's up to 50 people colleagues and friends that knows you quite well and you ask them which three words comes to your mind when you think of me"*
- *"I don't have time to dwell into details, go"*
- *"Daddy where do i found happiness daddy where do i found happiness"*
- *"i have happiness in the bottom of people's heart because they will be so busy in climbing mountains and going at the bottom of the sea they will forget to look into their heart"*
- *"my heart little by little was not filled with toxic poison anymore but with happiness"*