According to a 2015 survey by ManpowerGroup, diversity, communication, and a global mindset are key skills needed to be competitive in 2016. “With four generations of employees in the workplace, an ability to understand and manage diversity is increasingly important,” says workplace consultant Stan Kimer.“Having a strategy to leverage diversity will give a company a competitive advantage. They’ll be able to recruit the best talent from the widest pool of candidates, motivate and retain top employees who feel a part of the team, and develop the best solutions to business issues by starting with a diverse set of ideas and input.”
[Related: One Of the Best Things You Can Do For Your Career in 2016]
Cultural competence is another critical skill. “CEOs name cultural competence as one of the most critical leadership skills, according to a recent DDI survey, but managers rank working with people from different cultures as their weakest skill,” says Paula Caligiuri, professor of international business and strategy at Northeastern University. “The disconnect poses an opportunity for those who can demonstrate cultural agility in 2016,” she says, adding that the skill includes tolerance of ambiguity, perspective taking, resilience, and humility.
A global mindset also ranked high on the list of key skills needed to be competitive. “Almost any company can do business worldwide and employ talent all over the globe,” says Kimer. “The fastest-growing economies are in Asia and South America, and a key skill will be knowing how to market, sell, and communicate in these global markets.” Additional top-rated career skills noted in the survey:
- Effective conflict resolution
- A willingness to learn
- The ability to effectively outsource
- Strong communications skillsÂ
- An understanding of analytics
Read more:Â FastCompany.com