Power Skills – Business Critical for 2023! Forget Soft Skills! |

By Dr. Di Ann Sanchez, SHRM-SCP, SPHR

According to research by Deloitte, McKinsey, World Economic Forum, Gartner, and others have identified Power Skills for 2023 and beyond.

I have always HATED the word “Soft Skills!” But, finally, researchers and consulting companies have gotten the importance of “Power Skills.” According to Deloitte Access Economics, two-thirds of all jobs are predicted to be in “Power Skills” demanding occupations by 2030. These POWER SKILLS are more critical than ever as businesses try to discover effective methods to stay profitable and competitive.

Fundamentally, Soft Skills have just been rebranded as Power Skills. But the change that this name brings about is significant. Soft skills have always been viewed as a supporting and less considerable skill set than complex abilities.

Power Skills (old Soft Skills nomenclature) can be more challenging to acquire than hard skills, but they can usually be taught. They are often character qualities or talents that people have developed through time and lived experience and are challenging yet possible to perfect. Power Skills are People Skills! Most employers recruit for hard skills, which are objective, quantifiable abilities acquired through formal education, workplace training, or other means. The types of hard skills are technical, analytical, and computer skills.

According to research by Deloitte, McKinsey, World Economic Forum, Gartner, and others have identified Power Skills for 2023 and beyond.

Here are the top Power Skills necessary for Business Success in 2023 and beyond:

Communication That Connects: Communication that connects is essentially able to communicate ideas, views, and opinions concisely so people can understand what the company wants to share. Empathy is important for coworkers, clients, and stakeholders are also necessary. It is one of the most crucial Power Skills in any industry.
Emotional Awareness: Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, evaluate, and respond to emotions and the emotions of others. This means that employees can think empathetically about the people around them and the interpersonal relationships that develop in the workplace.
Collaboration: Learning to trust others, work together, and give and accept ideas is challenging to master. This Power Skill is the ability to work with other team members, get ideas, maximizing the team’s overall efficiency by using each person’s strengths.
Creativity and Problem-Solving: According to a Future of Jobs study from the World Economic Forum, creativity and problem-solving are one of the top five talents for the future. Problem-Solving skills use creativity in the face of adversity by coming up with innovative solutions to the problems encountered.
Adaptability and Flexibility: Everyone hates change, but that is the new normal in businesses. The lightning-fast advancement of technology has forced industries to evolve or perish in recent years. Define what business challenges are faced and what kind of employee can meet those changes.
Capacity for Teamwork: This Power Skill is needed more than ever. With the limited managers and supervisors in the business environment, employees are required to understand individual roles, be aware of shared goals, have resilience under stress, and be able to cooperate on a personal and professional level.
Time management: Employees who organize their schedules and projects get things done efficiently.
Critical Thinking: The ability to understand and address a situation based on all available facts and information. This includes an objective and efficient understanding of the organization’s resources, spotting errors and inconsistencies, and making the most effective business decisions.