It is the year 2020. The technological world is brimming with new concepts and ideas. One such concept that has been undergoing a series of upgrades is, Artificial Intelligence.
For decades we have been trying to imbibe human-like emotions and features in machines. Off late we have seen some successful AIs in the market. Artificial Intelligence has been making waves in the world of technology and is making its presence felt in places like social media monitoring, proactive healthcare management, automated financial investing, smart assistants, virtual travel booking agent, robot manufacturing, disease mapping, and the list goes on. Be it your social media feed or your Google search, there is AI in the background. Artificial Intelligence courses are also being offered by the top universities since more and more people are taking a keen interest in learning AI.
While we are trying every possible way to make machines behave more human-like, there will be a time when machines will take over the industry replacing humans. Since machines will be doing most of the technical and automated work, humans must look forward to inculcating more humane qualities in order to be favorable employees in the future. With hard-skills being induced in robots , humans have to acquire soft skills in order to be able to communicate and build better relationships with people at workplaces or otherwise.
Here are the top 9 Soft Skills that Employees will be requiring in the age of Artificial Intelligence:
- Creativity: Creativity is intelligence having fun, Albert Einstein said. It is an important aspect of intelligence since it helps the employee come up with fresh ideas. Creativity is like a breath of fresh air. It doesn't necessarily have to be poetic or artistic. Any novel idea can be attributed to creativity. No matter how advanced a robot can be , it definitely cannot pick up a skill like creativity.
- Analytical Thinking: In easy words, analytical thinking is the ability to observe a problem and provide a solution with logic and reasoning. Analytical thinking is essential in making decisions and problem solving. Observation is one of the most key aspects of Analytical thinking. Developing this skill will always keep you a step ahead and make you a potential employee at the workplace.
- Emotional Intelligence: As important is Intellectual ability, emotional intelligence (EQ) is crucial for a happy and successful life. Emotional intelligence helps you build stronger connections with people around you. It helps you in maintaining bonds at work and can help you accomplish your goals better. EQ also comes in handy while making sound decisions since it helps you distinguish between things that matter to you and things that don’t. Given a robot’s inability to build relationships with humans, EQ is an important skill that will help employees get better feedback at work.
- Interpersonal Communication Skills: Some people have innate communication skills and can start fruitful conversations with their peers. The ability to have an engaging yet informative communication skill is mostly inherent but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t possible to polish this skill in case you’re lacking in it. How you say something is as important as what you say. Demeanor, facial expressions and body language are elements that need to be worked upon.
- Active Learning with a Growth Mindset: The hunger to learn more and get better everyday is a skill that has to be inculcated in ourselves. One way to have a growth mindset is to keep learning. Look at challenges as opportunities and strive to overcome them. The day you decide that you know everything, that day you’ll be of no use to your employer. Hence learn and expand your knowledge. Keep improving your skills and you’ll always be a valuable employee.
- Judgement and Decision Making Skills: It’s no doubt that machines are able to process far more information than humans but they lack the skill of making sound decisions that humans are capable of. An employee must instill decision making ability to reach effective conclusions.
- Leadership Skills: A leader must possess qualities like honesty, confidence and the ability to make decisions. A leader must be able to come up with solutions to the common problems encountered at workplaces and motivate employees to perform better.
- Diversity and Cultural Intelligence: With the industry going glocal and people of diverse backgrounds coming together to form a team, it is important to embrace diversity and create an inclusive environment to work in. Cultural Intelligence (CI) is the proficiency to work in culturally diverse spaces. Every individual has his own unique way of approach towards the world, working in a diverse environment will ensure more effectiveness in decision making.
- Embracing Change: Change is natural and it’s important to approach change with an open mind. Accepting changes help you to become flexible and helps you to adapt better. In the age of AI, change is inevitable hence you should always look at it with a positive attitude, shape yourself better and align with changes around you.
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