2020 Global Skills You Really Need

Hurray! The much anticipated 2020 is here!!

More than half of the world, I believe, was excited about the year 2020.

The excitement wasn’t only because 2020 is a new year but was based on the fact that the majority believe that it’s the beginning of a new decade while a few believe that it is the end of a decade.

No matter what side of the pendulum you are on, what is vital is that you make the best of the New Year. Do you have any plan, resolutions or goals for this New Year?

Are you curious about what professional skills matter this year? Does it matter to you to become a better version of yourself at the end of the year?

Do you wish to move from where you are presently to a better place this year? Do you want to perform better at your place of work this year? Do you wish to change career path this year?

If your thoughts about what you wish for this year are mentioned in any of the questions above, then this article is for you.

One hard truth that stares unflinchingly at humanity is that the world is changing at a very rapid rate. What was celebrated in about 2-3 years ago seems to have lost its place now. There are drastic changes in different sectors and for you to remain relevant at your workplace or profession, you need good awareness. What does this imply? You need very vital information that gives you an edge to stay ahead.

Below are carefully researched skills in various professions needed globally in the year 2020:

1.     Information Technology (IT) skills: It is no news that IT is one of the most rapidly advancing industry over the last decade, with very high demand in varied skill sets and diverse potentials. In 2020, the necessary skills required by most IT firms globally include:

Data literacy- An individual is considered to be data literate if he has the ability to read, work with, analyse and argue with data. Simply put, if he has the ability to derive meaningful information from data.

Data literacy will be a celebrated skill in 2020 because many organizations will be outsourcing jobs that deal majorly with data. As proposed by Gartner; 2020 is a year he expects eighty percent (80%) of organizations to roll out internal data literacy initiatives to skill up their workforce.

Research also shows that 90% of the world’s data were generated in the last two years. This exponential growth is not going down any time soon which shows that there is a high demand for people skilled in data analytics.

In addition, many businesses and organisations are promoting what they do digitally. This is because a digital platform affords them the opportunity to generate, store and track data. They are able to know what interest their users, the rate at which users click on a feature, keep record of clients, and even predict the future through data generated. So you can see that a good understanding of data will be an edge for you in the IT firm this year.

Others skills that will be in demand in the IT are python, artificial intelligence, CRM, machine learning and cyber security. Much emphasis was made on data literacy because these other skills have a major relationship with data literacy.

2.     Communication skills: Effective communication remains a basis for success in any organization. When there is a breach in communication in an organization, you can be certain that there will be problems. There is more to communication skills than speaking fluently and writing well.

3.     Emotional Intelligence: Asides the basic communication skills stated above, emotionally intelligence is a major skill you cannot afford to overlook in 2020. You are an emotionally intelligent person when you possess the ability to positively understand, use and manage your emotions so that you and others can benefit from the comportment. Emotional intelligence also involves your ability to empathize with others no matter what you are going through or your status. Many people feel this ability is innate since it has to do with emotions; however, I am glad to tell you that it can be learned just as other skills.

Moreover, you'd agree with me that this skill is of great value in any organization; because you are dealing with humans and not robots. Emotional intelligence is also the advantage that humans have over robots because humans have the ability to perceive and feel. That is why no organization can completely do away with humans.

4.     Interpersonal relationship – Interpersonal relationship entails genuine friendliness which is another major communication skill that is very much needed in 2020. I understand that we all have different temperaments and an introverted person does not always appear friendly. However, if you want to get along with your colleague and even your superior, you must carry an aura of friendliness. It helps you achieve more in a workplace because people will be attracted to your personality and will want to do more with you.

Friendliness also serves as a bonus if you are an entrepreneur. For example, if you are an entrepreneur who does business digitally, you will, more often than not, seldom see your client or customers physically but you might have more conversation with them on the phone. Your friendly tone can be all you need to convince them about your product or service.

Other components of inter-personal skills essential this year 2020 include: cohesion and clarity, respect, and open-mindedness.

Everyone is in a rush these days; hence, your information must be clear and concise if you ever want to win people’s attention. Respect is also very vital. You just have to treat everyone honourably because you never can tell what help they are capable of rendering to you in the future. Open-mindedness is relevant this year and beyond. You have to be open enough to unlearn, learn and relearn, else, you will be swept away by the wave of advancement.

5.     Leadership/Management skills: You will agree with me that every leader is a manger, right? In any organization, a leader is simply given the opportunity to manage people; either as a team leader or a customer relation personnel. In order to be a better leader in 2020, here are some skills you should work on;

A major management skill that will be in high demand this year is pragmatism. As stated in the introduction, the rate at which the world is moving does not require you to spend too much time thinking things through. Successful people in this era are those who act as they think. Therefore, you need to develop your pragmatic skills as a leader or manager if you want to be at the top of your game this 2020.

It is also advisable for you sharpen your listening skills this year and be more open-minded to ideas and suggestions from your employees and client. Do not be a one-way person in 2020.

As a leader in 2020, you must also be a creative/strategic thinker and a very good project manager in order to meet up with the happening events and be relevant in your field.

6.     Marketing skills:  In 2020, strategic marketers are the ones that will be in high demand. Business owners and CEOs will be ready to pay more marketers that are skilled in marketing automation, social media/PR, Search Engine Optimization, content/brand storytelling, data analytics and Customer relations such as customer retention, and satisfaction campaigns design and execution. This is because organizations will love to major on optimizing the experience of their customers in order to drive sales and promote the growth of the organization.

Therefore, I’d advise you take the first quarter of the year to develop at least 2 of the above stated skills.

In conclusion, according to Charles Darwin, “It is not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the most adaptable to change.” This quote remains true even in the professional world.

For you to be relevant this year, you just have to be ready to adapt to change, unlearn what doesn’t work anymore, learn new skills that are in high demand, and relearn skills that need to be tweaked.

In summary, the skills that will be in high demand globally in almost all organization in 2020 are;

·      Data literacy and complex problem solving

·      Emotional intelligence

·      Critical thinking

·      Creativity

·      People management

·      Content/Brand storytelling

·      Cognitive flexibility

Note: There are soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills are skills that allow you to relate with others in a proper manner and navigate your environment. These skills combine social skills, communication skills, attitudes, character and personality traits. Oftentimes, soft skills are seen as skills that cannot be learned because they are considered innate, however, there are some soft skills that can be learned since our characters are shaped as a result of what we are constantly exposed to.

Therefore, it is possible to consciously improve on soft skills you are interested in. You shouldn’t have issues with learning hard skills because you already identify that there are teachable and measurable.

I wish you a fulfilling 2020.