These 7 Future-Proof Qualities Will Boost Your Career
The basics of being human — especially in a work environment — are changing rapidly. Technological innovations are getting more advanced to the point it’s getting better at doing some of our jobs. Companies are eager to implement new technologies into the customer journey to boost efficiency and cut costs. That sounds great, but where does it leave us — the human workforce — in the foreseeable future? There’s still a vast difference between what machines (let’s call them “robots”) can do and the traits humans are master at.
Robots ≠ Humans
In spite of more and more machines taking over everyday jobs, we are all but the same. To make this fairly simple, take a look at the comparison below, where we gave machines, in general, the name “robots” for easy comparing.
There is a ton of tasks, jobs, and processes that machines are far better at than humans. Robots are great at doing redundant/repetitive tasks, avoiding mistakes, and never needing a sick day or paid leave. What they truly suck at is building relationships with humans simply because they are unable to care about you or understand us fully. Machines do as they are told or programmed to. Sure, in some cases with the help of deep learning machines are able to expand their scope, but their intelligence is nowhere near our form of intelligence.
“We just need to specialize in everything technology is inferior at compared to us, humans.”
We humans, on the other hand, combine our heuristics with Emotional Intelligence to make a decision based on experience, knowledge en gutfeel. Being the way we are, makes us horrible at avoiding errors or working 24/7 without the need to eat, sleep or take a restroom break. But we are superior in everything related to human traits. We are creative, we can solve problems on multiple levels (rather than 99% of technology that focuses on their specific field) and we can connect with one another on a deep and meaningful level.
These qualities will be priceless in the (near) future
Now that we have established the difference between technology and humans, you can see where we complement each other and where we are outsmarted. Many jobs are going to be replaced by technology, simply because it’s always been that way throughout evolution. We no longer have messengers riding horses and announcing the news on a town square filled with people, we have Whatsapp and Email, and hundreds of other platforms for that purpose. That doesn’t mean we will no longer be needed in the job market, we just need to specialize in everything technology is inferior at compared to us, humans.
Here’s a list of 7 qualities you should start developing and strengthen to gain a competitive advantage in the (near) future:
1. Empathy
The top trait for basically everything we do in life. You should master this trait both personally and professionally. From building relationships to managing people and improving our environment, everything requires you to be empathic. It means that you use the core of what being human is: feeling and feeling for others.
If you are able to put yourself in another’s shoes and see the world through their perspective, you will understand what you can do to add value. Whether it’s understanding a customer, your supervisor, or your spouse, by viewing the world through their perspective you will truly understand them. It’s a trait machines don’t have. No chatbot truly understands or has experienced what you have experienced. It just repeats back words that it knows as a reply to your initial question. Master this trait and you will have a competitive advantage for a very long time.
2. Creativity
Being creative can come in many forms. Humans have a unique form of intelligence that allows for creative thinking. We can put things in perspective, use memory or past experiences to create new experiences. Again, it’s what sets us apart from machines. Robots are everything but creative, especially if we view “creativity” as problem-solving on a deeper level. Humans can get very creative when looking for solutions whereas machines need to make do with what has been programmed or, perhaps, analyzed in their neural network.
If you are creative, you can come up with anything you wish. From unique problem-solving to an entire company or massive works of art. Our creativity has no limits and developing your creativity will open doors that normally would stay shut. Companies and brands always have a high demand for creative people in each and every field.
3. Critical Thinking
Compared to machines, we use our brains for “thinking” in a very different way. We are capable of so-called “Critical Thinking”. which embodies analyzing, understanding, and using information gathered from observation, reasoning, reflecting, and experiencing. Simply put: every decision we make is based on experience and we can compare situations based on previous experiences and feelings we have had. We’re not hardcoded to think a certain way.
Developing critical thinking starts with understanding how we approach every situation. Self-awareness is a key element in this particular trait. Compared to machines, we can use past experiences, feelings, empathy, creativity, and many other human traits to understand and judge situations. Mastering this quality means training on deep listening, asking (the right) questions, evaluating evidence, and understanding how our mental process works. That last one can come in handy when working with customers too.
4. Persuasiveness
The more advanced technology becomes, the more people — and decision-makers in companies — will rely on its outcomes. Already, Artificial Intelligence is being developed and trusted to be 100% accurate, which its absolutely not.
I would urge you to develop the skill of persuasion to help others embrace and adopt your ideas. Being persuasive helps you sell your ideas to those that need to adopt them and take action. The better you are at being persuasive, which includes understanding how to deliver a message, the bigger the chances your ideas will catch on. You might need to compete with Artificial Intelligence here (as its sometimes seen as “speaking the ultimate truth”), so be prepared to understand how to be persuasive and use your empathy to convey your message clearly and from the right angle.
5. Deep Listening
Knowing how to truly listen is important because it teaches you the true meaning and motives of what someone is saying. Deep Listening goes hand in hand with empathy (placing yourself in the shoes of the person) and Critical Thinking (gathering and analyzing the information, relating to it, understanding the question behind the question).
Deep Listening comes from empathy as it will only work if you are truly engaged and willing to listen openmindedly. Deep Listening in a business means understanding the true wants and needs of your customers and being open to their feedback, thoughts, and uncertainties. In marketing, Deep Listening can mean the difference between doing what your customers need or doing what YOU THINK your customers need.
6. Responsibility
Taking responsibility is something machines cannot do, and we shouldn’t want them to either. We hardly understand our own brains, so we can’t hand that over to algorithms we can hardly understand the outcome of. Besides, taking responsibility comes from our moral compass, another human trait that other animals don’t have, let alone soulless machines. Understanding right from wrong is what makes us human(e). We should always stay responsible for our own actions and the actions of the products we create.
If we’re taking responsibility in a career setting, working responsibly means taking care of current and future (societal) issues. Topics like protection of our climate and environment, anti-racism, equality, E-healthcare, and much more are topics coming from taking responsibility. But taking responsibility takes practice as it usually goes against our ego. It’s easy to point at older generations or corporations and blame them for wrongdoing. If you take responsibility for your own life and actions, you can steer them towards doing good. Set aside your (very human, nothing to be ashamed of) ego and apply Deep Listening and Critical Thinking to take responsibility for finding solutions.
7. Storytelling
Storytelling is probably the most human thing there is. We have gone from making noises to creating over 6500 languages in the world. We’ve written on cave walls to warn about mammoths, invented writing to create the written word, and are addicted to Social Media as everything we say and do contains stories. It’s what makes us unique. And you can see that all 6 other qualities are embedded in this one. Creative stories, told with empathy, translated from observations to deliver a message, a warning, a kind gesture.
Technologists will argue that algorithms can create never before written stories based on analyzing millions of older stories. I agree with that, but telling a story is different from storytelling which has emotion in it. Producing a page with words in a grammatically correct way is not telling a story. We tell stories from personal experience because it’s what created our society and kept us alive and evolving. This article could have been written by Artificial Intelligence (trust me, it was written by a real person drinking coffee and hitting backspace often — because I am human and I make mistakes). If you can tell stories, you possess something really powerful. Coming from a business perspective — branding in particular — knowing how to tell the brand’s story can mean the difference between success and failure.
These 7 Future-Proof Qualities Will Boost Your Career
The basics of being human — especially in a work environment — are changing rapidly. Technological innovations are getting more advanced to the point it’s getting better at doing some of our jobs. Companies are eager to implement new technologies into the customer journey to boost efficiency and cut costs. That sounds great, but where does it leave us — the human workforce — in the foreseeable future? There’s still a vast difference between what machines (let’s call them “robots”) can do and the traits humans are master at.
Robots ≠ Humans
In spite of more and more machines taking over everyday jobs, we are all but the same. To make this fairly simple, take a look at the comparison below, where we gave machines, in general, the name “robots” for easy comparing.
There is a ton of tasks, jobs, and processes that machines are far better at than humans. Robots are great at doing redundant/repetitive tasks, avoiding mistakes, and never needing a sick day or paid leave. What they truly suck at is building relationships with humans simply because they are unable to care about you or understand us fully. Machines do as they are told or programmed to. Sure, in some cases with the help of deep learning machines are able to expand their scope, but their intelligence is nowhere near our form of intelligence.
“We just need to specialize in everything technology is inferior at compared to us, humans.”
We humans, on the other hand, combine our heuristics with Emotional Intelligence to make a decision based on experience, knowledge en gutfeel. Being the way we are, makes us horrible at avoiding errors or working 24/7 without the need to eat, sleep or take a restroom break. But we are superior in everything related to human traits. We are creative, we can solve problems on multiple levels (rather than 99% of technology that focuses on their specific field) and we can connect with one another on a deep and meaningful level.
These qualities will be priceless in the (near) future
Now that we have established the difference between technology and humans, you can see where we complement each other and where we are outsmarted. Many jobs are going to be replaced by technology, simply because it’s always been that way throughout evolution. We no longer have messengers riding horses and announcing the news on a town square filled with people, we have Whatsapp and Email, and hundreds of other platforms for that purpose. That doesn’t mean we will no longer be needed in the job market, we just need to specialize in everything technology is inferior at compared to us, humans.
Here’s a list of 7 qualities you should start developing and strengthen to gain a competitive advantage in the (near) future:
1. Empathy
The top trait for basically everything we do in life. You should master this trait both personally and professionally. From building relationships to managing people and improving our environment, everything requires you to be empathic. It means that you use the core of what being human is: feeling and feeling for others.
If you are able to put yourself in another’s shoes and see the world through their perspective, you will understand what you can do to add value. Whether it’s understanding a customer, your supervisor, or your spouse, by viewing the world through their perspective you will truly understand them. It’s a trait machines don’t have. No chatbot truly understands or has experienced what you have experienced. It just repeats back words that it knows as a reply to your initial question. Master this trait and you will have a competitive advantage for a very long time.
2. Creativity
Being creative can come in many forms. Humans have a unique form of intelligence that allows for creative thinking. We can put things in perspective, use memory or past experiences to create new experiences. Again, it’s what sets us apart from machines. Robots are everything but creative, especially if we view “creativity” as problem-solving on a deeper level. Humans can get very creative when looking for solutions whereas machines need to make do with what has been programmed or, perhaps, analyzed in their neural network.
If you are creative, you can come up with anything you wish. From unique problem-solving to an entire company or massive works of art. Our creativity has no limits and developing your creativity will open doors that normally would stay shut. Companies and brands always have a high demand for creative people in each and every field.
3. Critical Thinking
Compared to machines, we use our brains for “thinking” in a very different way. We are capable of so-called “Critical Thinking”. which embodies analyzing, understanding, and using information gathered from observation, reasoning, reflecting, and experiencing. Simply put: every decision we make is based on experience and we can compare situations based on previous experiences and feelings we have had. We’re not hardcoded to think a certain way.
Developing critical thinking starts with understanding how we approach every situation. Self-awareness is a key element in this particular trait. Compared to machines, we can use past experiences, feelings, empathy, creativity, and many other human traits to understand and judge situations. Mastering this quality means training on deep listening, asking (the right) questions, evaluating evidence, and understanding how our mental process works. That last one can come in handy when working with customers too.
4. Persuasiveness
The more advanced technology becomes, the more people — and decision-makers in companies — will rely on its outcomes. Already, Artificial Intelligence is being developed and trusted to be 100% accurate, which its absolutely not.
I would urge you to develop the skill of persuasion to help others embrace and adopt your ideas. Being persuasive helps you sell your ideas to those that need to adopt them and take action. The better you are at being persuasive, which includes understanding how to deliver a message, the bigger the chances your ideas will catch on. You might need to compete with Artificial Intelligence here (as its sometimes seen as “speaking the ultimate truth”), so be prepared to understand how to be persuasive and use your empathy to convey your message clearly and from the right angle.
5. Deep Listening
Knowing how to truly listen is important because it teaches you the true meaning and motives of what someone is saying. Deep Listening goes hand in hand with empathy (placing yourself in the shoes of the person) and Critical Thinking (gathering and analyzing the information, relating to it, understanding the question behind the question).
Deep Listening comes from empathy as it will only work if you are truly engaged and willing to listen openmindedly. Deep Listening in a business means understanding the true wants and needs of your customers and being open to their feedback, thoughts, and uncertainties. In marketing, Deep Listening can mean the difference between doing what your customers need or doing what YOU THINK your customers need.
6. Responsibility
Taking responsibility is something machines cannot do, and we shouldn’t want them to either. We hardly understand our own brains, so we can’t hand that over to algorithms we can hardly understand the outcome of. Besides, taking responsibility comes from our moral compass, another human trait that other animals don’t have, let alone soulless machines. Understanding right from wrong is what makes us human(e). We should always stay responsible for our own actions and the actions of the products we create.
If we’re taking responsibility in a career setting, working responsibly means taking care of current and future (societal) issues. Topics like protection of our climate and environment, anti-racism, equality, E-healthcare, and much more are topics coming from taking responsibility. But taking responsibility takes practice as it usually goes against our ego. It’s easy to point at older generations or corporations and blame them for wrongdoing. If you take responsibility for your own life and actions, you can steer them towards doing good. Set aside your (very human, nothing to be ashamed of) ego and apply Deep Listening and Critical Thinking to take responsibility for finding solutions.
7. Storytelling
Storytelling is probably the most human thing there is. We have gone from making noises to creating over 6500 languages in the world. We’ve written on cave walls to warn about mammoths, invented writing to create the written word, and are addicted to Social Media as everything we say and do contains stories. It’s what makes us unique. And you can see that all 6 other qualities are embedded in this one. Creative stories, told with empathy, translated from observations to deliver a message, a warning, a kind gesture.
Technologists will argue that algorithms can create never before written stories based on analyzing millions of older stories. I agree with that, but telling a story is different from storytelling which has emotion in it. Producing a page with words in a grammatically correct way is not telling a story. We tell stories from personal experience because it’s what created our society and kept us alive and evolving. This article could have been written by Artificial Intelligence (trust me, it was written by a real person drinking coffee and hitting backspace often — because I am human and I make mistakes). If you can tell stories, you possess something really powerful. Coming from a business perspective — branding in particular — knowing how to tell the brand’s story can mean the difference between success and failure.