Book Description

The cover design says it all: at first glance you see the world turned upside-down in a threatening stormy landscape, but on viewing the whole picture you see blue skies and, underlying the chaos, a new, exciting digital world. But how do we get from here to there? How do we achieve this transformation? That’s where the idea of ‘retooling’ comes in. The focus of The Age of Abnormal is very much on the practical – skills, training, action plans. It’s divided into three parts: how the virus has impacted us; the fundamentals of change; and the specific steps we need to take to thrive in the new world. A key message of the book is that the virus hasn’t changed absolutely everything but rather forced us to confront things that were already happening. The ‘job for life’, for example, was already long gone, but many of us still clung to the idea that we could achieve the holy grail of a safe, linear career in one organisation. It’s time to let go of that, says Wells: we update our mobile phones and our PCs and we need to keep updating our lives in the same way – our skills, our attitudes and our very selves. This is where the book really takes off: it goes far beyond the usual advice to get a new chair for your home office and otherwise try and pretend everything is normal. There certainly is detailed advice on homeworking and needed IT skills, along with much else, but these are seen as steps on the way to a far bigger goal: using this crisis as an opportunity to become the person you really want to be. A clear five-step model is followed: start with a vision of where you want to be; understand clearly where you are now; know what you need to change personally; get ready for the technological changes you will need; finally, when you’re ready, take transformative action or, to quote Wells: ‘Make your dreams come true, then go beyond that.’ It’s an easy read, written in a clear, accessible style and the ideas are illustrated with vivid, often humorous anecdotes and stories. Above all, The Age of Abnormal is practical. If you dread grappling with new technology, see only negatives in the current situation or simply are stuck for ideas on what to do next, you will find help here.