{"id":22638,"date":"2021-02-22T06:55:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-22T06:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/future-of-work-demand-8-new-skills\/"},"modified":"2023-09-04T18:03:48","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T18:03:48","slug":"future-of-work-demand-8-new-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/future-of-work\/future-of-work-demand-8-new-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"The Future of Work Will Demand These 8 New Skills"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The future of work is upon us and while we\u2019ve been entrenched at home, the world has changed significantly. Getting back to work won\u2019t be getting back at all, it will be a new game. And success in the future will require new skills\u2014some of which may come as a surprise.<\/p>\n

A study by Monster found 82% of companies are planning to hire<\/a> in the new year. This is good news for your career and the opportunities you\u2019ll be able to pursue. But you\u2019ll also need different skills and as the saying goes, \u201cWhat got you here, won\u2019t get you there.\u201d<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Here are the new skills you\u2019ll need to learn, grow and sustain over time.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ambiguity<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Perhaps most importantly, you\u2019ll need the ability to deal with ambiguity\u2014and more\u2014to embrace it. Change happens with increasing velocity and this means uncertainty will become the norm. Consider driving your car. Expert driving coaches will tell you the primary condition that causes people to slow their speed is visibility\u2014more than any other element. As things move faster, you have less time to pause, assess and analyze. You have a more limited view on what\u2019s next because you just can\u2019t be sure. At the same time, brain science has proven one of the things we desire most is certainty, and we avoid ambiguity. This will be the skill<\/em><\/strong> you\u2019ll need to nurture: overcoming your natural instinct for clarity and assurance, getting comfortable with not knowing what\u2019s ahead, making sound decisions and moving forward with confidence, even in the absence of complete information.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Curiosity<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In the midst of ambiguity, an unquenchable curiosity will rule the day. The more you comprehend about a variety of topics, the more you can connect the dots. I like to say, \u201cS\/he who synthesizes first, wins.\u201d Openness and desire to learn are good, but you\u2019ll need a craving to learn, understand and know more about a wider variety of things. This skill<\/em><\/strong> won\u2019t just be general curiosity about a narrow area of expertise, it will be a broad interest in a wide variety of topics, subjects and themes\u2014and the ability to see patterns, trends and insights from all that knowledge.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Openness<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Over the last decade, Americans have become increasingly divided on all types of topics. Data demonstrates we are less and less trusting of people with different opinions than our own. In addition, our increasing reliance on social media for our news and information creates an echo chamber. We sign up for bulletins and briefs which match the viewpoints we already hold, and algorithms work so well we rarely see information which doesn\u2019t align with our current opinions. This is a problem because it shuts down the opportunity to hear different views, learn, stretch and grow. (If you\u2019re wondering about this, watch The Social Dilemma<\/em>.) The critical new skill set<\/em><\/strong> will involve seeking diverse opinions and learning from diverse experiences. The future will demand openness and the ability to engage in civil discourse<\/a> and compromise. You won\u2019t be able to progress in your career (or in life) if you stay stalwart (or stagnant) in your perspectives. The best success will come from the ability to listen, share and learn.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Entrepreneurship and Empathy<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Another key skillset for the future will be entrepreneurship and the empathy<\/a> it requires. Tuning into the shifting needs of the market and deeply understanding and empathizing with user needs are fuel for invention. The suite of skills<\/em><\/strong> involves thoroughly understanding circumstances and the challenges they generate, allowing you to see new opportunities. From there, it\u2019s about taking appropriate risk and delivering new value to the market. These will be critical in paving your path to the future. You may apply it in a micro sense: solving problems at work or finding new ways to undertake a key project, or you may strike out and embark on new ventures.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Resilience<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Closely related to entrepreneurship is resilience. Humans are nothing if not adaptable but embracing shifts and bouncing forward (rather than back) will require new competencies. The skill<\/em><\/strong> of resilience<\/a> requires you to 1) stay aware of new information 2) make sense of it 3) reinvent, innovate and solve problems. Finding fresh approaches and flexing based on your insights will be fundamental to success.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Optimism and Imagination<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Inherent to moving forward, is the ability to believe in a positive future and focus on possibilities. When experts find fault with a lack of responsiveness, it\u2019s often the result of a lack of imagination. The skills<\/em><\/strong> of being able to envision and foresee what might happen are critical to staying motivated, inspired and driven to create new beginnings.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Rapport and Relationships<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Success has always been about your network, but achievement in the future will depend even more on the strength of relationships. Your social capital and primary, secondary and tertiary relationships will be critical netting to offer you new learning, access to new opportunities and social support. The new skill<\/em><\/strong> will be the ability to build rapport\u2014and to build it quickly and it from a distance. Because hallmarks of the future will include speed and ambiguity, we won\u2019t have the luxury to create relationships slowly over multiple dinners or cocktail-napkin discussions. More likely, you\u2019ll be building connections in brief moments and sometimes virtually. The skill of establishing trust, camaraderie and affinities with others will separate those who succeed from those who don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Action<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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As the saying goes, \u201cThe future will not belong to the cynics who sit on the sidelines.\u201d The skill<\/em><\/strong> of the future will require smart action\u2014the ability to make things happen, marshal support, invest time and expend effort. As one of my colleagues says, \u201cRun toward the fire.\u201d Another especially appreciates people who \u201cget sh*t done.\u201d It\u2019s true. We value those who jump into the ring and engage. In addition, when we see others working hard, it also inspires us to work hard (a scientific study<\/a> proves this). So, this will be another skill of the future\u2014join in, participate and get things done.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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In Sum<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Yesterday\u2019s competencies are a starting point, but tomorrow\u2019s success will require more and different skills. We all need to build talents we may not already possess. This is a good thing. It keeps us fresh and on our toes. It will also separate those who do well from those who achieve only mediocrity. A new day is coming\u2014the future of work begins now\u2014and we can embrace it.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday\u2019s competencies are a starting point, but tomorrow\u2019s success will require more and different skills. Here are the new skills you\u2019ll need to learn, grow and sustain over time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":881,"featured_media":18768,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[182],"tags":[1355,108,440],"ppma_author":[3816],"class_list":["post-22638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-future-of-work","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-future-of-work","tag-new-skills"],"authors":[{"term_id":3816,"user_id":881,"is_guest":0,"slug":"tracy-brower","display_name":"Tracy Brower","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/932a4eecd4c56445671ab08bbe82091353a7ad68a6761ebd347eb701a27feced?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/","last_name":"Brower","first_name":"Tracy","job_title":"","description":"Tracy Brower, PhD, a work environment sociologist, is a Principal with the Applied Research + Consulting group at Steelcase. She is the author of Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work: A Guide for Leaders and Organizations which focuses on work-life fulfillment. She is a contributor for Forbes.com as well as an executive adviser for Coda Societies and for the MSU Professional Mathematics Program. She is also a board member for the FM Research & Benchmarking Institute. Her work has been referenced in the Wall Street Journal, Green Source, MMQB, The Digitalist, Forbes.com, Fortune.com, Inc. Magazine, and Fast Company."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/881"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22638"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32151,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22638\/revisions\/32151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22638"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=22638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}