Lucy Dunn | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

20 May 2015

Following my last article, here are the other five new skills for an uncertain world.

• Design mindset. Do you think, you need to only think with your left brain (business thinking, rational, focus on analysis) or your right brain (creative thinking, emotional and intuitive)? What if there was a synthesis called “design thinking” which uses both sides of the brain to find the answers to not only problems but to opportunities. Design thinking refers to the mindset (ideas and attitudes you carry in your head) by which a person approaches situations. It is about focusing on developing a deep understanding of the people that matter most to the problem we are trying to solve or the opportunity we most want to be a part of
• Media literary. It goes beyond the ability to read and write. Today, information comes in many forms because of media technologies, and that makes the ability to access, analyze, curate, and even create media. Being media literate allows us to better understand complex messages we receive as we engage vs. simply read or consume media. A new generation of buyers and workers who was born in a digital era expects to be engaged in new and more fluid ways. To be effective marketer, sellers, even managers we need to become fluent in social and digital forms of communications.
• Virtual collaboration. Is the new normal. It has become a necessity to work and collaborate virtually, whether it is a simple task or some complex situations. The nature of our work is less and less local. It has become part of a much larger globalized market that dependent on members of virtual teams, both within and outside the company or office. Without embracing the opportunities and available tools to be a vital part of these formal or informal teams, we will struggle to accomplish the mission. Yes, it means and demands a new set of competencies but it is the surest way to ensure productivity in cross-culture, cross-border reality and rise in an organization.
• Transdisciplinarity. We are facing more competition than ever at work, with vast technological change, where markets move and evolve at a lightning speed. To stay relevant we need to stay flexible. We are not saying that specialists no longer have their place, but candidates who are agile, receptive to new ideas, and more importantly, the ability to see the big picture, can digest the ideas and turn them from not-so-obvious to opportunities which will be in high demand. Those who are invested in constant learning will have the skills whenever they come into vogue.
• Cognitive load management. Yes, the term sounds very jargon, but we are in this information-overload era, even in our down-time. The cognitive part of our brain plays a crucial role in helping us learn, but this part of the brain can only remember so much information or process so many ideas. Therefore, the ability to effectively filter and focus (and hence manage) on what really requires your attention becomes paramount. This includes effectively managing your channels, deciding where to participate vs. where not to and taking a disciplined approach to managing the real priorities vs. the distractions.

There are no guarantees that these skills will lead to success, yet staying relevant MUST be a top priority for everyone.

Maybe it is useful to ask yourself the question “What am I doing to make sure I stay relevant in an uncertain world?”

Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel and is it the opening, or is it a train?

What are your thoughts?