Week One

Chapter One
Personal Development
 Instructions:

• Read the selection thoroughly to be able to

discuss it in class.

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The Top Skills Companies Need Most in 2020—And How to Learn Them

What you need to know about 2020’s trending soft skills:

Soft skills are the essential interpersonal skills that make or break our ability to get things
done in our current jobs and take on new opportunities ahead.
Topping this year’s list are creativity, collaboration, persuasion, and emotional intelligence
—all skills that demonstrate how we work with others and bring new ideas to the table.
Four of the five most in-demand soft skills remain in their top spots year over year, further
reinforcing that these skills are evergreen—they’re likely to remain the top skills that
companies want in star employees.
The one variation in the most in-demand soft skills list indicates that companies are
gravitating toward talent with interpersonal and people-oriented skills. ‘Time management’,
a more task oriented skill, fell off the top soft skills list. ‘Emotional intelligence’ took its
place. While task-oriented skills remain critical to our success at work, the data shows that
employers value our ability to work well with colleagues.

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The top 5 most in-demand soft skills #3 Collaboration - Same as 2019
are: High-functioning teams can accomplish more than any
individual—and organizations know it. Learn how your
#1 Creativity - Same as 2019 strengths can complement those of your colleagues to
Organizations need people who can creatively reach a common goal.
approach problems and tasks across all business
roles, from software engineering to HR. Focus
on honing your ability to bring new ideas to the
table in 2020.
#4 Adaptability - Same as 2019
The only constant in life—and in business—is change.
To stand out in 2020, embrace that reality and make sure
to show up with a positive attitude and open-minded
professionalism, especially in stressful situations.

#2 Persuasion - Same as 2019 #5 Emotional Intelligence - New

Leaders and hiring managers value individuals Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, evaluate,
who can explain the “why.” To advance your and respond to your own emotions and the emotions of
career, brush up on your ability to effectively others. New to the most in-demand skills list this year,
communicate ideas and persuade your the need for emotional intelligence underscores the
colleagues and stakeholders that it’s in their best importance of effectively responding to and interacting
interest to follow your lead. with our colleagues.

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The Hard Skills Companies Need Most in 2020

What you need to know about 2020’s trending hard skills:

While the most in-demand soft skills are all about how we work
together, the most in-demand hard skills are the ones
changing what we’re working on.
Many of these skills will continue to evolve rapidly. For
example, for the first time this year, blockchain not only made
the list of top skills, but topped it—highlighting an increasing
awareness and demand for the wider applications of this skill.
Trending data also reveals that data-driven decision-making
skills like business analysis (#6), up ten spots from last year, are
essential in today’s workforce. As companies continue to collect
and analyze more data than ever before, they need people who
can help interpret and take action on that data to drive growth
for their business.

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The top 10 most in-demand hard skills are:
#1 Blockchain - New #4 Artificial Intelligence - Down 2 #7 Affiliate Marketing - New
Blockchain was born in 2009 to support the Artificial intelligence (AI) augments the With the decline of traditional
use of cryptocurrency. But blockchain’s capabilities of the human workforce. The advertising and the rise of
novel way to store, validate, authorize, and people who can harness the power of AI, social media, affiliate
move data across the internet has evolved to machine learning, and natural language marketing is rapidly rising as a
securely store and send any digital asset. processing are the ones who will help must-have hard skill. Affiliate
The small supply of professionals who have organizations deliver more relevant, marketing leverages company
this skill are in high demand. personalized, and innovative products and partnerships or influencers
services. that are hyper-targeted to a
particular audience.
#2 Cloud Computing - Down 1 #5 UX Design - Same as 2019
Today, companies are built and run on the It seems like the average attention span of
cloud. They need talent who have the skills #8 Sales - Same as 2019
consumers decreases every year and they
to help them drive technical architecture, You’d be hard pressed to find a
have little patience for products that aren't
design, and delivery of cloud systems like company that doesn’t need
intuitive. Organizations need more expertise
Microsoft Azure. great sales people—those who
to help them build more human-centric
can effectively manage a sales
products and experiences.
team, understand the sales
#3 Analytical Reasoning - Same as 2019 #6 Business Analysis - Up 10 funnel, work with cross-
Data has become the foundation of every Business analysis made the most significant functional partners, and sell
single business. Organizations want talent jump of any skill on our list. It's one of the into the highest levels of the
who can make sense of it and uncover few hard skills every professional should business.
insights that drive the best decisions for the have, as most roles require some level of
business. business analysis to make decisions.
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#9 Scientific Computing - Up 3 #10 Video Production - Down 3
Scientific computing skills are held by data Consumers have an insatiable appetite for
science professionals, engineers, and software video content, so it makes sense that video
architects, and others. Companies need more production continues to be a priority for
professionals that can develop machine companies.
learning models and apply statistical and Cisco estimates that video will account for 82
analytical approaches to large data sets using % of global internet traffic in 2022
programs like Python, MATLAB, and others. .

We hope that with insight into what

companies need today, you feel ready to
cultivate the essential soft skills and hard
skills, and empowered to own your career.

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Comfort, Stretch
and
Don’t Panic!

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The comfort zone is where your day-to-day, routine,
subconscious work happens – where you’re on auto-
pilot. It’s easy, there are no surprises, and you are
competent and confident in what you do. However,
very little learning or innovation takes place, and you
can become unmotivated, bored and disengaged.

Most of us need some days in the comfort zone, when

we have the calm and head space to reflect on our
experiences and then step back into the stretch zone to
apply that learning.

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The stretch zone lies just outside of your secure
environment, slowly expanding your comfort zone by
becoming more familiar with more things. The more you
step out of your comfort zone, stretch, return to the comfort
zone, and reflect and apply, what was once a stretch activity
becomes a comfort activity, and you grow.

Stretch is where you work to expand your knowledge and

understanding, looking for creative ways of working.
Learning or re-learning takes place, and you develop the
motivation to make a change, challenge yourself or take a
risk. You might feel more alive, engaged, positive or slightly
uneasy, but you’re ready to deal with some uncertainty.

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The panic zone is also known as While this model can help you as an individual, it can
the stress or red zone. When also help you when coaching others. Firstly, remember
taking risks, if you go too far that everyone’s comfort, stretch and panic zones are
beyond the learning, you can different, so you can use the model to have a coaching
enter the panic zone. Here, your conversation to explore the feelings and physiological
energy is used up by managing responses that individual experiences in each zone.
and trying to control your anxiety, Writing them down or talking about them, using past
so you have little or no energy left examples, can heighten their self-awareness. Then, the
over for learning. Sometimes, you conversation can focus on the future and explore how
may need to enter this area to manage and change their behavior or situation, if
because of a problem, but you possible, to enable them to grow. Even if a situation
should not stay there long, as it feels like it’s impossible to change, their choice in how
can be harmful to your health. they react to it can be.

If you find yourself working in the As a leader, through observing and asking the right
panic zone, taking a step back and coaching stretch questions, you can gain an
controlling your breathing can understanding of your team’s zones. Ensure that the
help bring your physiological types of challenges they receive allow them to
response (such as a faster heart frequently stretch and develop themselves without
rate and higher body pushing them into their panic zone for long periods of
temperature) under more control, time. This strategy will ultimately lead to a motivated
therefore reducing the impact. and engaged team of people who can recognize and
This exercise can also reduce the choose their own responses to allow greater learning,
sense of feeling overwhelmed and innovation and growth.
allow you to focus to return to the
stretch zone.
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