7 minute read
13 essential future skills to navigate disruption
Critical thinking
“With technology steadily becoming more intricate and complex, possessing critical thinking is increasingly important to have the mental flexibility to think outside the box and tackle any issues that may arise. Critical thinking is the ability to observe and assess all sides of a situation to determine the best course of action. It is at the heart of learning as it requires students to understand information, interpret and course correct, where necessary. It is a life skill that is required for problem solving and can help improve the self confidence of an individual, especially where one is able to determine the variables and make the right decision. Therefore, it is crucial to sharpen your ability to find solutions to complicated problems in preparation for the future workplace.”– Unilever
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Planning & ways of working
“This skill is important for graduates to have, as it is the foundation of time management. "No man is an island" – you will be required to collaborate, of which communication is key, you need to be able to ask, take on and deliver on your responsibilities. One should also be able to integrate and manage work processes.
– Lorraine Khatso, Werkmans Attorneys
Understanding digital systems
“We live in a digital world and no career (that I can think of!) is exempt from this. As a graduate, being able to understand digital systems will greatly assist you in getting up to speed in your new position. As author Sukant Ratnakar says: “Our future success is directly proportional to our ability to understand, adopt and integrate new technology into our work.”
– Cindy Mati, SAOTA
Communication
As a young professional, your confidence in your ability to impart and exchange information, via various mediums, will be essential for your optimal success and the value you add to your workplace.
Being able to adapt to the required form of communication, and not just your preferred medium, is the foundation for building trust, building strong relationships, increasing productivity and improving confidence and morale. A skill is only attained through application. It is therefore essential while studying, to use every opportunity to develop your communication skills by engaging in activities such as debates, mentorship programmes and serving on university committees or societies.
– Candice Lategan, Mazars
Mental flexibility
"Mental Flexibility, also known as Cognitive Flexibility or Cognitive Shifting, is the brain’s ability to adapt to new, changing or unplanned events. This includes having the ability to switch our thinking between different concepts or to think about multiple concepts simultaneously. The World Economic Forum says that by 2030 there will be a huge demand for skills such as creativity, critical thinking, complex information processing and decision making. The WEF’s future skills trend for 2022 includes analytical thinking and innovation, active learning and originality. Mental Flexibility and a strong ability to adapt not only our thinking, but our processes and behaviour, will ensure our continued relevance in the fast-paced, rapidly changing world of work as we know it. Without this skill, your role in the economic and technological world is likely to be reduced to merely functioning as instructed as opposed to thriving and excelling."
– Sue St Leger, B&M Analysts
Mobilising systems
“Systems thinking has increased in importance due to globalisation, digitisation and ecological breakdown, and its significance will only increase further. We need to be mindful of how we interact with one another and within our environment, and we need to do so at a macro level. The only way that we can tackle the two greatest issues of our time – social inequality and climate change – is via mindful and longterm systems leadership and design. We must coordinate our collective capabilities to accelerate sustainable solutions.”
– David Frank: Nedbank CA Training Programme Trainee
Developing relationships
“Developing relationships helps better you manage your trajectory, whether in school or life thereafter, it helps to build a library of helpful people – the saying “your network is your net worth” remains prevalent even as a student, at every student event, or employer event and early career developing the right relationships should always be top of mind”
– Dean Mokoena, McKinsey
Teamwork effectiveness
“The ability to work in a team is a skill that will always be relevant whether you become an entrepreneur running your own business or build your career in a corporate environment. Your ability to engage, work with, negotiate and contribute towards a broader goal with other people, is what makes the ability to work in a team so important. Start harnessing this skill at every opportunity by getting involved in leadership roles, sports, volunteer work or work opportunities and take a genuine interest in your involvement. Soft skills are never taught through a curriculum; the only way to gain and grow these skills is through social and people interaction.”
– Siyurie Moodley, Webber Wentzel
Self-awareness and self-management
Self-awareness is important as it requires internal reflection and an honesty with oneself to accept and understand your own strengths and areas of improvement. It also helps you realise how you represent yourself to the world which is crucial when building both personal and professional relationships. Selfmanagement is vital in the working world, especially in a post-covid era where hybrid working models are now the norm. Companies need to be able to trust that you can work autonomously, produce quality work and still finish your work in the agreed-upon timelines.
– Nadine van Lier, MGI Bass Gordon
Entrepreneurship
For most students, entrepreneurship is not a top career goal and so miss out on a myriad of opportunities available to them to develop entrepreneurial thinking. They limit entrepreneurship to a career path for individuals who want to start their own businesses. As a result, many graduates lack critical skills associated with the entrepreneurial mindset such as critical thinking, creativity and complex problem-solving which top companies are looking for when hiring new talent. Graduates with an entrepreneurial mindset are in highdemand and help companies venture into new markets, increase their triple bottom line and remain agile in these ever-changing times.
– Lana Franks, Allan Gray Orbis
Goals achievement
“At Entelect we work with autonomy in our teams and being able to make decisions and take ownership of work is important. This assists individuals to learn quickly and hence grow in this skill. Being able to improve and work on self-development is equally important and one of our values is ‘Growth isn’t optional’. Continuous improvement of oneself and others around you is key to any successful team and organisation.”
– Tanya le Roux, Entelect Software
Digital fluency and citizenship
"Digital fluency is quickly becoming a new language. The ability to grasp and understand digital tools and concepts has become the new standard for enriching knowledge, career growth, and engaging in the culture of the new age society. For students, digital fluency is knowing what technologies are out there but more importantly knowing when and where to use them to gain the best out of their base knowledge and understanding."
– Vesh Ried, Deloitte
Software use and development
“As software becomes more and more a part of our daily lives, it’s vital that we understand it and how it can be fully utilised to make our lives easier. You don’t need to be able to read and write computer code to benefit from using software. You just need to have an understanding of software and its capabilities. Let’s call it ‘Software Literacy’.
1. Learn how to use Excel - it’s a VERY powerful tool
2. Sign-up and play with simple email automation tools, such as Zapier, MailChimp and Google Sheets
3. Build a Website (it’s actually really easy if you use a tool like Wordpress or Wix)
4. Get first-hand experience by interning at a software company
5. Embrace Software. Play with it. Test it out. Don’t be afraid of it.
– Annette Gardner, Marketing Manager at SOLIDitech
