By John Kallelil
Being successful at work takes more than simply technical know-how and knowledge in today’s technologically advanced environment. The time when hiring an executive was primarily based on administrative proficiency and state-of-the-art technical skills is long gone. However, in light of the changing nature of work, firms are going beyond hard skills. Consequently, developing power skills that allow them to promote effective workplace collaboration and foster an inclusive environment has become essential for individuals pursuing executive education.
According to a Deloitte report, power skill-intensive occupations will account for two-thirds of all jobs by 2030, and recruiting people with stronger power skills could boost revenue by more than $90,000. Examples of power skills could be happiness, joy, integrity, curiosity, optimism, time management, and empathy. Given the significance of power skills in the near future, it has become crucial for people seeking successful employment in the corporate world to develop the necessary power skills in addition to hard talents.
Power skills: An essential component of executive education
As they make decisions, today’s executives must strike a balance between the needs of their workforce and the long-term profitability of the company they work for. Here, the requirement for executive education that places equal focus on both power and hard skills has become relevant.
Organisations nowadays are primarily looking for leaders that are people-centric, sensitive to the demands and interests of employees, shareholders, and consumers, as well as agile in dealing with uncertainty. This necessitates the leaders to engage in all necessary negotiations and discussions while establishing a common ground that satisfies the needs of the company’s internal and external clients as well as the overall aims of the business. In this situation, executive education plays an essential role in imparting excellent negotiation techniques to individuals preparing to enter the business sector.
Empathetic leadership qualities, in addition to negotiation skills, have become critical to an executive’s survival in this competitive world. With remote work becoming the new normal and organisations looking for ways to connect with their employees, an executive with empathic leadership qualities has become a top need for firms.
For instance, emotional intelligence often helps executives build empathy into their personalities, strengthen interpersonal bonds, manage effectively, and deal with issues at work. Emotional intelligence is one of the top ten skills in demand today, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). Therefore, it is likely that executives will require assistance in developing robust emotional intelligence, and there is no better way to do it than through executive education.
Making power skills a priority!
To achieve and advance swiftly, it has become crucial for individuals to make mindful educational choices, targeting exclusive growth and development. Especially for individuals looking to take managerial roles in the corporate workspace, obtaining executive education with an efficient balance of power and hard skills has become a must.
Moreover, in light of the fact that organisational requirements have undergone a significant transformation placing a strong emphasis on power talents, executive programmes with greater concentration on power skills such as empathy, negotiation, and persuasiveness have become critical to success in this competitive world.
The author is founder, CEO, XED.