4 Keys to Success in the Technology Workplace of the Future
The workplace of the future in the technology industry is brighter than all the rest. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the technology sector was experiencing high-growth and high-demand. In a January 2020 report, the World Economic Forum identified seven professional clusters with the most growth and employment opportunities. They predicted that by 2022, 28% of projected job opportunities would be in the areas of Data, AI, Engineering, and Cloud Computing. Since then, a global pandemic has forced us all to work remote and rely heavily on technology to connect to our teams, employees, and clients. Not to mention our friends and family.
Despite the explosion of job opportunities for those in the technology industry, success isn’t assured by job title or technical skills alone. The workplace of the future will demand more of us than ever before. Start now and focus on cultivating these key skills if you want to succeed in the technology workplace of the future.
Build Resilience at Work
If there’s one thing the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 in general have demanded of us, it’s that we learn to build resilience. Resilience, also known as a grit, is a measure of how well you can bounce back in the face of difficulty. The technology workplace is rapidly changing. With immense change, comes stress, anxiety, and uncertainty. So much so that it’s been classified as an epidemic in our workforce at large. Tech employees are on the front lines of this change. You must cultivate greater resilience, adaptability, and perseverance in order to endure and succeed in the workplace of the future.
Create Connection With Yourself and Others
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We now know that almost any job can be done virtually. While there are certain perks of working at home and not having to commute to an office, the distance it creates between ourselves and our teams, ourselves and our clients, and ourselves and our work, is a problem. There’s never been a greater need for human connection in the workplace and those who can figure out how to quickly establish that connection, build rapport, and cultivate strong relationships with others will win in the new world of work. Even in the technology workplace, humans still matter. In fact, we matter now more than ever. Start by connecting to yourself and figuring out your own strengths and story. Once you know who you are and what you have to offer, you can use that as your connection currency to create impact for others.
Find Meaning and Purpose in Your Work
Meaning and purpose isn’t just for yoga retreats and self-discovery trips. Finding your meaning and purpose in the technology workplace is critical for your success. As humans, we want to matter. We want to know that our work matters, that we’re making an impact. Yet as our jobs and roles get increasingly specialized, it’s sometimes difficult to connect the day-to-day of the work we do with the end result further downstream. That makes us unhappy and unfulfilled. So it’s up to you to find that meaning and purpose in your own work, and connect to it over and over again.
Reskill on Emotional Intelligence and Other “Soft” Skills
Yes, the technology workplace needs employees with technical skills, but it also needs workers with soft skills like emotional intelligence, empathy, and creativity. A study from McKinsey & Company concluded that by 2030, one of the top skill sets for works across industries (including technology) will be in the area of social and emotional skills. While we have pushed our students and our employees to up their game when it comes to their technical skills, success in the technology workplace of the future will require a reskilling of a different kind. Some of us are innately predisposed and better equipped to excel in the areas of emotional intelligence, leadership, and communication, but all of us can learn, grow, and cultivate these skills. Ultimately, we don’t have a choice. Success in the future world of work will require you to bring your human to work.
Tremendous growth, change, and opportunity lies ahead for the technology workplace of the future. Yet if you are to really prosper and make the kind of impact you desire, you must start now in developing the necessary skills to succeed. Having the requisite technical skills is the minimum baseline requirement to do your job. What will really set you apart is your ability to rise to the challenge presented by the future technology workplace and bring your whole self to work every single day.
