Fuel your passion: Living, working, and learning on the edge

[Drew_Westra]

Working wherever you desire is a new and exciting way to “live on the edge.” Learn more about this lifestyle and its benefits, as well as how continuous learning supports it.

It’s a fascinating new world we are living in—where the definition of “edge” is as unique as you are. For some, the edge can be as literal as working one of the most dangerous jobs in the world—such as king crab fishing off the coast of Alaska. However, for most of us, the edge can be as simple—and non-dangerous (at least physically)—as moving from the routine of heading to an office each day to working from a home office. Or … what about potentially packing up, hitting the road, and working from a remote area (as shared in the blog, Digital nomads are reshaping work as we know it – with the help of continuous learning)?

The most important thing is to understand that each of us has an incredible opportunity to transform how we approach the balance between our personal and working lives. Many progressive companies are providing the green light to put you in control of deciding where your work environment fits; as a result, there are no longer two distinct “personal” and “work” worlds that you must choose and switch between.

For some, maybe it’s time to break through work inertia and determine if there is a new way of blending living, working and learning that might be just what the doctor ordered. Working remotely can give you the freedom to do a great job while keeping up with your personal needs. It allows you to write your own story—going as far or staying as near as you want, while doing the same, if not better, work for your employer.

If it all sounds thrilling, take a small step forward and embrace the new opportunity in front of you. Technology gives you the toolkit to take your office anywhere! So, your office is now defined as “wherever you are.” Who knows—you may come to the conclusion that you should have taken this step long ago. 

An adventurous attitude and advanced technologies strengthen emotional intelligence

For years, companies have been investing in technology, automation, and policies to create a new, viable digital experience for employees. It has culminated in the concept of the hybrid workplace—a concept that is gaining significant momentum. Many companies are embracing workplace models that connect remote workers, build safer offices, and focus on the well-being of their workforces. Moreover, these companies are reaping the rewards of their investments through employees who are collaborative, engaged, loyal, and productive.

Can it be this simple? Have employers aligned digital workplaces with employees’ emotional needs? Yes; the reimagined workplace accommodates the emotional needs of today’s knowledge workers in an unprecedented way! The by-products of living, working and learning on the edge are new freedoms.  Jaymi, a 20-something real-estate professional from California, sums it up this way: “Working remotely has brought me so much joy. I never thought it would be possible to connect so many aspects of my life! I start my day learning something new and am energized to tackle any challenges that come my way. Knowing that I have so much autonomy over how I want to organize my day fuels my passion to succeed.”

As suggested by American psychologist, Daniel Goleman, addressing an employee’s emotional needs (for example, for freedom and adventure) may enhance emotional intelligence and provide increased skills to “understand your own emotions, and those of the people around you.” Goleman further states that “80% to 90% of the competencies that differentiate top performers are in the domain of emotional intelligence.”¹

Continuous learning is critical to thriving in a hybrid workplace

Gandhi said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as you were to live forever.” This is such an appropriate quote since the global workforce is on the sharpest learning curve ever! We can essentially view the evolving workplace as a massive research project on how people adapt to the unfamiliar territory of a dramatically different environment. Adapting quickly is the key to survival—plus, it offers the ability to catapult yourself faster and further into a fruitful career. To adapt and thrive, you need to understand the inevitability of new ways of working—embracing innovation to stay relevant in a constantly changing environment. This may require learning new skills that, when paired with better emotional intelligence, separate you from the rest.

Continuous learning is your toolkit and catalyst to success. Coupled with the right technology, strengthening your knowledge on a regular basis in technical, business, personal and digital prowess is a critical part of the equation. According to KPMG, high-performing organizations are those that can flex their technology and people ‘muscles’ as needed. The result is a highly skilled, digitally enabled workforce which operates with speed and agility. They’re the ones who will get to the podium before others can see the finish line on the horizon.²

Maybe living, working, and learning on the edge is not all that scary after all! The algorithm to achieve success seems straightforward—it tells us that adaptability is key to thriving in new environments. Adaptability comes from learned skills and emotional intelligence. The only thing missing is taking that first step. The thrill can be a small step. The most important part is just moving forward.

Your toolkit is waiting

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is passionate about bringing the learning you desire to your fingertips—anytime, anywhere. We understand and celebrate courageous people on a quest for continual improvement—both personally and professionally. Therefore, we have developed an innovative, online learning solution to improve your knowledge, on your terms.

HPE Digital Learner is a subscription-based online learning platform that provides 12 months of access to thousands of online courses. During the subscription period, customers can take an unlimited amount of self-paced training on HPE technology (servers, cloud, networking, and storage), IT industry trends (AI, blockchain, and virtual reality), and business or personal skills development (marketing, finance, leadership, productivity). This option is great for remote workers because they can:

• Access the portal from anywhere
• Choose classes that fit their needs and abilities (see the HPE Digital Learner Content Library for more information about available courses)
• Utilize post-training learning checks to test their knowledge
• Submit any remaining questions to expert HPE instructors
• Share digital badges (available with select courses) on social media.

Want to find out if anytime, anywhere learning is for you? Start a no-obligation free trial of HPE Digital Learner today.

Learn what other customers are saying about HPE Digital Learner: Watch the short video below.

For those who want live training delivered by an expert, check out the different ways to learn with HPE, including virtual instructor-led training.

Learn more about self-paced online courses from HPE Education Services.

1. Daniel Goleman: Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ

2. KPMG Global: How CEOs are winning the digital transformation race

Drew Westra
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

twitter.com/HPE_Pointnext
linkedin.com/showcase/hpe-pointnext-services/
hpe.com/pointnext

[JohnFoutris]

To achieve challenging business outcomes in such disruptive/demanding global conditions, we enable IT professionals to up-skill and re-skill.

In this un-learn and re-learn journey, digital learner is everything IT staff needs to succeed, via unique hybrid learning-practicing experiences.

[LarryHinman]

We are certainly living in truly exciting times with the evolution of technolgy that is fueling dramatic cultural changes in how we work, live and play. It is always a race to keep up with all of the rapidly evolving advancements that will only become more complex and customers are seeking experts that can guide them and hold their hands as they embark down the next generation of services and the technologies needed to support them. One of the key ways HPE will win this evolutionary "business" battle is through our unique ability to create a turn-key "Experiences" for our customers across a wide range of business, operational and technology capabilities. Our differentated ability to deliver a truly hybrid cloud experience that leverages all of the the capabilities that have been promised for many years, sets the stage for our customers to truly win within this new business and operational domain. Creating the "Experience" with our customers is the magic recipe for ensuring that we truly enable our customers to win by utilizing this integrated capability of hybid cloud through the integration of GreenLake, Professional Services and training. Through this integrated "Experience" model, HPE now represents the "easy button" for our customers...truly exciting times.

[rhohill]

Great article, never before have individuals been able to leverage continuous learning to drive their future and career path!

[Sarah_Lennox]

We all need to recogonise and embrace this new world we are working in. It is full of opportunity in terms of virtual learning and developing our skills.  Great article!  

[Deeko]

With HPE Digital Learner subscription solution, we now have continuous learning at our finger-tips! Learn when you want, where you want and just what you need at that time! 

[JennyMcPhee]

Continuous learning is key, HPE Digital Learner for anytime, anywhere learning

[HPE_vLabs]

The Edge is where it's at, ... Learning what you want, when you want, how you want.   

[Hisako]

Great post, thank you.