The importance of future-proof capabilities: Finding success when disruption is the new normal

In a rapidly changing world and job market, the need to stay relevant, competitive and current has never been more important. The adoption of remote work, the advent of the gig economy and the quickly disappearing 30-year career trajectory, to name just a few factors, have all made the need to adopt futureproof skills more important than ever. 

As a 2019 Deloitte report, titled New World, New Rules puts it, “disruption and the continuously increasing pace of change mean that the ability to futureproof doesn’t hinge on an organization’s ability to plan and manage change. Rather, it is rooted in the ability to achieve performance goals in a state of constant change.”

Put simply, change is the new normal—and finding success amidst that change, whatever it may look like, is what futureproofing is all about. 

From a worker perspective, futureproof skills are what will take you through your career and its many changes. Skills such as working well with a team, strong communication, leadership, adaptability and flexibility, a willingness to accept and work through change, and the ability to navigate difficult challenges—these are the types of interpersonal skills that employers will be increasingly looking for in prospective candidates. And they’re the skills that will help job seekers market themselves in a competitive landscape and to adapt to the ever-changing world of work over the coming years and decades. 

Today, these skills are becoming more sought after by employers who themselves are adapting to the changing landscape. 

“They’re actually more important for jobs. Employers are slowly realizing that it's far more important for them that an individual can communicate well and deal with a challenging situation well and be creative than it is for an individual to know how to use Word or Excel, or another specific program, which they can now learn online,” says Jake Hirsch-Allen, who builds public private partnerships between North America’s governments, workforce development organizations, colleges and universities, and LinkedIn Talent Solutions. 

And that capability of “learning to learn,” as Hirsch-Allen puts it, is another important skill needed by workers to future-proof themselves. “Finally we’re at a place where people can learn on their own, independently online, to a greater extent than ever before in history—but to do so requires that they are able to learn independently on their own,” he says. “We take it for granted but we shouldn’t, because it’s actually really hard.”

It’s those interpersonal skills, and the mindsets that help you develop them, that have longevity through a career. And while that hasn’t traditionally been a focus for students who are going through the education system and preparing for their transition to the workforce, it should be, says Mark Patterson, Executive Director of Magnet at Ryerson University. 

“What education has typically focused on teaching, if you think about it, is the tools—but what’s changing the most rapidly? It’s the tools,” Patterson says. “I think what education should really be focusing on is helping to develop and strengthen interpersonal, social skills, socio-emotional skills, and the mindsets—because the tools are always going to change. To future-proof yourself you need mindsets and interpersonal skills that position you well for the future reality and that's what we should be focusing on.”