Get in demand future skills

YOUR WORK^LIFE WILL BE TRANSFORMED IN THE NEXT DECADE

The rules of the work^life game have changed and will continue to at a faster pace. Whether 20, 40 or 60 most people still have decades of working life ahead of them and maybe a longer life. Some of the overwhelm and the search for meaning people are experiencing is about grappling with this and what it means.

TRANSFERABLE FUTURE SKILLS – THE ONES YOU TAKE WITH YOU THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER

I have spent a lot of time looking at what are the soft future skills required for adults over the next decade. Focused on these because they are the transferable ones that move with you from job to job and are now life skills. They are relevant if you work in a corporate, freelance or entrepreneurial role. The more you build them into your work roles the more options you will have when you want to refresh and reinvent your career.

IT IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM GOVERNMENTS CANNOT AFFORD TO FIX

It has become my passion project because for me, Governments still seem to be way too focused on kids’ education. Vital too, but the best way to develop the right education system for young people is a step change in adult working education too – to identify better solutions. But that is a whole new cost centre in an inflationary world already living with way too many costs! Politically it is a big deal for any Country to take it on properly, but it is the education step change required to move on from the 20th to 21st Century.

COMPANIES ARE STEPPING UP TO MEET THEIR OWN NEEDS

It is now a trending topic. Corporations and thriving growing businesses are taking it on. They are very focused on skill building, but this is reasonably based on their needs. If you freelance or work in a smaller business there is a huge quantity of resources, of varying quality, available online too. However increasing work demands and uncertainties often reduce the ability of people to take up what is on offer.

YOU NEED TO TAKE OWNERSHIP AND INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE SUCCESS

In our busy sometimes challenging lives it can be hard to convince ourselves this is a priority. Learning new things and unlearning stuff takes time and considerable effort. In an attention economy finding time is tough. So it is difficult, it is harder to do it alone and everyone is already stretched.

If people are really going to thrive, they need to own this themselves and build it into their lives in a way they have not needed to in the past. Right now people need more guidance in how to look at and prepare for the opportunities coming in the near future. It is a step change that needs better foundations if it is going to stick.

THE FOUR KEY ROLES FOR A FUTURE SKILLS LEARNER

To thrive in the next decade, you must build and master four distinct roles to help you navigate anything life throws at you. It is about who you need to be and what you do. They are:

1) OWNER – taking responsibility, navigating change, creating a work^life of meaning and staying visible.

2) DISCOVERER – everything that helps with lifelong learning including understanding the business context for your work, creativity and problem solving.

3) PLAYER – you have to be in the game to win at it with a pro skillset that helps others and sets you apart. Things like communicating, collaborating, leading and coaching.

4) DELIVERER – getting stuff done by embracing technology with the right mindset and systems.

Keep skill building and mastering these four areas to become a professional in your field – so that you get noticed more and people come to you with opportunities.