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Writer and creator covering the transformative effect of technology on everything it touches. The revolution will be decentralized.
The increasingly digital and decentralized economy of the 21st century requires not only a new approach to doing business on a macro level, but also new skills for success on a micro level. Some of these skills have always been helpful for professional development but are now essential. Others require a completely new approach to performing a job effectively. These four areas are among the most fundamental competencies necessary to excel in today’s rapidly changing economic environment.
Digital fluency is the most crucial skill for success in the modern economy. The term “digital fluency” has recently become popular among educators – though there is little to suggest that they have a holistic understanding of what it means, let alone how to teach it in assembly-line fashion. It’s an amorphous term that covers different competencies on different levels, but at its essence it refers to the ability to leverage the myriad digital tools and resources at our disposal to complete a specific job.
It is considered the next iteration of digital literacy, but overall the language metaphor falls short. A more apt comparison would be assimilating to the culture in a different country, where some language skills are necessary, but the ultimate goal is much more intricate. To have a high level of digital literacy, the rote knowledge of computers and their functions isn’t enough. Instead, it’s more like developing a love of reading. Nothing prepares an individual for academic or vocational success like being an avid reader. The trick, however, is to turn an unenthusiastic reader into a bookworm. Having this enthusiasm for digital culture and a proactive desire to learn about it is just as essential to being digitally literate as learning the nuts and bolts of technology.
The ability to communicate ideas effectively seems like a basic skill that all adults should possess. Unfortunately, strong communicators are far from the default regardless of educational or professional background. Success in the 21st century requires articulating and sharing ideas formally and informally via verbal and written communications. Furthermore, different settings and audiences have different expectations of formality and format. An individual known for clear and concise written and verbal communications, whether it’s in a regimented setting like a presentation or pitch or an informal setting through email, will quickly gain an edge over their peers in any professional setting.
This might evoke images of Alec Baldwin in the film version of Glengarry Glen Ross, but few people really need (or want) skill in this type of high-pressure boiler room sales methodology. But the reality is that in an increasingly decentralized free-agent economy, everyone needs to have the ability to sell themselves in addition to their products or services. One component of this is personal branding, whereby an individual creates and maintains an image consistent with their professional skills and values. At some point, everyone will have to give a client a qualitative reason that they should be favored over a competing professional. The earlier that this skill can be developed, the better, as its effectiveness grows with repetition. It’s understandable that some people might not be comfortable with the idea of tooting their own horn, but the ability to do so in some manner has become crucial for every profession.
The Ability To Quickly And Confidently Assimilate Change
Politicians and the mainstream media might give lip service to the importance of change, but it’s evident that they misunderstand and fear any deviation from the status quo. The amount of change that has occurred in the world economy during the past twenty years is staggering. Given that the rate and scale of change is always increasing, it is inevitable that everyone will at some point have to deal with a significant degree of professional change. This change might be seismic, to the degree that the very nature of an industry or profession is transformed forever.
Because it’s a given that change will happen, the proper mindset for an individual is to embrace it and take a proactive approach to navigating the shock waves it can cause. Stubbornly fighting a major economic or cultural shift (i.e., the move away from brick-and-mortar retail) is self-defeating and doomed to failure. This is true on a macro and micro level. The winners in the 21st century economy will be companies and individuals that can quickly and confidently assimilate this type of upheaval and use it as a competitive advantage.