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4 Must-Have Skills For Leaders Post-Covid-19

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According to the latest research from the Institute of Student Employers, recruitment is currently down 12% for graduate hires in the UK. And Covid-19 has clearly made the market uncertain: according to the data, almost half of firms have not yet finalized their hiring plans for next year, and as many firms are still assessing the impact Covid-19 will have on their business in the long term. 

With the recent announcement from the UN that the global economy is projected to contract by 3.2% in 2020 due to the pandemic, much of the focus of governments around the world has rightly been on supporting workers and introducing job retention schemes, such as the UK government’s job furlough approach.  

However, one area of the job market that has been overlooked is those who are graduating this summer (whether that be from business schools or wider universities) and either moving in to their first job post-education or who had left their previous role to learn and develop new skills and enter a new industry, job or location.  

Although times are incredibly uncertain at the moment, one thing that is for certain is that those who can prove they have the key skillsets demanded by business will stand out in the job market no matter how uncertain it is. This is backed up by a poll we recently ran with 70 recruiters: 75% of responders were still moving ahead with their internships and permanent roles virtually, or were still hiring. Clearly there are still opportunities for graduates.  

Competition for those roles, however, is much fiercer than before, and it is now more important than ever to develop and emphasise the specific skillsets that are going to be invaluable to businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic, and in the long term too.  

So, what skills are going to be sought after in the post-Covid-19 world of work? 

Effective comms 

Times are changing rapidly. Businesses are not only trying to keep up to date with this new world of work, but also trying to keep their employees up to date too. Now more than ever before it is important for leaders to have strong and effective communications skills. Constant changes to the business will impact a vast number of stakeholders – who must all be kept in the know. With most stakeholders (including employees) working remotely, effective communications have never been more difficult, but also more important. 

Not only is creating and guiding business strategy important, but effectively communicating it to those who are impacted by it or affect it themselves is just as important. With Covid-19 completely changing the ‘traditional’ way of working for good, recruiters are keen to see that graduates can clearly and effectively communicate to stakeholders both online and off.  

Technology competence 

With a large majority of workers at home, logging into Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other tech platforms at the start of the day has become as normal as making a strong cup of coffee. These tech platforms, when utilized well, can have a huge impact on managing workflow, collaboration on projects, and effectively communicating. Those who are already tech-savvy will be crucial to employers in the new world of work.  

Not only will those who are comfortable with a range of technology communication platforms be well sought after, but so will those with sophisticated modelling and coding skills. This is something that has always been ingrained in Imperial College Business School’s programs, due its being part of a world-leading technical university. Students can improve their tech skills through a range of on-campus and online programs, through online learning platforms, and other interactive technologies on the School’s campus. Meanwhile, many students can learn more technical skills such as coding, AI and machine learning and cybersecurity.  

Merging tech and leadership

Technology skills are important, and so is the ability to effectively lead. Those managers who can merge the two and show they can successfully lead productive teams when all employees are remote working will be most desired by employers.  

Large numbers of workers may never go back to the office permanently. Managers who can not only get the best possible results out of their teams when working remotely, but also show they can still act personably with employees and ensure team morale is high, will be sought after.  

For MBAs and post-experienced hires this has, and will continue to, become more important. There was already an increase in the digital and remote workforce pre-Covid-19 – this has only been accelerated. Short programs like our ‘Leadership in a Technology Driven World’ course can help managers hone and develop these abilities, putting strong leadership skills and strong technology skills together. 

Adaptability in a VUCA world 

If there is one thing Covid-19 has taught us, it is the importance of being able to adapt effectively to situations out of our control. The pandemic has caused a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) situation for virtually every single business globally, and those that are reacting and adapting to the crisis are set to be successful when businesses can begin to operate at full capacity again. 

Resilience, flexibility and the ability to manage change, both planned and unexpected, are key to successful working and will continue to be sought after skills by employers as companies increasingly seek to expect the unexpected.

This article was written by Lisa Umenyiora, Executive Director of Careers at Imperial College Business School

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