COVID 19 has changed the way we experience life, day to day activities and things we take for granted. The simple pleasures of life like going out for dinner with friends, participating in a conference with people from around the globe, taking trips or just dropping in for a cup pf coffee; have all become a distant dream. Social distancing has created an emotional chasm in our lives and isolation and quarantine necessities have prompted us to look deeply at what really matters. While the pandemic is raging, there are still people who believe and understand that difficult situations and times create great leaders and are constantly striving towards enhancing their personal and professional skills.
If you are one among them, you must be aware of the changing dynamics of world. As we move from in-person to virtual work options, it becomes important to alter our daily choices and preferences so as to sustain and create great leadership. The five important skills that could make you a global leader in Post-COVID 19 world are Resilience, Impactful communication, Critical Thinking, Creativity and Digital literacy.
Resilience refers to the ability to cope with a difficult time or situation inspite of setbacks or barriers. The future leaders will be those who are resilient and know how to adapt to the changing and difficult times like Pandemic. Most of the businesses and institutions around the world have been making rigorous efforts to give their best inspite of the pandemic. For instance, the majority of universities and educational institutions across the globe, have found ways to quickly move to online classes and are offering great tools for effective teaching and learning to Professors and students alike. One can cultivate resilience by cultivating compassion, mindfulness, grit, gratitude, motivation, calm, courage and emotional intelligence.
Impactful Communication is going to cast a huge impact in the post-Covid world. As the mode of communication changes from real conversations to discussions on Zoom or Google Meet meetings, the likelihood of miscommunication or misunderstanding cannot be denied. Therefore, the future leaders must work on keeping communication clear, effective and purpose oriented, without sounding too journalistic or arrogant. It would help to be conscious of others’ problems and be empathize before jumping to any conclusions or forming ill-informed opinions. Speak from the context of kindness and compassion, and you will create an impactful communication, for others to emulate.
Critical Thinking is one skill that is going to stay in demand, even in Post-Covid world. Infact, it would become more significant as organizations and people strive to design new solutions for new challenges. One can learn and practice critical thinking by questioning everything, being open to adopting differing perspectives, discovering potential opportunities in midst of problems and being able to manage and sort vague situations. In the Post-Covid world, a lot of research is going to be done in the direction of managing sudden disasters and pandemic like situations and having critical thinking abilities, is definitely going to be a great addition to one’s professional acumen.
Creativity is a coveted skill and all creative people are assured to thrive in the post-Covid world order. Finding creative ways to adjust and adapt to new ways of conducting and sustaining businesses and services, is going to be a great skill. Similarly, one can’t really expect to thrive and grow in future scenario without digital literacy. Digital Literacy is infact, a key tool for success in times to come. It would therefore certainly pay to invest in acquiring new learning and methods to do business online, learn the online marketing techniques and become a pro at virtual meetings, branding and creating your image. While we are all a work in progress, we can always do something that our future self will thank us for. So, let this pandemic not dampen your spirits and march confidently towards your future goals by acquiring these skills.
