The Connection Magazine The Connection Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 24

FUTURE SKILLS
Shawn Hunter
Shawn Hunter, Founder & President of MindScaling
Entrepreneur, author, idea developer. Shawn has collaborated
with hundreds of business authors, executives, and researchers
to create learning solutions. Shawn’s first company, Targeted
Learning, was acquired by Skillsoft in February 2007. He is the author
of Out•Think and Small Acts of Leadership. mindscaling.com
THE SURPRISING
SKILLS NEEDED
IN THE FUTURE
Are You Ready?
IT’S a chaotic, fast-changing time we live in. Automation,
artificial intelligence, augmented reality, cyber-threats, business
bots, and the internet of things. It would seem that in this age of
hyper-accelerating technology, we would need the techie skills to
match. Maybe, maybe not.
Recently Deloitte conducted a survey to understand the
millennial generation and get their view on the future of business,
productivity and what millennials think of the emerging younger
GenZ generation. It’s mostly good news.
Eight thousand millennials were surveyed from all over
the world and it turns out millennials are pretty optimistic,
particularly when it comes to job readiness for the emerging
younger population. The advice of 30-somethings to their
younger generation emerging now doesn’t appear too different
from advice from the past.
From the study:
• Learn as much as possible: Begin your career open-
minded and be ready to learn from others.
• Work hard: Do your best and do not be lazy.
• Be patient: Take your time when entering the workforce
and go step-by-step.
• Be dedicated: Be committed to succeeding and
persevering.
• Be flexible: Be open and adaptable to change and try new
things.
Sound familiar? Thomas Jefferson, Michelangelo, John F.
Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. all gave similar advice at
different times in history.
But the surprising discovery in the study regards the specific
skills needed to perform at a high level in the future. According
to millennials working today, it’s not technical skills that are
needed. Analytic skills, IT skills, programming, social media skills,
even language skills and a global mindset, all ranked below the
importance of leadership, flexibility, creativity, communication
and professionalism in the workplace.
That’s right. The strongest traits needed in the future to build
innovation, and growing economies, are not technical skills, but
human to human skills. Relationships drive progress in the world,
not tech skills.
This is also good news for those of us who aspire to happiness
and lifelong fulfillment. Harvard recently completed a study of
over 75 years following the lives of 268 individuals from 1938
until now.
Through wars, marriages, career triumphs, personal tragedies,
parenting, habits and daily behaviors, the Grant Foundation
followed these people as they lived (and sometimes died) for 80
years. What they discovered is pretty simple.
They learned that the characteristics of a long, healthy
and joyful life are strong relationships with other people, and
resiliency through hardship. Religion, political opinions or sexual
orientation made no difference. A happy childhood is helpful, but
not necessary.
They learned that learning is a lifelong pursuit, and not
restricted to childhood and adolescence. They learned that the
habits you establish before 50 become predictive of mental and
physical stability decades later, and the inevitability of a mid-life
crisis is a myth popularized in the 70s.
According to the study, the strongest behavioral contributors
of a joyful and successful life are the ability to create quality
relationships with those around us, being altruistic with others,
not taking oneself too seriously, finding joy in alternatives, and
persevering through adversity.
Work on the strength of your relationships. It could be the most
important thing you do, both for yourself and your community.
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