15 skills to build

In 1997, a fascinating read hit the bookstore shelves titled “The Future Ain’t What It Use To Be” (Abrahamson, Meehan, Samuel). It examined not only the cultural trends that were transforming the future of work, but how humans would identify with and contribute to the world at large.

Here we are, 20 years later, still trying to predict and plan for the unknown. We continue to grapple with preparing for jobs that don’t exist yet, using technology that hasn’t been invented, solving problems that haven’t been uncovered. That may be the very definition of a herculean effort.

It’s safe to say the future will inevitably be a moving target. Change really is the only constant. While preparing for the unknowable may seem like a monumental task, I believe these 15 skills have wide-ranging application regardless of what the future brings.

Awareness
The ability to pay attention. Not to just see what is there, but to see what isn’t there in equal measure. It is about noticing and connecting the dots. Awareness is about being in an observant state of mind. Fortune favors the prepared mind.

Thinking
Holistic and integrated thinking. Both ends of a spectrum, both sides of the brain, both parts of an equation. Divergent and convergent. The MBA and the MFA. Old school and new school. The adage of less-is-more has no place here. In thinking, more really is more.

Sense-making
The ability to extrapolate meaning by applying intellect. Information is all around us, but knowledge is more nuanced. It’s the ability to separate the signal from the noise.

Margin
White space. Unscheduled time. The ability to create a cushion around the fray in a hyper busy-changing-connected-loud world. To carve out space that belongs to no one but you. Space to breathe.

Capacity
The desire and the ability to grow. The continual quest for greater competence. A relentless drive to develop personal bandwidth.

Agility
Nimbleness. More than just quick, clever quick. With elegance.

Fluidity
The ability to shift, morph and evolve. Seamless maneuvering. This is beyond merely going with the flow, but being in the flow.

Savviness
The ability to leverage networks and resources — not for the singular advantage — but for the advantage of many. Savvy is the thinking skill on steroids.

Paradoxal
The ability to hold and process self-contradicting thoughts and ideas in your head at the same time. Embrace dichotomy. The world has eclipsed a mere either/or mentality and landed squarely in the both/and camp.

Orchestration
Being in sync. Calibration and alignment. To be able to keep a cadence when all the moving parts are, well, moving.

Human-ness
There is almost a visceral sensation when you come to understand the world of someone else. Through grace, kindness, empathy, perspective and understanding, we see the world how it could be. Human-ness is the heart of humanity.

Presence
Finding ones voice. Clarity, confidence, character. The ability to know who you are, and to be comfortable with that answer. To be able to stand in the middle of your heart and know your truth. Simply, to exude your self.

Smarts
The theory of multiple intelligences asserts that there are nine intelligences: linguistic, musical, mathematical, spatial, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and spiritual. Being smart is essential. Being differently smart is a force multiplier.

Simplification
Less is more. The ability to remove the complex and the complicated may never be more urgent. Plain, simple, elegant. That’s what really works. “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” (Einstein)

Hope
The mere ability to hope. Because there is nothing more compelling than the audacity of hope.

We know that planning for the future is not a precise science. But you can put yourself in the place of most potential by developing timeless skills. One thing is for sure: We can’t stop the future from coming, we can only prepare. And fortune favors the prepared.

Ancora Imparo … (Still, I am learning)
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Editor’s note: Stacey Mason is the owner of Mason On Leadership, a leadership consultancy that focuses on behavioral assessments and executive coaching. The opinions expressed are those of the author.