Where We Came From: The Skills of Yesteryear

I remember the early days of HR and organizational development, when making PowerPoint decks filled with Peter Drucker’s timeless wisdom or citing Josh Bersin’s thought leadership felt like the gold standard for strategic conversations. Back then, being responsible for learning and development meant championing what these gurus said: structure, consistency, and frameworks for professional growth. The skills organizations looked for were largely technical mastery, efficiency in execution, and compliance with established processes. Stability was valued over speed, and linear career paths were the markers of success.

We Followed the Playbooks

We leaned on structured systems of management, believing efficiency came from following procedures and minimizing deviation. Employees were assessed on how well they fit into those frameworks, rather than how they adapted outside of them. Competence was measured in years of tenure, certifications obtained, and familiarity with “the way things have always been done.” Leadership development programs were modeled around clear ladders, case studies, and simulations. It was a world where predictability equaled performance.

The Evolution of ‘Skills’

While it became the way me and several of my peers carried out our day to day, the cracks in that model became visible as our organizations faced globalization, technological acceleration, and rapidly shifting market demands. Learning frameworks like the 70-20-10 model emerged 70% learning by doing, 20% from coaching and mentoring, 10% from formal training. This was revolutionary because it reframed skills not as static credentials but as ongoing, experience-driven capabilities.

Employees were encouraged to step outside their functional boxes, take on stretch projects, and build skills through exposure. The message was clear: growth could no longer be managed solely in classrooms; it had to happen in the flow of work. This shift laid the foundation for the next wave of agility in workforce development.

Today: A New World of Skills and Agility

Fast forward to today, and the conversation has transformed again. When I read the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report (2025), it underscored a simple yet urgent truth for me: technical knowledge will not be enough. Skills like complex problem-solving, adaptability, emotional intelligence, and systems thinking are climbing to the top of priority lists for most employers. By systems thinking, I mean the ability to view challenges holistically recognizing how different components influence one another (interrelationships), spotting patterns and feedback loops, considering the broader context rather than isolated parts, and tracing cause-and-effect relationships over time to understand both intended and unintended consequences.

But it’s not just about what organizations want. Employees themselves have recalibrated their expectations. They want to work for companies that embody diversity and inclusion, psychological safety, meaningful work, and balance between professional and personal life. Candidates increasingly evaluate potential employers on whether the culture is authentic, inclusive, and adaptable—just as much (or more) than employers assess them on technical and soft skills. 

This is where agility takes on a dual meaning: the agility of the workforce to evolve and the agility of organizations to meet the new social contract of work.

From Coding to Interpretation: The Shift in Competence

Not long ago, the most prized hires were developers and coders—the ones who could build complex systems and keep up with the digitization of work. Today, software has become increasingly sophisticated, lowering the barrier to technical work. Knowing how to code isn’t always essential; instead, the premium skill lies in interpreting and reporting insights generated by advanced tools.

If you know your way around Power BI, Tableau, or other interpretation platforms, you don’t need to write the code yourself. You need to translate data into stories leaders can act upon. This is a subtle but critical shift—from production to interpretation, from technical skill to narrative and influence. Suddenly, we needed people who could collaborate across functions, learn new AI-augmented tools fast, pivot from coding to data interpretation, and bring creative ideas to business challenges. We looked for candidates with adaptability, curiosity, and a cross-functional mindset.

Managing Change as a Core Capability

Another element becoming central is change management (my favourite topic). Organizations are undergoing constant disruption—AI adoption, cybersecurity risks, climate considerations, and policy changes. Employees who can not only adapt but also help others navigate change are indispensable.

Skills once reserved for senior leaders—like stakeholder alignment, communicating vision, and reducing resistance—are now expected across levels. Gartner emphasizes this as “change agility,” while Deloitte frames it as “enterprise adaptability.” The workforce of the future will not just need technical literacy but also the emotional and relational intelligence to bring people along during transitions.

Moreover, Deloitte’s Term “Organizational Stagility”

Deloitte has coined the term “stagility”—balancing stability with agility—as a defining capability for organizations. I love making references to these new terms form newsletters and articles I read because it succinctly defines the reality of where we are going. Employees who embody stagility can keep their core values and expertise intact while flexing their approaches to meet new challenges. For recruiters, this means evaluating not just for static competencies but for the capacity to grow, reskill, and shift gears.

Organizations, too, must recognize that the workforce is not a blank canvas onto which they paint strategies. Employees are stakeholders with agency, demanding purposeful work, flexibility, inclusivity, and development opportunities. The companies that thrive will be those that build a culture of mutual value exchange—where capability development aligns with personal aspirations.

Not to Be Overlooked

It’s important not to overlook what this evolution means for HR itself. Our role is no longer to simply design training programs or measure engagement scores. We must be strategists of skills—able to anticipate future needs, redesign roles, and help organizations balance automation with human potential.

Future HR professionals will require proficiency in dashboard reporting, analytics, and visualization tools to demonstrate impact and guide decisions. Yet the human element remains: storytelling with data, understanding context, and building narratives leaders can act upon.

A Balanced Future: Organizations and Employees Together

The WEF report makes clear that nearly half of workers will need reskilling by 2030. But reskilling isn’t just about producing employees who meet organizational needs; it’s about creating a mutually reinforcing cycle. Employees want to feel valued, trusted, and supported in their personal and professional journeys. They want work-life balance, purpose, and cultures that walk the talk on diversity and inclusion.

Organizations that respond to both sides—developing capabilities while nurturing human needs—will build more engaged, resilient, and loyal workforces. Ignoring either side of this equation is no longer viable.

Call to Action for HR

HR leaders must embed agility into everything they do: recruitment, onboarding, development, and succession planning. This means designing systems that are dynamic, not rigid; skill-based, not role-based; human-centered, not process-driven. It means hiring for curiosity and adaptability as much as for technical proficiency.

We must also learn to communicate the story of workforce readiness to senior leadership. Dashboards that track “skills velocity” or “change adaptability” will matter more than just headcount or turnover. Our challenge is to show not only whether we are filling positions but whether our people are growing in line with future demands.

Call to Action for Employees

For employees, the message is equally clear. The future will reward those who invest in continuous learning, systems thinking, and people skills. Building comfort with AI tools, interpreting insights, collaborating across functions, and guiding peers through change will be differentiators.

Workforce relevance is no longer about climbing a linear ladder but navigating a fluid, evolving landscape. Those who embrace curiosity, agility, and empathy will remain in demand regardless of industry shifts.

Closing

The workplace is not just changing—it is reshaping itself entirely. Organizations may want a workforce armed with agility, analytics, and resilience, but they must also respond to what employee’s demand: trust, inclusivity, balance, and purpose. The real future of work will emerge in the intersection of these two forces.

As HR professionals, our job is to bridge them—ensuring organizations remain competitive while employees feel fulfilled. That is the balance that will define tomorrow’s workforce.

As one expert insightfully put it: “The future belongs to those who can connect the dots, adapt with agility, and work with both intelligence and empathy.”