In demand skill stacks that prepare you for the future

If we have 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 or more years left in our working lives then we want ongoing constructive guidance on how, when and where to adapt to a world we were not educated for.

 

Most people will have 8 to 12 jobs in their lives. The difference for the future is that many of those jobs do not even exist yet. If we are going to live to 100, retirement plans at 65 will not make sense either. Our lives may go through more stages with many more jobs or gig projects!

 

Lifelong learning is a MUST – we need a new gameplan. Yet everyone is too busy – so, we may need support to find our ‘own way’ to learn more and integrate it into our life^work.

 

It is one of those important not urgent things – it won’t just happen and it is not going away. We have to OWN it all!

 

Going in to Q2 24 you run your own personal INC – so think like an entrepreneur and look after our own needs.

 

A great place to start is to develop more of those power skills and attributes that support our expertise – that we can build to take with us wherever our career takes us.

 

It’s our future career capital that will help us to move between roles, specialisms and sectors; and enhance our expertise through skills stacking.These skills help us become the best version of ourselves, work well with others, navigate change, adapt, contribute in meaningful ways and reinvent ourselves.

 

I split them into four blocks.

 

1 OWNER

The compass – taking responsibility, creating a life you want to live, building your brand and navigating change. It is the foundations and the bit people miss out on as they rush to doing stuff! This is about us working on ME – our relationship with ourselves, what makes Life^Work meaningful and confidently saying ‘hello world!’.

 

2 DISCOVERER

Learning, thinking, creativity, curiosity, problem solving and unlocking possibilities. The skills employers want us to master to help them and ourselves, navigate the next decade. They help us problem solve, generate new ideas, learn and adapt to change.

 

3 PLAYER

In the arena not a spectator on the sidelines of life. It is about doing stuff that matters. This is our relationships with OTHERS – helping them find their best and in turn finding ours. Understanding their needs. empathising, communicating and persuading effectively. Working to collaborate within and across teams, lead and inspire others, enable, coach, serve and mentor.

 

4 DELIVERER

At our best, getting noticed, adding value and having an impact. With the drive, focus, mindset and skillset to use tech, especially AI, as an enabler to get the right stuff done. It means delivering on our commitments and finishing what we start. It is our compounder, potential maker and confidence builder.

 

Just start mastering and stacking these skill sets. The best place to make them work for you is on projects – go find a great project to work on in 2024 and discover your new way to work.

 

And if you find yourself between roles that project is YOU!