2022 is Coming: What Is in Stock?
A couple of days before 2022 hits the fan… oh sorry.. starts, it is a perfect moment to set some expectations for the year to come.
Here you can find my predictions and trends that I believe are coming. If you are new to my blog, please be aware that I am an Executive Coach and a Sparing Partner for Startup Founders, Business Owners, and VC, and this is the lens I am looking through and interested in.
Please let me know if my point of view resonates with you or what you expect 2022 to be.
Ps: If you want to look back, here are my 2020 and 2021 predictions.
Without further ado, here are my Top 5 Trends for 2022:
1. Even more uncertainty
If you feel like 2020 and 2021 were quite uncertain and full of anxiety, wait for 2022 to come. 2022 will be a year of rethinking and rebuilding for many of us—ending the old and beginning the new. And the two years before were just a training ground.
In 2022 there will be moments when you feel like there is nothing to hold on to. You might feel lost, questioning your direction, your community and your own abilities. If I am allowed to give you my advice, hold on to:
- Your Why
- Your Values
- Your Closest Relationships
Identifying those three will help you to navigate 2022 and will serve as your compass and North Star in moments of doubt.
2. Economic shift (because I’m not too fond of the word “crisis”)
There are a lot of signs that we will face an economic shift in 2022. I don’t like to call it a crisis, even though it will feel like one. For me, the word crisis represents something negative. A shift is a more accurate description of what is going to happen. It won’t be a walk in the park, but it will allow us to refocus and clean up what needs to be cleaned up.
For the startup community, it will also mean that we will see even more VC money and, therefore, the democratization of the VC landscape. VCs will need to work even harder to get into the good deals and offer something more than just cash.
3. Investment into personal growth will (finally) pay off
There are some bad news and some good news. If you wonder whether coaching, self-development, mental help support, etc., is for you — you are late to the party. 2020 and 2021 were the years of developing your “soft skills,” your resilience, and your support system. Now it is the time to show how well we have all learned to:
- recognize and (consciously) choose our mental models
- increase our decision making speed
- communicate openly, clearly, and multiculturally
- focus on energy management vs. time management
- recharge and put self-care first
- reflect
- develop critical thinking skills
The good news — in 2022 you will learn it anyway… the hard way.
4. New (Way of) Work
The high speed of the changes that will happen to all of us and the economic shift will force us to rethink how, where, and what on we work.
I believe that:
- we will see Top Talent’s geographical movement. If in 2021 it was more about changing jobs and companies, we would see people moving to new places.
- remote work will deepen, involve and become even more accepted, not as an interim solution but as a standard
- the majority will start working part-time, juggle between multiple jobs or become freelancers
- Companies will prefer short term contracts and project-based employment
5. How we Learn will change (again)
In the past years, we saw a drastic change in how we learn and what products and services appear on the market of eLearning and EduTech. And it will change again.
We won’t have time even for six weeks courses with short videos. We will also have no know-how to transfer to our kids. They will start teaching us. The “level of education” will flatten. Only those with “soft skills” of learning fast and adapting will thrive.
Am I predicting a significant shift? Yes. Am I optimistic? Certainly.
I believe that those that master 2022 will enter 2023 in style. And there is a chance for everyone. Winners will become losers, losers, winners, and some will just stay where they are. The chessboard will change. And might even become something entirely different.
Happy New Year! And don’t forget to enjoy it.
