Critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication skills will define the corporate leaders of tomorrow, and give them the abilities to learn, adapt and innovate in an increasingly competitive global environment.
That”™s the consensus of recruiters, human resource professionals and academics in New York, Connecticut and nationwide who have tackled the challenge of defining the knowledge and skills that will be needed for tomorrow”™s jobs.
Because of rapid technological and economic change, many emerging executives five years from now are likely to be working in industries that may not even exist today, performing jobs that are yet to be given names. That”™s made it harder to prepare young workers by simply encouraging them to learn a list of specific tasks required for a potential job, and shifted attention to the importance of more broadly applicable leadership qualities and capabilities.
Soft skills will be numerous
Future leaders will need myriad “soft” skills, including the abilities to listen, reduce complexity, analyze, motivate and instill a sense of optimism in the workplace. They”™re likely to win promotions not only because of test scores and degrees, but also on the perception of their intuition, ethics, integrity and common sense, experts said.
Howard Kesten, president and owner of Armonk-based APA Search, a retained executive search firm, said the next generation of CEOs and executives will need global knowledge and global experience and the knowledge and ability to make critical decisions about everything from technology to human capital.
He defined them as “champions of change,” who understand that innovation is a core competency of a successful business and a necessary component of their corporate culture. They”™ll embrace the right technologies to advance their business, but also understand that “the companies with the most qualified people become the best companies.”
“They”™ll realize the value of their employees, budget more money to support training and further education, and promote people on the basis of performance rather than longevity,” he said. “Tomorrow”™s CEOs will simply be the strongest leaders with the best team-building skills, regardless of functional experience.”
Auto industry looking outside
Kesten, whose firm specializes in the automotive industry, said his clients are more likely to fill top positions with people from outside their own industry than they were even a few years ago.
Industry experience has devolved from a must have to something “nice to have,” he explained. “Our clients realize that for many years we have all been recruiting and recycling people that are already part of a given industry rather than seeking candidates with better skills and education that can bring a new level of innovation and competency to a business,” he continued. “Highly qualified candidates are also taking the same approach and seeking out new challenges and applying their skills to different industries.”
According to an April survey by the American Management Association, a Manhattan-based trade group, many U.S. companies are asking fundamental questions about the readiness of the emerging work force to handle the jobs of the future. There is concern whether next generation managers are prepared to cope with global competition and the expected pace of change ”“ and agreement that corporate America needs employees who are “fully equipped with skills beyond the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic (the three Rs)” to grow their businesses.
Trending toward the four Cs
“Skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity (the four Cs) will become even more important to organizations in the future,” the survey concluded. It defined the essential skills as:
”¢ Critical thinking and problem solving ”“ including the ability to make decisions, solve problems and take appropriate action;
”¢ Effective communication ”“ the ability to synthesize and transmit ideas orally and in writing;
”¢ Collaboration and team building ”“ the ability to work effectively with others, including those from diverse groups and with opposing points of view;
”¢ Creativity and innovation ”“ the ability to think outside the box and find new ways to make things happen.
A majority of executives responding to the survey said their companies have identified these skills and competencies as essential for employee development, talent management and succession planning. In fact, many companies are already measuring employees in these skills during annual performance appraisals and assessing job applicants in these areas during the hiring process.
The bottom line: Employees need to think critically, solve problems, innovate, collaborate and communicate effectively at every level within the corporation ”“ and especially at the highest levels of management.
Leaders should inspire confidence
Kenexa Research Institute, a Philadelphia company that studies human resource issues, said companies should look for leaders who inspire confidence in the future and managers who recognize employees and emphasize quality and improvement. It”™s also important for businesses to provide opportunities for both employees and managers to grow and develop, as well as to demonstrate “a genuine responsibility to their employees and communities.”
Those findings correspond with research conducted by Joseph S. Renzulli, a professor at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, and director of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Renzulli defines a gifted person as one who has three things: Above average but not necessarily superior ability, creativity and task commitment.
Those three traits will propel many people into positions of leadership. However, he suggests that the challenge for corporate America is to find those who are also committed to “a humane, caring society” ”“ or “more leaders like Bill Gates and fewer like Bernie Madoff.”
Recruiters also need to be creative
Renzulli thinks it”™s possible to “create the future CEOs of automobile and energy companies who are as committed to safety and emission control as they are to shareholders”™ profits, sexier cars and the corporate bottom line.” However, finding those potential leaders means recruiters and corporate boards need to also be creative ”“ and evaluate not only the skills of job applicants, but traits including their experiences, sensitivity to others, optimism, courage and vision or sense of destiny.
Less than two months ago, IBM issued its biennial Chief Human Resource Officer Study, a 70-page report based on interviews with 707 HR leaders worldwide. The research shows the three areas of greatest challenge for companies are leadership, work force management and collaboration ”“ “cultivating creative leaders, mobilizing for speed and flexibility and capitalizing on collective intelligence.”
Tomorrow”™s leaders must “think in terms of a virtually unrestricted global environment,” the report adds. “They must create within their organizations integrated, cross-functional capabilities and tear down the institutional silos that inhibit creativity and speed.”
