Yesterday is history. As businesses race to stay competitive and relevant in today’s world, they face unprecedented changes to the way business works. The increasing speed at which digital advancements transform our ways of working has forced all of us, from entry-level to CEO, to adapt. If business leaders can’t add digital leadership to their expertise, they’re in danger of being left behind.
Key Characteristics of a Data & Analytics Strategy
Data is driving business and it is increasingly important to build an effective Data & Analytics strategy. To do this, companies need the right people in place. They’ll need to get familiar with pressing topics and trends such as GDPR, AI, and Blockchain. Though GDPR is currently only within the EMEA region, it’s important for all businesses to adopt worldwide as part of their ongoing strategy.
There are three key characteristics businesses will need to bear in mind when formulating their strategy:
- Trust
- Robust Capabilities
- Insights
By engaging with these characteristics, business can help secure their enterprise for the long term.
Skills to Have for the Future of Work
While technologies such as AI can take over routine tasks allowing human employees more time to solve complex problems, we all need to review what other skills we can contribute.
Whether you’re in school or looking for your next opportunity, here are a few skills which can help you rise above the competition in the next year or two. According the World Economic Forum’s
2018 Future of Jobs Report, these are the skills employers will need, whether they know it yet or not:
- Cognitive flexibility and critical thinking. This involves logical reasoning, problem sensitivity, and creativity.
- Negotiation skills. This applies to every industry from Data Analysis and Software Development to those in commercial and industrial Art and Design fields.
- Service to others. Are you known for helping those on your team, your supervisors, and those in your industry? These skills will be more important than ever.
- Judgement and decision making. Getting buy-in from a colleague and offering a strong suggestions to managers and executives at the right moment.
- Emotional Intelligence. Can you gauge someone’s reaction by their body language or the slight hesitation before they answer a question or make comment? This skill will become increasingly important as the workforce of the future begins to blend robot and human.
- Coordinating and collaborating with others. The ability to adjustable, flexible, and be sensitive to others’ needs.
- People Management. For managers and higher, it will be crucial to choose the best people for the job, motivate them, and help them develop their talents and skills.
- Creativity. Employers will need people who can think creatively and not only apply it to new products and services, but also to discern new ways to solve a problem. Critical thinking skills coupled with creativity just may be the one-two punch needed for the workforce of the future.
- Complex problem-solving. Humans who can analyse data results and have intelligent conversations with the employees who need them will be highly sought after in 2020.
One thing that’s important to note in the list above is the prominence of ‘soft skills’. Though Data & Analytics roles remain the top technical arena, what employers need in the future is individuals with highly developed social skills too. As robots and AI take on mundane, routine jobs, employers will need people who can be, well, human.
Can you bring a group of people with diverse opinions together? Can you morph from cold analytical numbers to warm greetings? Can you explain complex topics in varying degrees to people at different levels – graduates, managers, the boardroom? Continue to harness these skills and you will be even more valuable by 2020.
Have you got 2020 vision for the future? We may have a role for you. We specialise in both Junior and Senior roles.
To learn more, check out our current vacancies or get in touch.
