Are you creative enough for the future?
Think about what life was like in the 1970s and 1980s. Remember, using a payphone when you had to have a roll of dimes in case you ran out of talking time? What about an actual map where you had to figure out what direction you were going and what street you were on? Or when you were your parents' remote control and had to change the channel for them - but then again there were only three or four TV channels to pick from? How about that time you had to write a research paper and use the card catalog in the library - there wasn't Siri or Google to help us search for information.
Maybe that’s too far back...how about the 2000s? We had Myspace instead of Facebook, iPods instead of iTunes, and Gameboys instead of the Switch.
Now, think about 2041 or 2061. What will technology look like? Will we be able to transport ourselves somewhere like in Star Trek?
Needless to say, technology has come a long way and we have curious creative innovators to thank.
We talk a lot about creativity and curiosity around here. We obviously think it is pretty important but we aren’t the only ones.
Creativity is in demand!
In the last couple of years, creative skills ranked high in both LinkedIn and World Economic Forum reports - just to name a few.
This is what we know - Innovation happens when people are curious and creative.
That’s exactly why recent studies have ranked creativity as one of the top skills needed in the future. One of the biggest questions young people ask is “what should I be when I grow up?”
That question isn’t easy to answer. In fact, many jobs of the future have yet to be created. According to the Center for the Future of Work, within the next decade, numerous new jobs will emerge and will “become cornerstones of the future of work.”
This fascinating report also states that “our greatest quality is our curiosity.” This is why it is vital to instill creativity and curiosity into our children and instill the need to be life-long learners!
Let’s break down what LinkedIn and World Economic Forum reports are saying about creativity.
In 2019 LinkedIn “used exclusive LinkedIn data to determine the skills companies need most in 2019. These are the skills your boss and your boss’s boss find most valuable, but have a hard time finding – and the skills that’ll most help you better serve your clients and customers.” As a result, Linked in ranked creativity as the #1 skill in 2019 and 2020.
According to data analysis by Linked In, in 2019 companies were looking most for these soft skills:
Creativity
Persuasion
Collaboration
Adaptability
Time Management
Linked in author Paul Petrone points out the importance of soft skills stating, “Strengthening a soft skill is one of the best investments you can make in your career, as they never go out of style. Plus, the rise of AI is only making soft skills increasingly important, as they are precisely the type of skills robots can’t automate.” What exactly are soft skills versus hard skills?
Soft skills are the traits that make you good at any job such as communication and management skills. Hard skills are more teachable and measurable. In another LinkedIn report, 57% of senior leaders today value soft over hard skills.
Companies today are most interested in finding people who can think of new, better solutions, and that requires creativity. You may not think that creativity is a teachable skill but, like any skill, you can get better at it - with practice.
World Economic Forum (WEF)
LinkedIn isn’t the only company looking into the importance of creativity. The World Economic Forum is also tracking the movement in creativity and since 2016 this skill is staying near the top. Back in 2016, the WEF projected that Creativity would reach the #3 spot on the list of Top 10 Skills, moving up from #10 in their previous rankings (see graphic below). The 2018 report predicted that in 2022 we will continue to see creativity grow in importance.
Till Alexander Leopold and Vesselina Ratcheva, Project Leads in the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the New Economy and Society, wrote “Human” skills such as creativity, originality and initiative, critical thinking, persuasion, and negotiation will likewise retain or increase their value, as will attention to detail, resilience, flexibility and complex problem-solving.”
Just as reported in Linked In, the rise in technology and AI are a large reason for the changes.
Alex Gray of the WEF wrote “ With the avalanche of new products, new technologies and new ways of working, workers are going to have to become more creative in order to benefit from these changes. Robots may help us get to where we want to be faster, but they can’t be as creative as humans (yet).”
To keep pace with the changes in our work environment, WEF predicts that by 2022 everyone will need an extra 101 days of training and skill development. In other words, remember how your teachers always said that it’s important to be lifelong learners and we would roll our eyes thinking “I can’t wait to get out of school!?” Well, guess what - those teachers were right.
That’s why at Curiosity 2 Create we feel it is vital to teach the next generation that it’s OK not to know what they want to do when they grow up - because honestly - we don’t know what jobs will be available. What we are confident in are our creativity and curiosity. If we can help our kids grow and thrive in these two skills, we will prepare them for anything.
We may not be able to jump into our DeLorean time machine and go back to the future. But we can plan for it.