Tomorrow’s leaders are technology-driven – as are their careers

My kids have never lived without technology. And it’s not for lack of trying – my wife and I incorporated sports, music and outdoor activities in their upbringing, but it was inevitable that, as teenagers, they would grow up surrounded by cellphones, tablets, smart TVs and high-speed internet. This is much different than my youth (the only technology I owned was a calculator and a cathode ray tube TV!), but it doesn’t mean it’s better or worse. And to be honest, like my kids, I’m now a bit of a technophile myself.

But because Millennials – or even the next cohort, Generation Z – have always had access to technology, they have a different outlook on how it can impact the workplace. We’ve all seen reports about how technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are job-killers, and so we ran a survey of today’s top students to understand their concerns about the implications of advanced technologies for their career prospects.

And it turns out, students see the opportunities that new technologies can bring – whether it’s AI, blockchain or robotics. They certainly don’t underestimate the power of technology – half believe it will radically change the work they do. But none sees the change as a negative.

100% of students surveyed expect technology to have a positive impact on the way they work.

That result mirrors what we found when we talked to CEOs for our last Global CEO Outlook. Those business leaders told us that over the next few years they plan to hire more people at the same time as the invest heavily in AI and other technologies. But those jobs will evolve, at pace, and those CEOs are looking for tech savvy, agile, recruits able to learn and adapt through their careers.

I found this really interesting. With headlines regularly appearing in my newsfeed about data privacy and data breaches, I thought students might see technology in a negative light. But in fact, it’s the opposite – students see technology as a tool to help solve today’s difficult challenges that can help them focusing on more value-added, interesting work. This is inspiring!

And these future leaders recognized that in a tech-driven world, there is incredible merit in soft skills, too – something we look for in new joiners to KPMG. Soft skills like:

—  problem solving;

—  the ability to learn;

—  creativity;

—  plus, critical values like ethics, responsibility and integrity.

Why is this so important? To me, a person who has both an openness to technology and a desire to develop excellent soft skills has the makings of a really well-rounded professional. And it’s something that makes for a great participant at KPMG International Case Competition (KICC), taking place this week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

We ran this survey as part of KICC, a challenging annual event where students work on real-world business problems. These students we surveyed are clearly future leaders who are going places. I can’t wait to see where their careers take them. My sincere congratulations to the KICC team from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, Vallendar, Germany that took home this year's winning title!

Follow KPMG’s Instagram channel for photos and videos shared from KICC in Kuala Lumpur. Interested in applying for the 2019 competition? Learn more on our KICC website.