We all recognize that organizations are changing, new challenges are surfacing and competition is increasing. What does that mean for those of us in the workplace? In January 2016 the World Economic Forum issued their Future of Jobs report. In 2020, they ranked the key skills as:

 

1. Complex problem solving
2. Critical thinking
3. Creativity
4. People management
5. Coordinating with others
6. Emotional intelligence
7. Judgment and decision making
8. Service orientation
9. Negotiation
10. Cognitive flexibility

What I find interesting is that they added the skills of emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility and dropped quality circles and active listening from the list. There was also movement within the ranking. People management, coordinating with others, service orientation and negotiation fell, while critical thinking, creativity, judgment and decision making rose. In my view, this reflects a shift to mental agility since half the list connects to analytical practices.   It raises the question of how a leader or coach can develop this level of thinking dexterity.   It certainly cannot be by mandate or addressed by adding it to a job description.

I have worked with leaders who wanted their staff to display strategic thinking or creativity. The request was clear but the mechanics were not. Organizations struggle to translate data into useable intelligence.  The information gap between the data needed and what is available remains steady over the last ten years, despite large investments in technology.  https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/ceo-survey/2019/report/pwc-22nd-annual-global-ceo-survey.pdf  We need people to think critically to close that gap.

Decision making tools identify how to analyze the data but they do not help to identify new realities, identify multiple alternatives or influence acceptance. Instead of seeing these activities as significant barriers, we can develop new analytical tools using  sixbusiness mindsets. This is not rocket science but a disciplined practice to make the right call at the right time for the right results..

First published at: http://bizcatalyst360.com/top-ten-leadership-skills-for-2020/

#leadership, #critical thinking #