At the Systemwide People Management Conference last August, keynote speaker Jenny Dearborn — recognized as one of the 50 most powerful women in tech — focused her presentation on the future of work.

According to Dearborn, the critical skills needed for future success include collaboration, communication, emotional intelligence, empathy and problem-solving. Though these are often categorized as “soft skills,” Dearborn brands them “power skills”; while technology, systems and processes will change, these skill sets will always be relevant and in demand.

These sentiments are echoed by Josh Bersin, a renowned global research analyst and founder of Bersin, a human resources research company. In an article published on his blog last year, Bersin argued, “We as business… professionals have to stop calling these ‘soft skills’ and start thinking of them as ‘power skills.’ They are the most important skills we have in our companies, and we have to build them, nourish them and continuously evolve them with vigor… Developing power skills is hard, takes investment and is now key to the future. “

At UCOP, we offer at least two power-skills-focused workshops each month. Sign up for one of these upcoming courses today!

The Pillars of Personal Leadership: Five Strategies for Leading from Within
Tuesday, March 3, 1 – 3 p.m.
Franklin Lobby 1

Design Thinking to Focus, Collaborate and Play
Tuesday, March 24, 1 – 3 p.m.
Online 

Emotional Intelligence – Attain Results Through People
Tuesday, March 24, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Online

Later this spring, look for classes on inclusive relationships, managing conflict, presentation skills and more. View the current UCOP professional development schedule. And, remember that you can access a multitude of online, free professional development courses at any time through LinkedIn Learning.

Questions? please contact UCOP Learning and Development at ucopld@ucop.edu.

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