5 Skills That Will Evolve In The Future
What’s going to be the next big thing? What’s going to be the most in-demand skill? Even though the same set of questions tends to pop up at almost the same time every year, we tend to hear very different answers in all these years. 2021 has been the year of NFT, 2022 was the year of the metaverse, and now, all of that has been swept under the rug, and we have moved on to artificial intelligence.
3 weeks ago, I proposed the ABCDE traits that we should all have in 2023 (check it out in the link below). 6 months later, it might very well be that it may not be applicable anymore. Despite that, all of it is built up for a reason, and there is a pattern to observe. Today, I would like to discuss the evolution of 5 generic skills that we will see a transition in the future.
Present: Time Management Skills | Future: Time Optimization Skills
There has always been a debate on whether traditional schedule books or automated scheduling tools are better. What do you think? What do you use on a daily basis?
To me, the key question is not about whether it is digitized, or whether it is user-friendly. Sophistication versus customization? I don’t think these are 2 fair criteria to be compared alongside each other. The real issue is, how are we able to organize ourselves during the scattered time gaps?
For events like waking up, brushing your teeth, taking a shower, waiting for your lunch, going to the washroom… Do you record all these on your diary? Will you be able to estimate the time used for all of the activities, and pack your schedule until it is full 24/7? The fact is, you will never be able to do a full record of every single one of your activities, even just for 1 day, just as it would not be feasible for you to track your exact calorie outputs every day.
In the future, being able to manage your schedule will just be something basic. To gain an edge over the others, you will need to also learn how to utilize the time gaps that you have between main events, because those could ultimately make a difference in your overall efficiency when you are active. Short rests, non-social media time, a casual stroll at the park… These are activities that can help you recharge, refocus, and most of all, refresh your mind. If you manage your time, you can manage your performance; if you optimize your time, you can optimize your performance.
Present: Memorization Skills | Future: Generalization Skills
We always had questions about the education system, whether about the purpose of going to school, the appropriateness of learning methods, or the coverage of learning curriculums. However, I wanted to look for something more directional.
So I typed “The biggest questions about education” on Google to look for answers. Yes, don’t judge me, I’m still very used to Google and not ChatGPT yet. An article in the Washington Post, dated back to 25 June 2011 appeared. I clicked on it, and the first question that the author suggested was,
“How do people learn best?”
That actually covers all the elements that the aforementioned questions suggest, and on top of that, a more important question has arisen: Are the skillsets that we learned yesterday still applicable today or even tomorrow?
To date, it is clear that education still heavily revolves around memorization, with the same mode of tests and examinations being the most apparent example. If you ask any student at the exam venue, “What is your biggest challenge in this subject?” 99% of them I guarantee, would answer, “There are so many things we need to memorize, I hope I won’t get a bad grade in this.”
While kids already live in a world full of digitized gadgets, the need of memorizing things in daily life has greatly diminished. On the flip side, that creates an opportunity for us to tap into something different. Our knowledge is longer based on standardized and repetitive memorization, but just like how computers learn, we learn better from patterns and examples. Hard coding should not be the only assessment criteria for students nowadays, instead, the ability for them to learn about code structure and the application of sample codes should be.
Present: Project Management Skills | Future: Agile Project Management Skills
What’s the big deal with Agile? How does it make a difference with just one extra word?
Although people argue that agile does not work for some cases, such as governmental projects or other larger scale projects, I would argue that the Agile methodology can be adopted flexibly. Of course, a direct copy of the framework applied to a small project would not work for projects on other scales! Fundamentally, the principles should be applicable across. Here is a list that is non-exclusive:
The main idea is that there should be a version of the Agile framework for small projects, and there should be a version of the Agile framework for larger projects. With changes happening more frequently, more emphasis will be put on constant adaptation and quicker delivery.
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Present: Strategic Planning Skills | Future: Strategic Visioning Skills
Who makes a better decision, a human, or a machine? If machines can make better decisions already by themselves, what else is there for us to do?
Earlier this year, McKinsey published a podcast on Artificial Intelligence in Strategy. Here is one of the key points mentioned in the podcast:
“Because strategic decisions have significant consequences, you need to understand why AI is making a certain prediction and what extrapolations it’s making from which information.”
We need to understand that AI derives insights based on data, it has its own biases. One of the competitive advantages that humans possess is the experience we have, which is more diversified than data. The introduction of AI should not imply that it necessarily generates less biased decisions than humans, nor should humans rely on the directions provided by AI. The art of human-bot augmentation should be based on the synergy and compliments that each party provides to the other.
More importantly, while machines can help lay out the steps to the future state, we as humans can be the ones who play the creator role, to define the future state and create limitless possibilities.
Present: Summarization Skills | Insight Creation Skills
Still remember the old days of sitting in meetings, writing on a note pad or typing on the keyboard? I have once heard an interesting logic behind the essence of bringing a notepad and a pen to meetings. The point is not to listen to what the others say and write down their responses word-by-word; on the contrary, we may not even need to use the notepad or the pen. It is just a tool that reassures others we are listening to them.
But with AI notetaking tools and real-time transcription engines, do we need to manually do that anymore? Does that mean we do not need to pay attention in meetings? What is the value of us being present at the meeting?
The devil always lies in the details. As much detail as AI tools can help us capture, will they be able to help capture facial expressions? Tones? Or body language? If you think you can totally rely on AI tools, just remember Albert Mehrabian's 7-38-55 Rule of Personal Communication: only 7% of all communications are done verbally, which means that non-verbal expressions account for the other 93%. People may not spell out their requests or concerns word by word. It is up to you on generating useful insights using all the information that is available to you.
And think about this twice: when you have a face-to-face meeting with your client, will you be able to draw more insights during the meeting, or during a casual chat at the lounge? Which scenario do you think your client is more likely to speak openly?
This leads us to a conclusion: The value-add of note-taking may not be the capture of words being mentioned, but the other things that assist us to draw a fuller picture. People don’t expect recalls about the past. They expect insights that inform the future.
Nothing lasts forever, not even talents or skill sets. They may shine at a certain point in time, but if they don’t catch up with the development, they will instantly become history. Although the future is nothing, it will continuously change; and to make sure that we are capable to cater to such changes, our skills should also be evolving over time.
Hope you all liked the content! Feel free to connect and provide any additional readings for me! I am always open to learning more!?
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