Human skills are vital to the success of an organization or company, based on the World Economic Forum 2018 Jobs report. In addition, LinkedIn discovered that companies are looking for a combination of hard and soft skills in potential employees.
While robots can replace some human jobs, they cannot replace human skills. These skills make us competitive, unique and full of emotions—and that, robots could never do.
To apply this knowledge and utilize it to make your organization more human, here are the top human skills in demand in 2021 and beyond.
Collaboration
Collaboration, which means working together with one or more people to develop ideas or complete a task/project, is one important human skill people will be searching for in 2021. It fosters healthy relationships between employees and boosts productivity.
Working collaboratively, a team member can become aware of their strengths and weaknesses, identify areas for improvement and hone their unique abilities.
Communication
By communicating your ideas effectively by either speaking or writing, people will appreciate your creative ideas on another level.
To be a good communicator, you must also be a good listener because it helps you ask the right questions, analyze answers and come up with solutions. The ability to explain ideas and even technical concepts to co-workers in the clearest and simplest way is another aspect of this skill that can be nurtured and developed, too.
Effective communication also enhances the collaboration you do with your coworkers, therefore making your teams more productive.
Vulnerability
Another human skill that will definitely stand out in 2021 is vulnerability, which is about opening oneself in a variety of aspects. This could mean opening yourself up to receiving constructive criticism, sharing your stories with others or showing your “weaknesses” with others.
An example would be admitting that you don’t know something and saying, “Hey, can you show me how to do this?” Here, you’re showing how vulnerability signals openness, bravery, and courage. By asking for help, you are also being strong in showing that you’re secure in yourself instead of saying “I know how to do this” when you actually don’t.
Just like communication enhances collaboration, vulnerability does too because it allows you and your team members to become more connected to one another. Clear communication will only facilitate more collaboration and vulnerability, and these skills continue to compound and reveal how vital they are in our evolving world.
Vulnerability is about showing your human side and being willing to be vulnerable as well as accept others being vulnerable with you.
Empathy
Empathy is the essential skill of putting yourself in someone else’s situation to see things from their perspective. This human skill helps you understand the feelings and perceptions of others and later communicate those sentiments back to the person or people involved.
Empathetic leaders have the ability to understand their employees’ concerns and experiences better. They also have excellent communication skills because they are great listeners.
One way to incorporate more empathy into your organization in 2021 is that after you have a conversation with someone, you respond by asking, “I see, what you’re saying is…” to communicate how you understood the conversation. From there, the other person/people can validate your understanding or clarify what they meant further.
More communication with vulnerability leads to more empathy, and these skills will be essential in 2021 and beyond.
Creativity
“Everything you can imagine is real.” —Pablo Picasso
Creativity tops the list of human skills that will be in demand now and the coming years. Companies need people that can solve problems and execute tasks creatively, no matter what their role is.
One reason creative people can solve problems effectively is because they are using their creative side to approach a situation instead of taking a logical approach. They deal with uncertainty and adversity by adjusting how they think to the flow of what they’re facing and therefore are able to see things from all angles.
Creative problem solving is also innovative. Someone with the ability to do this finds new solutions instead of just implementing the usual or the standard.
Applying Human Skills in the Workplace
These skills provide insight on how each function and the value they bring to the workplace as well as our everyday lives.
In 2021, we’re launching our inaugural program to help cultivate human skills in leaders. We’re opening it up only to our loyal community base here before we release it to the public.
Do you have a team member that you see as a potential human-centric leader? Reply here to have them a part of our exclusive first class. We’re closing applications December 15th.
In love and respect,
