Some interesting research was released by the World Economic Forum recently in their Future of Jobs report. We have all heard about the reports of the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) which will inevitably lead to job losses for many white collar employees in the not too distant future. Why? Because computers can perform many tasks more efficiently, reliably and cost-effectively than using people for these tasks.
The challenge for many employees today is knowing what skills they need to develop to remain relevant and employable over the coming years.
The report show a dramatic rise in importance of two specific skills that will be needed to help organisations thrive in an age of disruption and complex change. These skills previously didn’t feature in the top 10 skills needed from the previous report. The skills are Creative Thinking and Emotional Intelligence.
Looking at top-ranked skills, the top three skills used to be
- complex problem solving,
- coordinating with others and
- people management
……(very much management skills).
The top three (Top3) NOW rank as
- complex problem solving,
- critical thinking and
- creativity.
As Einstein famously said and is appropriate in this context, “The level of thinking required to solve a problem is different to the level of thinking that created it.”
To remain relevant and viable, organisations will be forced to rethink their business operations and to embrace new technologies to increase service levels and efficiency. This will require the managers and leaders to harness the Top3 skills to think outside the box to take their organisations to destinations never before conceived.
Skills 4, 5 and 6 (Next3) on the 2020 skills list are people management, coordinating with others and emotional intelligence. These Next3 skills are all about engaging the people in their organisations to embrace change and to implement it an effective yet compassionate way. Treating staff as expendable will rapidly ruin the reputation of an employer and lead to the rapid deterioration of morale and key employee turnover.
While many managers will choose to put their heads in the sand and continue to run ‘business as usual’ operations, the smart ones are already gearing up and investing in developing these new skills for themselves and their key team members. As Alvin Toffler once wrote, “The illiterate of the future are not those who cannot read & write. The illiterate of the future are those who are unable to learn, unlearn & relearn.” The importance of learning to continued career success cannot be underestimated.
Where to from here?
Preparing for the future ultimately will require a collaborative approach between businesses, industry, government, educational institutions and trainers to build and share the type of talent pools required to service our future and rapidly changing needs.
However, if you are looking for ideas of what YOU can do now to future-proof your leadership skills and get your team prepared for the complex changes ahead, there are many ways that we can help make it easier for you.
Call us on 1800 330 027 for a confidential chat today to find out how.
