Our world has evolved in more ways than we predicted in the last century. And as decades go by, they are marked by remarkable changes in different fields of life. The last decade was marked by an exponential advancement in science and technology, which found its way into virtually all fields of human endeavour.

The dynamics of education, work, social events, communication, and more have experienced a paradigm shift. Artificial intelligence has reached the point where it can perform human tasks and replace humans in the workplace. In addition, ‘Cloud’ is transforming business models by offering organizations a lower cost of entry, faster speed to solutions, and greater adaptability. Furthermore, the explosion of data in the workplace exposes new business priorities, challenging conventional decision-making.

These advancements have birthed the dynamics of the workplace and workforce we have today, and it is important to be aligned with the changing global trends.

Currently, the world is battling a pandemic that has radically transformed the status quo, prompting new lifestyles. This change has very well affected the world of work bringing it to a whole new level of operation. With this new normal, only individuals and organizations who are innovative will remain relevant and thrive in the workplace or in business.

Hence it is important to prepare one’s self to operate and gain relevance in the future which is here. In surviving this new normal, there are skills that are important for one to build and develop.

Self-Reliance

Self-reliance is a dependence on internal resources to give life meaning and fulfilment. It involves thinking independently, embracing your individuality and bravely striving towards your own goals. It’s not about doing everything yourself. It’s not about being financially independent, either. It is not the same as isolating yourself from society. And it’s certainly not about shouldering every hardship you face all on yourself. It is being true to yourself, being capable of independent thought, knowing your own passions and being able to pursue them independently.

Workplace flexibility

Flexibility on the job or in the workplace involves the willingness and ability to readily respond to changing circumstances and expectations. Being flexible when it comes to work is worth a lot. And with the new demographics and demand of the workplace, employees who approach their job with a flexible mindset would be more highly valued by employers. ​ Individuals who can take on more responsibilities and multi-task have more to offer their employers or businesses. Hence, it is an essential skill to remain relevant.

Time management

Being able to effectively utilize your work time to produce maximum output within a set duration is an essential skill. This, in the nutshell, is the core of time management. Put simply, time management is the process of planning and exercising conscious control of time spent on specific activities to work smarter, rather than harder.

The benefits of time management are endless. It helps you deliver quality work in a timely manner, leading to better productivity and increased efficiency. In addition, it mitigates stress and anxiety which directly correlates to an improvement in the quality of one’ life. Furthermore, it gives extra room for leisure and when used consistently, can avail you more opportunities for career growth. A notable mention is that time management is the panacea of procrastination.

Resilience

Resilience is a person’s capacity to respond to pressure and the demands of daily life. Resilient people are better able to deal with demands placed on them, especially when those demands require them to constantly deal with changing priorities and a heavy workload. You can build resilience by treating problems as a learning process, appreciating social support and interaction, developing realistic life goals, practising optimism and celebrating your successes. Most importantly, identify ways that are likely to work well for you as part of your own personal strategy for fostering resilience at work.

Collaborative ingenuity

Collaborative ingenuity is simply teamwork taken to a higher level. Teamwork enables individuals to be quicker and more effective in their work, as compared to people who work on projects on their own. Collaborating also makes individuals more responsible, which helps to raise their motivation levels, especially when teams work virtually. Collaboration encourages collective brainstorming and idea-sharing. It is important to be able to function as part of a team as collaboration is the future.

Tech savviness

Given the continuous evolution of technology, it is important to embrace the ever-expanding IT disruption. And with the continuous demand for more efficient and effective work results and solutions, newer and more advanced technologies are often adopted to transform the workplace into a more productive environment. Technology has come to stay, and to thrive in the workplace, you need to be proficient with modern tech.

Creativity

The uncertain economic conditions businesses and companies are faced with have prompted them to rethink their hiring processes. Most organizations have realized that they have to look beyond academic qualifications and experience to creativity. Hence, it is important to develop a creative mindset, skill and attitude towards work. Creativity puts you in the position of a problem solver and enables you to find new opportunities. Creativity ushers in the enthusiasm to learn because when you are creative, you tend to want to know more.

Giving the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations have experienced a burst of acceleration, fast-forwarding into the future of work in ways that stress-tested their ability to blend people and technology in the most dynamic ways many of us have ever seen. Equipping one’s self to thrive in this fast pacing workplace is the first step to surviving the new normal. Hence, this is a call to a high level of intentionality in self-improvement, capacity building, skill development and more relevant efforts to thrive at work.