HRHeadStart #5: Workforce Reskilling; HR vs. HR; Fuelling Curiosity

The Talent Agenda

In last week's edition, I had written about how Talent Management can create immense value for organizations. Building forward from that idea, we need to recognize that skills are the new currency in the world of work. Rapidly shifting business models, evolving technologies and new ways of working are changing the demand/supply curves for skills. Progressive governments are looking into how to reskill entire industries and individual companies are putting in place programs to navigate the new environment. To get better at this, HR (and specifically L&D) folks need to start focusing on 1) identifying new skill requirements, 2) developing learning content for new skills, 3) determine learning delivery channels with a focus on personalization through tech and 4) creating a measurement framework to measure the impact of learning and thus, create the case for sustained investments in reskilling.

As we are called upon to develop plans to implement a reskilling strategy, a critical part is the ability to engage effectively with the business to identify new skill requirements. As you do this, the work done by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) can come in very handy. SSG is a government body that drives initiatives to support Singapore's next stage of economic advancement by providing lifelong learning and skill development opportunities. They have created Skills Frameworks for multiple industries, providing insights on occupations, skill requirements and career pathways in those industries. These frameworks serve as a useful reference which you can tailor further to your organization's specific needs. Scroll to the bottom of this page to find information for the industry you are interested in.

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Working Better

If you have ever worked in a large organization with complex matrix structures, you might have been in situations where you struggle to make progress on initiatives you think are crucial for the business. Such situations can be particularly tricky for young professionals, whom might be experiencing this for the first time and struggle to navigate them. HR vs. HR has some fascinating insights on what bottlenecks you might encounter, what they sound like and how to address them.

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A Productive Workout

A workout is a great way to create mindspace for processing and learning new ideas. And it primes you for creative thinking. For your next walk, run or workout session, take along Walter Isaacson, the author of several biographies including Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin etc. It is a fascinating talk about nurturing curiosity. I loved his advice that we should manage our careers as a portfolio of expriences (rather than a series of jobs alone) and also, not specialize too early. You can grab the podcast links here.

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Tiny Thought

People often struggle with change because of rational exhaustion and limited headspace to understand the change. One of the reasons for resistance to change is lack of clarity about what the change actually means in terms of loss/gain. When communicating a change, focus on building clarity, confidence and a sense of community around the change.