2-minute read with Resources
The automobile, the Internet, Uber, and Instacart. Our American superpower is inventing convenience. Information is available at lightning speed, prompts instantly become paragraphs, and questions are answered without the time-consuming work of research or reflection. Consumers are besotted with AI and its wondrous 24/7 capabilities and capacity. So are companies. Companies love AI tools because they possess huge capacity, are cost-effective, and never take a sick day.
As tech wizards forge ahead, inventing new and more sophisticated generative AI tools, we humans find ourselves competing with our own invention for jobs. Job descriptions are changing rapidly, and as AI continues to evolve, some roles will be eliminated and others created.
Resource: Gartner’s 9 Future of Work Trends for 2024
Current hiring and promotion trends show a shift in focus from technical skills to human qualities. So that we humans don’t go the way of the buggy whip or the floppy disc, we need to reposition ourselves and revise our value proposition around what makes us essential at work.
If you’re looking to get hired or get ahead, you’ll need examples and metrics supporting your ability to communicate, collaborate, and be creative. These skills lead to higher efficiency, productivity, and employee retention rates, three ever-present business challenges. Proving your worth in these areas makes you a sought-after and valuable addition to a team.
Here’s where to focus your narrative.
Communication
Interpersonal communication and the ability to resolve conflict is Number 4 on Gartner’s Future of Work Trends list. Today, four generations are active in the workplace, each with a different perspective. Working through and resolving interpersonal conflict is critical for uniting multi-generational workers and creating opportunities for mentoring and reverse-mentoring among generations. Differentiate yourself by offering consistent feedback and creating connectivity among colleagues with scheduled events focusing on skill and perspective sharing.
The ability to communicate clearly and resolve conflict is a sought-after management skill that leads to higher employee retention rates. In today’s tight employment market, provable communication skills are a must-have.
Collaboration
As speed to market and productivity demands increase, so does the likelihood that we’ll operate in silos. The ability to drive collaboration is a critical skill and the connector between communication and creativity.
Collaboration is the tide that raises all ships. It helps teams stay connected and problem-solve and makes everyone more efficient. Efficiency makes businesses more profitable, and connectivity keeps employees engaged and less likely to leave, making collaboration a force multiplier for learning, productivity, and retention. Collaboration is so important that workplaces are being designed around the ability to collaborate.
Connecting your value with business efficiency keeps you valuable and relevant. Elevate your examples of collaborative, cross-functional efforts that resulted in the desired or even better business outcome.
Resource: Leveraging a Mentor Relationship
Creativity
There is inherent friction between the speed of convenience and the slow work of creativity, yet both are necessary. It can take time to slow down enough and find the time to develop new ideas. Those of us who can come up with new ideas despite the distractions of everyday life are incredibly valuable to businesses. The good news is that there are few lightning-bolt moments where an idea presents itself as fully formed. What’s important to remember is that you don’t need to be the one who came up with THE idea; you only need to be part of the conversation that iterated toward that result. Showing humility, curiosity, and willingness to be part of an explorative exercise is a powerful story that will serve you well whether you are interviewing or looking for a promotion.
Resource: How to Run a Moonshot Ideation Meeting
As your organization works to align AI capabilities with organizational values, examples and metrics around your competency with communication, collaboration, and creativity will set you apart and allow you to shine in a world driven by convenience.
New Book!
If you know or have a young person starting out in their career, or if you hire them, this book is for you.
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