Business Book Review: Future You by Frances Valintine

Are you playing it safe with a short-sighted view? Or, playing the long game for the benefit of Future You? Learn more in my latest Business Book review -  Future You by Frances Valintine.

My Rating: ★★★★

Length: 240 pages

Publisher: HarperCollins

Released: 2022

Key takeaways for personal branding

Technologist and educator Frances Valintine will have you questioning how well you’ve prepared Future You.

Future You is part memoir, part a valiant call-to-arms to set Future You up for success now.  The long-term thought leader argues that too many are ill-prepared for what the future of their industry holds. And that by staying in your comfort zone and conformist thinking, you neglect to prepare adequately. When you should instead focus on building skills for your Future You.

The book opens with a litany of thought-provoking gems:

“The world is constantly evolving, and we must continually reimagine what we once thought to be true.”

“I am prepared to be the oldest person in the room, but only if my knowledge holds up to contemporary scrutiny.”

“Whether you are planning for a different career, developing a more impactful legacy or wanting to step with confidence into the future, you have it within you to create your own Future You.”

It also shares some of Valintine’s own predictions about the future of work:

“The future of work is not a job for life, a nine-to-five day or a daily commute to the office. I would go so far as to predict that, before we roll into the next decade, we will all work fewer hours but with significantly higher levels of productivity. Our workplaces will be a mixture of locations, determined by the type of work we are doing.”

And as personal branding also does best, it challenges you to consider who you are beyond your current role and career:

“Who is the person people will talk about when you are no longer defined by your career?”

Embracing Change

Valintine argues we too often let a fear of change hold us back from your Future You’s potential. It is this mindset that keeps us on the safe conformist path:

“Is the fear of judgement, or not being understood, or being scrutinised, enough of a reason to stay in the safest lane?”

Valintine even highlights how we are guilty of this in smaller details of our everyday lives. The safe path has predictable outcomes:

“Does anxiety about change explain our fascination with activities that have known outcomes? We stay in the same jobs, holiday in the same locations and shop in the same stores. We can be so hard-wired to pursue paths that are familiar that we miss chances to try things that don’t have predictable outcomes.”

Yet, safety doesn’t usually prepare us for the likely inevitable change. And we often rely on degrees we got decades ago for our authority in our field:

“Let’s take an employee who has worked in the same organisation for five years. If you took a blank piece of paper and a pen and listed all the ideal skills, capabilities and attributes needed for their role, would the current employee still meet the criteria if their job was advertised today?”

The Power of Gen Z

Perhaps one of the most unique discussions in the book, as compared to its counterparts, is the respect shown for Gen Z. Understandably so, as they are the future of your work:

“We have to understand the influence and impact of the world’s first truly digital generation.”

“They understand the importance of personalisation, responsiveness and flexibility in ways that analogue businesses and conventionalists do not.”

"They are the always-on, learn-as-you-go YouTube generation. If they don’t know how, they google it. They have significant communities and social tribes online built around common interests and understandings.”

How often do you consider Gen Z mentors when developing your own personal brand? As Valintine highlights, they will likely be your employer one day.

The Squiggly Path

A central theme of the book is seeing the opportunity in the obstacle:

“Life brings many opportunities that masquerade as something else.”

“When you stop making assumptions about what an event, experience or activity will be like, you may just find yourself stepping into a new jet stream where you discover the best decision of your life.”

Valintine also bravely discusses death throughout the Future You. And how more vigilance of it might change the way we work now:

“What if we started from our deathbeds and worked backwards? What if we knew how many years we had ahead with great certainty? Would we choose to work differently or respond to life with more intention? Would we choose to work for organisations that are better aligned with our values? Would we spend more time with our loved ones building connections? Would we take more risks and pass judgment less often?”

Future You by Frances Valintine: Available on Amazon.