With rising unemployment levels, the ever-changing economy and a high level of uncertainty about what the future of business will look like, staying ahead of the curve has never been more important.

What are three of the top soft skills the workforce of the future will need?

Futuristic Thinking

Futuristic thinking is about having the ability to predict events and trends and their impact on your job role, organisation and industry.

Futuristic thinking involves:

• Awareness and comprehension
  Monitoring previous events and trends and understanding their impact
  
  
• Innovation
  Thinking of creative, innovative and outside-the-box solutions to problems
  
  
• Action-focused
  Creating and implementing pro-active action plans based on knowledge of previous events and predictions for the future

Having an insight into what the future will likely hold for your organisation means that you will be able to respond more quickly to changes in the business environment, giving you a competitive advantage over your potentially less-prepared competitors.

Leadership

Leadership is a vital soft skill for not only managers but all working professionals.

It is not only about the management of people, but also:

• Decision making
  The ability to make informed decisions quickly and effectively while taking into consideration potential consequences
  
  
• Building relationships
  Developing, maintaining and repairing working relationships with co-workers to encourage collaboration and improve communication
  
  
• Continuous development
  Continuous learning, improvement and training to allow targets and expectations to not only be met, but to be exceeded

Strong leaders drive motivation, help others unlock their full potential, and encourage overall organisational excellence and success.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence has always been a valuable skill but in times of hardship, it becomes even more important and should be at the forefront of our minds.

Emotional Intelligence is about:

• Management of emotions
  Managing our own emotions to ensure that we can respond appropriately in difficult situations
  
  
• Recognition of emotions
  Recognising others’ emotions to ensure that we communicate in a sensitive and considerate way
  
  
• Workplace culture
  Developing strong, positive working relationships with colleagues to improve workplace culture

An emotionally intelligent team is less likely to face conflict and burnout, resulting in a high-performing, reliable and resilient workplace.

How Can You Develop Your Soft Skills in 2021?

While personal experience can help develop soft skills, training programmes are more effective and efficient.

Learning and Development is a crucial aspect of any business and employees should not only be allowed but encouraged to take part in training programmes to better themselves professionally.

There are many different training programmes and courses available including:

• Ready, Set, Future! (A futuristic thinking online course)
  
  
• Level 3 Leadership and Management Programme
  
  
• Level 5 Leadership and Management Programme
  
  
• Emotional Intelligence Online Course

“85% of one’s success at the workplace is attributed to soft skills” Harvard Study