INsight/ Skills to Build

Photo courtesy World Economic Forum.

Manila, 11 May 2023 — Skills to build your personal power. 

Story

It happened last week. The launch of the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023 made many people sit up with concern about their careers. With the accelerated deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across economies, what will happen in the jobs market? And, in particular, what skills are forecast to be in high demand amidst the rise of AI? The Top 10 skills of 2023 according to WEF are shown in the diagram. 

Over the past 15 years or so, I have been keenly following the research that predicted a steady rise in workplace demand for what we used to call soft skills. Nowadays, I would argue, we had better start calling them core skills. The Top 10 skills table changes are remarkable, if not entirely surprising, and the diagram offers a valuable guide to plan your next up-skilling adventure in the lifelong learning journey.   

Out of WEF’s Top 10 skills, I noticed that eight are featuring frequently in the coaching and training work that I do with leaders across the world. These skills are, indeed, in high demand. Not only for their cognitive learning side, but especially for how to put them into practice in work and life. For technological literacy (#6) and industrial quality control (#10), however, I am as much a student as you might be. 

Challenge

So, where should you start applying the wisdom of WEF’s Top 10 skills list? That will, of course, depend on your unique background and circumstances. However, we can make some observations that might apply more widely.  First, about personal power. Second, about practice. And third, about unlearning.

Skills #1 to #9—analytical thinking, creative thinking, resilience, flexibility, agility, motivation and self-awareness, curiosity and lifelong learning, dependability and attention to detail, empathy and active listening, and leadership and social influence—should be part of your personal power profile as a modern leader, irrespective of your job and age. If you haven’t mastered them yet, it’s high time to invest in building your personal power with these skills.

The second observation is about practice. In leadership coaching, we will focus on mastering effective behaviors that others can see and feel. Gaining new knowledge is, therefore, only a small part of building new skills. It’s the practice that makes the difference. Third, past successes and experiences may hold you back from mastering the Top 10 skills in the ways required by today’s work cultures. Almost always, we have unlearning to do, starting with a beginner’s mind.  

Question

My question for you this week is about your mastery of the WEF’s Top 10 Skills for 2023. How do you rate your mastery of each of these skills that reflect the strength of your personal power as a leader? Where do you need to upskill so that you can lead change in the workplaces of today and tomorrow?

What are the top 3 skills to raise your leadership to the next level? And where do you have some unlearning to do? For me, I’m busy upskilling my coaching to better help leaders with issues around resilience, motivation, and social influence. Since the pandemic started in 2020, I have noticed a higher demand for these skills among leaders who have come to me for coaching. I’m keen to help them.

To influence positive change in your workplace today and into the future, position power can be handy yet personal power will make the decisive difference. WEF’s 2023 skills list is a helpful guide to building personal power. If you would like to upskill your leadership with personal power, book a free strategy call so we can discuss how to start.