Obviously, the future of work is constantly evolving. Children born in the 2020s are bound to end up doing jobs that no-one has even dreamt about yet.
People often ask, how can we prepare ourselves for the future of work if we don’t know what it will look like? I’ve listed five skills, and a few ways to improve them.
Learn how to learn
Given that none of us know what the future of work will look like, it’s a guarantee that we will all have to learn new things. Learning how to learn makes it much easier to pick things up quickly.
There are lots of different techniques, but one that I find effective is the power of recall. When I’ve finished something new, I (often) spend a few minutes summarising what I’ve learnt. It’s best if I actually write it down, but that’s not always possible, so sometimes I just think about it. That way, when I come to remember it next time, I’m far more likely to recall it. I like this free online course from Coursera which lists multiple techniques to use.
Make the most of your tribe
(I am so bad at this one – I need to listen to my own advice!) We all have people that we admire and trust. Your tribe is made up of your friends, peers, colleagues and strangers that you share ideas over the internet with.
Your tribe helps you to develop. They share interesting articles or news stories. They ask you questions and help you to justify why you think something. They also share opportunities: job roles, events, new ways of working, lessons that they learnt amongst others.
So my advice to myself (and anyone else reading this):
- Find out what it is you care about. What communities do you want to be a part of?
- Find vocal people on LinkedIn or Twitter. The best people to follow are those who amplify those around them. Look for people who praise others and share lots of links from other people
- Use # related to what you’re passionate about
My number one piece of advice to myself (or is it just an excuse?): it’s ok to watch from the sidelines if you’re not comfortable getting involved yet.
Solve problems creatively
Problem-solving applies to everyone. It’s what we do when things change, we find alternative solutions. It’s a highly sought after skill – for the World Economic Foundation, it’s the number one skill.
There are lots of techniques to help your flex those problem-solving muscles. For me, the most important is getting to the root of the problem.
What’s really causing the problem? One way to do this is to keep asking why, until you get to the root cause. Often you’ll find that the underlying cause is unrelated to the symptoms presented.
Strengthen your resilience
As the world of work changes, we are going to find ourselves in new, sometimes overwhelming situations. Help yourself cope in changing environments. Avoid getting overwhelmed and stressed. Be more flexible and adaptable.
To build up resilience, get out of your comfort zone more, when it doesn’t matter. I set myself small goals that I feel uncomfortable doing. It doesn’t matter how successful I am, as long as I try. After that first time, it tends to get easier.
Develop your emotional intelligence
Being able to identify and manage our own emotions, as well as the emotions of others is going to be an essential skill. As robots take on more automated tasks, it’s likely that roles requiring empathy will become common for humans. And in an increasingly polarised world, a little empathy will go a long way.
One way to develop emotional intelligence is to listen. No, really listen. Find someone that you disagree with – in real life, or on the internet. Ask them questions about what they think and why they think it. Don’t try and trip them up and try not to judge. You’ll find that it’s a much more fruitful conversation.
The good thing is that all these skills can be developed. Do you have any more tips or techniques? I’d love to hear what works for you – tweet me @emvacher
Inspiration from this post came from the Institute for the Future and Freeformers.
