Skills that matter most

I was talking to my son the other day, and he asked me what was the most important skill to learn in life. I think it’s quite difficult to boil it down to one, but I can think of two that sit at the core of nearly everything else:?fast learning and emotional intelligence. Here is why:

Why is learning fast a critical skill?

The world is changing at a faster rate now than any other time in human history. Some writers talk about humanity being at a crossroads, where the next 50-100 years will define the future of our species - including whether we have a future at all. ??

A significant factor contributing to this exponential disruption is technology, and specifically what author’s Steve Kotler and Peter Diamandis call “Technology Convergence”. This term refers to parallel advances in separate but related fields converging on a given application, thus having a compounded effect that accelerates breakthrough and discovery.

As an example, Electrical Vertical Take-Off and Landing (EVTOL) technologies, used for drones and the latest in aerotaxi technology, is a case in point.?After nearly a century waiting for the "flying car", the convergence of multiple technologies such as advances in aerodynamics (for rotors), artificial intelligence (for navigation and control) and electrical battery power are making EVTOL vehicles the closest we have ever been to commercially available flying cars - Abu Dhabi (UAE) heralded the first maiden flight of such vehicles in April 2024.

Knowledge is increasing at an exponential rate. Today we live in a “digital deluge” that has us humans consume today more data in one day than our ancestors 500 years ago consumed in a lifetime. ?? Older knowledge is also becoming obsolete at an increasing rate. For instance, engineering knowledge is becoming obsolete about 3-4 times faster than about 100 years ago. So, learn, but learn quickly.

The risk we have in this world of disruption is to become obsolete. A generation ago, this applied particularly to “older” people who cannot keep up with new trends and technology. I would argue that, as the world moves on, that threshold of “old” is getting increasingly lower: it pretty much applies to everyone holding a job, in my view.?

The antidote to obsolescence is clearly our ability to learn, acquiring and applying new knowledge at ever faster rates.

Why emotional intelligence?

Yuval Noah Harari, in his book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2015) talks about two distinctive features of Homo sapiens that distinguish us from any other animals: our ability to collaborate in large numbers, and our ability to tell stories and create narratives that bind us together towards achieve a common purpose. Indeed, our ability to thrive as humans as always hinged on collaborating in increasingly larger numbers. We are social animals, and relationships are at the key to our success, whether we talk about individuals, teams, companies, societies, both at work and in life.

Dan Goldman’s “emotional intelligence” work offers, in my view, the most powerful framework for living and working in today’s world. He talks about EI as our ability to move in this complex world of relationships we find ourselves in, consisting of four key things:

Self awareness - knowing ourselves, our weaknesses, strengths, principles and values.

Self-management - knowing how to react to what happens to us, adapting to circumstances without compromising what we stand for.?

Social awareness - knowing how to “read the room”, showing empathy and understanding of others’ point of view.?

Relationship management - building powerful bonds with others through communication, conflict management and teamwork, so that “1+1 > 2”?

Master these four dimensions, master EI, and you will have unlocked the key to living a far more fulfilling life.

Closing Thoughts

Fast learning is the antidote to obsolescence in a world of constant change, ensuring we can harness the power of technology and new knowledge to the full.

Emotional Intelligence is the key to a happy, enriching professional and personal life, ensuring we harness the power of relationships and collaboration - what makes us truly human - to the greatest extent.

Master these two skills and you will become future-proof.