Introduction: Career Skills to Learn

The future is here. How do you plan to navigate the new world of work, so that you’ll thrive? I used to pay close attention to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Future of Jobs Report. And to some extent, I still do. But a lot of those skills that are highlighted in the report, are the skills anyone who is adept at career management would learn. The world is experiencing rapid change. And we’re still in the midst of a pandemic, so to successfully ride through those changes, there are specific career skills to learn and master.

In my opinion, long before the World Economic Forum said that active learning was important, I was telling my readers and clients that learning how to learn was a critical career Skill because of rapid changes. Every day you’re confronted with numerous problems to solve and decisions to make. Therefore, you need to master those skills as well. With decision-making, you often have more than one option, so creativity and critical thinking skills become important to making the best decisions.

Most people didn’t expect or want a global pandemic, but that’s what we got. It’s been devastating, and many people have died. And many have lost their jobs as a result. But the pandemic has also forced us to face our mortality and to evaluate the important things in life. It forced us to become more resilient, as well as empathetic. Additionally, since non-essential workers worked remotely because of the pandemic, a lot of systems and processes had to be digitalized to facilitate that.

Looking at all this, people who know how to manage their careers, realized that they had some tough decisions to make to succeed in this new world of work.They have always known that self-leadership, self-management, and self-learning are critical for success. And they have always known that lifelong learning is a must.

‘The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.' Alvin Toffler

The Future of Jobs Report 2020

So when you look at the following results from the WEF Jobs Report, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. It tells you how important it is to pay attention to what’s going on in the surrounding environment. This is critical to keeping your skills sharp.

“Skills gaps will continue to be high as in-demand skills across jobs change in the next five years. The top skills and skill groups which employers see as rising in prominence in the lead up to 2025 include groups such as critical thinking and analysis as well as problem-solving, and skills in self-management such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility.”

The report goes on to say,

“On average, companies estimate that around 40% of workers will require reskilling of six months or less and 94% of business leaders report that they expect employees to pick up new skills on the job, a sharp uptake from 65% in 2018.

“The future of work has already arrived for a large majority of the online white-collar workforce. Eighty-four percent of employers are set to rapidly digitize working processes, including a significant expansion of remote work—with the potential to move 44% of their workforce to operate remotely.” Source: World Economic Forum

List of Career Skills to Learn in the New World of Work

Based on previous reports from WEF, and other organizations, I believe professionals cannot go wrong learning the following soft skills. Soft skills tend to become more valuable over time. You always have to pay attention to what's happening in your industry, and in the company you work for, to determine what skills you need for your next role.

1. Complex Problem-Solving
2. Critical Thinking and Analysis
3. Creativity, Innovation, Ideation, Originality, and Initiative
4. People Management
5. Collaboration
6. Emotional Intelligence
7. Negotiation
8. Judgment, Reasoning, Analytical Thinking, and Decision Making
9. Active Learning and Learning Strategies
10. Resilience,
11. Stress tolerance
12. Flexibility

70-20-10 Model for Learning and Development

The 70-20-10 Model is commonly used in the training and development industry. And it suggests that employees get 70 percent of their knowledge from job-related experiences, 20 percent from interactions with others, and 10 percent from formal educational events. How will this model change with increased remote and hybrid work?

How would a progressive employee use this model to learn the 12 skills listed above? Keep in mind that the 70-20-10 Model is only a guideline to enhance training and development effectiveness in any organization. Many of these Career Skills you use on the job daily, so you have some familiarity with them. Because they are critical career skills to learn. You have to master them. And to master any skill, you have to use them, so we come back to the 70 percent in the model.

Skills have foundational knowledge, and that means you have to understand this knowledge to master them. So, some formal or even informal education is necessary.

Reading the Right Books: How to Learn the List of Career Skills

You can take courses to learn most of the skills on the list. Or you can read the right books. If you’re unsure of which books to read, ask your boss, colleagues, friends and family for Book recommendations. You could also call or visit your local library for recommendations from librarians. I caution you to stay away from bestselling books, and read more books off the beaten path. They can often be worth their weight in gold.

My primary way of learning is through reading books. Luminaries such as Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Mark Cuban read with the intent to learn. So why not you? They’ve mastered the art of learning from books. Intentional reading to learn will go a long way. Simply reading books will not make you successful though. You always have to apply what you learn. But to succeed when you’re learning, you also need to analyze and synthesize the information from the books you read to get a much deeper understanding.

To learn the skills, when you read books, do so actively. Engage with the words on the page.  Formulate the questions you want each book to answer. Question what you’re reading, and question what you think you know about the topic. You can learn the skills faster by grouping them. 

For instance, problem-solving, critical thinking, decision-making, and creativity are related skills. In fact, there are several books that cover all four skills. A Technique for Producing Ideas by James Webb Young and The MacGyver Secret by Lee David Zlotoff are two books to start off the process with. Why not read the two books at the same time to blend the information?

Have you read?

Summary: The MacGyver Secret by Lee David Zlotoff

Summary Technique for Producing Ideas

Another alternative for learning the skills is through one of my programs, the MoreReads Success Blueprint. When you work your way through the program, you’ll learn how to make sense of what you’re learning from the books. You’ll connect the ideas from the books you read.

Next Steps: Career Skills to Learn

1. Group some skills and start learning them.
2. See if MoreReads Success Blueprint is right for you.
3. Join the Art of Learning Membership Site

Please consider joining my membership site, the Art of Learning.

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