SINGAPORE (June 5): Soft skills are more important than hard skills, says Pulitzer prize-winning author and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. And helping our children master technology isn’t the most important thing when preparing them for jobs of the future.
This was what Friedman told Caitlin Fitzsimmons, money editor at The Sydney Morning Herald, at a recent interview. Friedman was at the Sydney Writers' Festival to promote his new book on the age of acceleration, Thank You For Being Late.
The emphasis on technical skills is overdone, says Friedman. Technology is changing so rapidly that you can't possibly equip school kids with the hard skills of the future, because they'll be obsolete before they reach the workforce.
Friedman also cites his recent trip to Appalachia, where employers favour farm kids and veterans because they know how to show up and work hard.
Friedman believes five mindsets will be needed this century, especially in the world of work, says Fitzsimmons. They are:
1. Think like an immigrant
We all are essentially immigrants of the age of acceleration. Be a paranoid optimist. Always believe that there are opportunities. But remember to never take anything for granted.
2. Think like an artisan
Take pride in your work, such that you want to carve your initials into it. Don’t settle for being a cog in a machine.
3. Think like an innovator
If you think of yourself as a “finished product”, there’s nothing more to it after that. Think of yourself in “permanent beta” instead, somewhat like a software release. Have a thirst for knowledge and be ready to reinvent, re-engineer or reimagine your job before someone does it to you.
4. Think like an entrepreneur
It doesn’t matter what your current job is – it could even be waiting tables – there is something you can control to make a difference. Friedman gives an example of a waitress who told his friend she gave him extra fruit on his dish and ended up getting a 50% tip for her trouble. The waitress didn’t control much, but she could control the fruit ladle, and she used it to do something extra that would make a difference.
5. PQ + CQ = > IQ
Friedman uses this equation to explain the fifth and final mindset: passion quotient + curiosity quotient beats intelligent quotient. According to Friedman, this will apply equally even to those who have been in the workforce for decades.
However, he understands that the passion and openness people would have when they’re young would fade in time when they start settling into life. This means your comfort zone is a trap, says Fitzsimmons.
"There's a whole group of men and women aged 45 to 60 who are really caught in that vortex, their jobs have been disrupted and disintermediated but they don't have the predisposition to go out and learn something else. It's a real challenge for all developed societies,” says Friedman.
