How to Stay Relevant for Today and the Future of Work

The COVID-19 pandemic has led companies to rapidly accelerate digitization plans and in-demand skill needs are changing faster than ever. Organizations are realizing they need a workforce of continuous learners – agile for new tasks and ready and resilient for times of change and disruption. Here are ways to continue to develop the skills needed to meet the workplace needs of today and tomorrow.

Be proactive
Seek out resources to help you further education or upskill your talents. This may mean taking on a new project to flex your skills or enrolling in a program to learn a new skill. There are a variety of flexible options that can be short courses, coaching or remote learning opportunities. Especially with the rise of remote work, there are no shortage of virtual resources. Find the right one that fits your lifestyle, timeline and needs.

Be accountable
You can measure your progress by meeting with your manager and asking to keep you accountable for your soft skill growth. For example, you may ask your manager to rate you on your leadership ability before and after you join committees at work, lead a series of meetings or take on a new project management task that requires meeting deadlines. Having this external measure at the end of a development cycle will help keep you motivated and accountable and produce continuous growth.  

Practice Learnability 
New problems and opportunities will arise as the digital landscape continues to change how we work. In order to meet these new challenges, learnability is necessary. Learnability is the desire and ability to continually learn and grow throughout careers. Ask yourself, when was the last time you read something from a new or unusual perspective? When have you taken the time to explore learning about a new industry? To keep your learnability skill sharp, take the time to find new topics and dig beneath the surface. 

Finally, go back to the beginning when you checked all these boxes. Mastering soft skills isn’t a one-time task –– keep going and improving.