Are you ready for the shift?
Professionally, personally—for your career, your business, and those who rely on you—are you truly prepared? Are you qualified for what you aim to accomplish? For the role you intend to play in your industry?
Last week, as I spoke with clients across sectors, one phrase kept surfacing: "A major shift is coming." Or, more accurately, it has already arrived.
Change is accelerating. From healthcare and education to public utilities, energy, and retail, industries are evolving at an unprecedented pace. We don’t need to debate the why—we need to focus on the reality in front of us. By the end of 2025, the professional landscape will look vastly different.
Yet, amid this transformation, are you evaluating your career and business with a critical lens? Are you making the right moves to stay ahead?
"To each, there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour." Winston Churchill
A 2023 survey revealed that one-third of healthcare workers—across all roles, not just RNs—planned to leave their current jobs within the next year. Another 14% intended to leave the industry entirely.
And with AI and rapid changes in the marketplace, the energy sector may soon rival healthcare as the nation's largest workforce. This will be a ripple effect regardless of which industry you work in.
Who's Winning in This New Shift?
Those who are hyper-organized. This includes home, work, and, most importantly, your thoughts and intentions.
Those who have implemented Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB)—at home and work.
Those who prioritize the 4 F’s—First, (putting yourself First so you can better serve others), Fitness, Finances and Family.
Those who operate with urgency and creatitivty.
Those who recognize the shift is here—and act accordingly lending a hand to others who may be unsure where to start.
Organizations are extending hiring processes across multiple quarters due to inefficiencies and reluctance to fill key positions. Individuals are ill-prepared to make a lateral move at their current (or below) salary—either because they haven't sharpened their skills or they lack the financial security to endure a lengthy hiring process.
From leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT or Grok in your daily professional life to earning additional certifications or people skills to be competitive, many are being pushed forward while falling backward.
The Critical Questions
If your industry shifts entirely, how do you transfer your skills to maintain your standard of living?
Are you replacing mindless screen time with building new professional relationships? Expanding your network? Having conversations with individuals outside of your professional echo chamber?
Are you actively growing your skills, increasing your worth at work, and becoming a better leader for tomorrow —or simply hoping the trends won’t affect you?
Are you looking beyond the immediate to prepare for what will be required of you in a year? Are you strengthening your business model, expanding your expertise, and ensuring your career and company are positioned for success at the end of 2025—or 2030, for that matter?
Skills, Focus, and Grit
The pattern is clear—when industries shift, those who adapt and prepare rise. When real challenges emerge, the justifiable yet unresolved frustrations fade, and people focus on what truly matters. But why wait for a crisis to force that clarity?
Instead of getting caught in workplace distractions, fleeting frustrations, or industry noise, what if you focused on being ahead of the shift? What if you took strategic, decisive action today?
Quiet.
To be ready, you must cut through the noise—eliminate distractions, refine your strategies, and step beyond the conflicts that drain your energy. Opportunities to redefine your career or business won’t come with a gentle meeting and a roadmap. Think more of a harsh knock at the door too early in the morning. Get back to basics—or refine them—to raise your standards.
Mastering simple things perfectly enhances our ability to do difficult things easily.
Overperform and outperform for your leadership, clients, customers, and colleagues. Change becomes a manageable force when it is met with strategic, proactive steps—executed before necessity turns into urgency.
The moment will come. The shift is already here.
The only question left is: Will you be ready?
Take good care, and enjoy the week!
Nicole Barbano- Founder and Principal - Hunter Ambrose Int.
Let’s connect - LinkedIn
