Solutions and ways to survive in the 4th digital revolution

Last week, we discussed the various ways technology is evolving, influencing our learning, work, productivity and impacting our future.

This week, we look at the most critical life and work skills that will be required to survive in this 4th digital and technological industrial revolution.

1. Innovation and Creativity
AI and Technology currently can’t generate their own ideas they still need humans to impute content into them, hence today they can’t compete with humans on innovation and creativity. The future workplace will demand innovative thinking, and human creativity will be critical.

2. Emotional intelligence (EQ)
AI has no emotions and every decision we humans make is based on emotions. EQ is a person’s level of awareness, emotional control, and expression. High EQ is expressed through empathy, integrity and the ability to work well and live in harmony with others. EQ is the ability to connect and create rapport instantly. AI, robots, and machines are impersonal and can’t easily replace humans in connecting with other humans, so those who have high EQs will be in very high demand.

3. Analytical (critical) thinking skills.
Critical thinking skills are the prerequisite for innovation, ideation and solving complex problems. The 21st century has created more complex problems for mankind than other centuries hence people with very strong analytic and critical thinking skills will be needed to navigate the human/machine divide and solve new complex problems.

4. Having an active mindset to learning, development, and growth.
Anyone, positioning for the future of work needs to actively learn, develop and grow. People need to embrace the new ways of accessing and utilising knowledge and information on the go. They will have to continually build their skills, to consistently deliver results in higher achievement by taking on new challenges, learning from their past mistakes and actively seeking new knowledge and ways of doing things.

5. Sound Judgment and decision making on the go.
Human decision-making will become more complex and will be required to be made faster and more accurate in the future of the workplace. While AI, robots, and machines can process information faster and provide analytics better with unfathomable insights at the touch of a button, somebody, somewhere who understands digital data and analytics will still need to make the right decisions about what to do with the data gathered, when and how. Technology will only be able to take away more menial and mundane tasks, we will however still need humans to do more strategic thinking and higher-level decision-making in real-time, so coaching humans to make the right decision and strategic thinking will be key

6. Interpersonal communication and relationship management skills.
The ability to exchange information and meaning between people, relating with and managing people will be vital skills during the 4th industrial revolution. People have to start getting coaching to understand each other and relate better and also develop effective communication skills. In communication we have to understand that 93 per cent of communication is non verbal that is 55 per cent of communication is body language and 38 per cent is tone, leaving seven per cent to words, this is very significant because even though Artificial Intelligence (AI), robots, and machines can master words it can’t master and deploy body language, warmth, facial expressions, smile, eye contact and rapport, the seamless regulation of tone to match the moods as we humans can.

7. Leadership skills of self, people, and love
These new components of leadership are critical for effective leadership today and will be in higher demand in the future.

Inspirational, empathic and love leadership will be necessary for the future workforce. The world will get rid of cold, aloof, insensitive and narcissistic, leaders who really don’t care about people because they will get that from AI, robots, and machines. The world will gravitate towards more open, accessible, kind, warm, understanding, approachable, loving leaders who also lead from their heart not from their brains only.

8. Cultural intelligence skills of diversity, dynamism, flexibility
The world as we know it today is not the same, and it’s rapidly evolving and so is the workplace. Because of this, people need to be more diverse, dynamic, flexible and open to change to survive. In fact, it’s people who can anticipate and predict change but also prepare and position for it that will be the captains of industries of the future.

To be able to do these well, skills like understanding, mutual respect, working and living with other people in harmony in spite of their differences, values, creed, race, culture, language, age, gender, sexual orientation, political or religious beliefs, etc. must be developed. Adaptive ability will be very critical for the future of work because AI, robots, and machines don’t essentially relate with people based on their race, creed or religious biases.

9. Digital and Technology skills
We currently live in four worlds today.

1) The spiritual world: Where we connect with the Spirit of God through our spirit and strive for spiritual upliftment and growth.

2) The psychological and emotional world: Where all humans relate internally within themselves and give expression to their internal dynamics by connecting at that level with other humans

3) The physical world: Where we see and interact with each other in our physical environments

4) The virtual, digital world of social media, apps, phones, laptops, computers, and other digital devices; Here the internet or other communication technology platforms connect over five billion of us together. In this world, we have the likes of Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Techno Mobile phones together with mobile phone networks, Google, Amazon, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, Skype, etc. More people are spending far more personal and work-related time in the 4th world. We need to understand the potential impact of this era as it relates to digitalization.

10) Coaching skills
Coaching, helps you rapidly transition from where you are today to where you should or desire to be in the future. It is about being non-judgemental, flexible, and dynamic in thinking, behaviour, and relationships. It encourages open-minded learning, curiosity, innovative and creative thinking. Coaching encourages reflexivity that inspires self-regulation, development, and growth, the development of self and love leadership, effective listening, questioning, rapport, body language, and communication skills

Coaching for Emotional Intelligence is one of the hottest success factors for executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs today and will continue to be into the 4th industrial revolution. Coaching supports and helps develop all the above 9 other skills required for survival and success in this next 4th digital and technological industrial revolution.

The two hottest questions on the minds of discerning executives, business leaders, entrepreneurs, employers, employees, governments and economies globally are:

“What are the top skills needed to survive and succeed in the 4th digital technological industrial revolution?”

“How can we best prepare ourselves and our people to develop these top skills so that we can survive and succeed in the 4th digital technological industrial revolution?”

Do you blame them?