Our work routine has changed a great deal since the 2000s. We now have all kinds of job-related digital tools, and smart machines have already replaced members of the human workforce in some industries. Many of us are getting used to working from home, where we neither have a 9-to-5 schedule nor need to experience any of the inconveniences of office life. In this ever-changing world, we try hard to stay useful and relevant in our fields, and none of us want to be kicked out of our position by a machine, especially when artificial intelligence can help write all kinds of texts and thereby make us obsolete.
Do you wonder what unique characteristics can make us irreplaceable in a job? There are a few of them, actually. While human intelligence still remains a precious resource in any field, here are the additional skills that we need to master to stay valuable to our employers.
Problem solving
Everybody’s got problems, not just you and your boss during your company’s busiest season. From large-scale issues such as global warming to local troubles like budget shortages, something will always be wrong wherever you go. If you give it a little thought, you’ll see that successful companies and organizations all over the world regularly face many problems that may look totally insurmountable. High goals go hand in hand with huge risks, and the most successful managers out there think long and hard about how to avoid any traps and other pitfalls on their way.
Dealing with problems is what we’re expected to do every day. Obviously, no one was born with an extraordinary aptitude for problem-solving, but all of us have the potential to learn. To develop this skill better, you need to gather more information about the current issues that regularly emerge in your profession and how other people deal with them. This is not theoretical information that you can get from simply reading books, but is gained by looking at how others have successfully implemented their problem solving strategies. Don’t be afraid to communicate and ask your colleagues for advice. Problem solving comes with experience, but you can always speed up this process by being proactive.
It would be much easier for everyone if our current problems and their solutions were written in books, but unfortunately they are not. That is why your task is to explore your professional field and communicate with experts eager to share their experience. Be prepared to face and solve problems more often than you would like, and you will help your business thrive no matter what field you are working in.
Decision making
Considering the enormous volume of data that we process everyday, the ability to make decisions is one of the most vital skills of the 21st century. Whether it’s in your workplace or private life, the course of events may change dramatically over a single day, and when Plan A suddenly becomes impracticable, you have to come up with a Plan B, and do it fast. First, you should activate your problem solving faculties and find a potential way out. In many cases, there is more than one solution to consider, and here is where the hard work begins. Staring down this list of possibilities, you are no longer scared of not finding a way out—you are genuinely petrified at the prospect of taking the wrong path.
In a world like ours, the ability to be decisive on anything is already a valuable skill, and the tendency to make good decisions is nothing short of a superpower. If the endless changes brought on by others scare you too easily, you can relieve your anxiety by at least making least some personal decisions on your own. The complexity of this step is undeniable, and you have to acknowledge that you are taking responsibility for your life. However, this is not a bad thing, since the only way to escape responsibility is to let others decide for us, and this is something we often just cannot allow to happen. That is why you have to face your responsibilities and start making decisions to change your situation for the better. This skill will give you a great advantage, both in your job and in your personal life. Your readiness to act is a great way to resolve many problems that look terrifying at first glance.
Cognitive flexibility
Our performance depends on the actions we take, and the latter rests on our way of thinking. We find it hard to create new products, search for solutions, and cooperate with others if we’re not used to these activities. By having our minds stuck in the old, familiar ways of doing things, we turn away from many amazing opportunities and innovative methods of advancement. It is only recently that people have started talking a lot about cognitive flexibility as a must-have for continuous development in the digital world. Let’s be frank; not all of us have a curious mind that seeks novelty and adventure. When being attacked by anxiety from all sides, it’s natural to want to stay within your comfort zone. Unfortunately, there’s no way we can learn and develop within that mental space.
Just as you exercise your body to keep it flexible, you need to pay extra attention to your brain “muscle” too. Every new experience and new skill you learn is a tool that allows you to search for solutions more efficiently. If you are a creative person, you may try reading a book on economics or business. If you are a mathematician, try some different forms of art or read a fictional book. Cognitive flexibility forms when you take on a challenge and engage in something totally different from what you have done before. A diversity of experiences makes way for a variety of thoughts, and being able to think outside the box will make you a treasure to any employer.
Emotional intelligence
While we cannot get a good job without possessing a set of required professional skills, the ability to cooperate and interact with a team is just as important as having field-specific knowledge. The majority of companies are looking for employees with advanced social skills such as compassion, a readiness to help, and empathy. It is important to have high stress-resistance and good time management as a part of your EQ. As an emotionally intelligent person, you can understand the feelings of others as well as your own, managing them effectively to make the teamwork you participate in more productive. Every company is interested in hiring not only qualified workers but also nice people to keep their team feeling friendly and comfortable. And you have the capacity to be the worker everyone wants to have in their office.
By nature, some of us are more emotional than others. Sometimes we don’t understand why we suddenly get angry, or why our boss gets mad when nothing seems to be wrong. There are plenty of psychologically-oriented publications available that will help you understand how emotions function in the workplace, and moreover, what can be done to make something good out of their potentially destructive power. Take a greater interest in interpersonal communication if you want to boost your EQ. The nature and mechanics of human relations can make anyone curious, so don’t hesitate to learn more about the most interesting subject of all—ourselves.
Negotiation
Speaking of the ever-increasing importance of social skills, the ability to find a common language with others is a must for an effective worker. In many occupations, we have to constantly cooperate with colleagues, partners, and clients. The aim is to maintain mutually beneficial relationships and to make sure that every party is satisfied with the results. Sometimes we have to listen, make compromises, or persuade the other party that following our point of view is in their best interests. In such cases, your ability to negotiate can be of much more use than any hard skills or specific knowledge you can learn. One can easily argue that successful negotiation is so subtly nuanced that it is almost an art. Nevertheless, you can learn a few tricks to make your interactions with others productive.
Being a great negotiator has a lot to do with your emotional intelligence. If you can perfectly understand what your partners or customers want to get from you, chances are you will provide a product or service that will satisfy both parties. Discovering more about the psychology of running a business will help you create trusting relations with your colleagues and attract new customers. Remember that negotiation is not manipulation. If you never give your customers what they really need, they will go to other companies for it. Work towards making every party benefit from cooperation, and don’t just try to trick others into doing what you need them to.
Clearly, the most important job skills of tomorrow won’t be very closely connected with your professional training. Of course, you still need a solid knowledge of your occupation to become an expert, one of many other experts on the market. However, there are many socially-related skills that can dramatically impact your performance. Employers look for people who can cooperate with others, be a perfect teamplayer, bring new ideas, and discover hidden solutions to problems. With these skills, you can become a better professional than someone with the same qualifications but without advanced problem solving abilities or a highly developed emotional intelligence. The good news is that you can learn most of these soft skills just by investing a reasonable amount of time and money. So don’t wait until tomorrow to make yourself a more valuable employee.
