Robots will take your job: Here is how you can be irreplaceable..!

Being in the digital transformation space for the last few years, I am always asked,

"Will machines replace humans in the workplace?" 

My response is: "the question is no longer will but when? By when will machines replace humans"?.. 

Then comes the follow-up question: If that's true, can we be irreplaceable by machines? 

Yes, Yes, we can. Intrigued to know how? Read ahead... 

Many of you are digital transformation enthusiasts, aren't you? So let us begin by looking at how the job market is changing due to the digitization happening around us. 

As per Mckinsey, by 2030, automation could eliminate more than 236M jobs in China, 120M in India, and 73 M in the US. Similar are the numbers of jobs rapid automation is eliminating in other countries like Japan and Mexico. 

To just set a context, these numbers equal the entire population of some countries.

Another report published by the World Economic Forum in 2020 states that at least 50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025. Isn't that obvious? With the evolution of disruptive technologies like AI, IoT, and ML, with the pandemic changing the work environment, and with the political conditions impacting the economy, the technical skills you have today will be obsolete sooner than before. For eg, In school, I learned C, and C++, I started my career as an On-premise solution consultant… and now I am in to cloud and may later have to move into tech like AI. IoT etc. The technical skills you had five years back are not what you have or need now.

The technical skills you had five years back are not what you have now or need now.

So are there any skill requirements that don't change as technology changes? Yes. During my last 14 years of corporate experience working with Oracle, Cisco, and Infosys, I was always intrigued by what makes successful people who they are. Irrespective of having the same opportunities and technical qualifications, some people rise in their careers while others don't. And I realized that their "Unique Selling Personality" or USP makes successful people who they are. So what is a USP?

Your USP is a culmination of your not-so-soft, soft skills, or I would like to call them the people skills.

How many of you focus on your technical skills by taking technical certifications and acquiring a Master's Degree but rarely focus on developing your people skills? Unfortunately, we tend to ignore those skills, which can easily differentiate us from others.

Carnegie Institute of Technology says, "85% of your financial success is due to your personality and ability to communicate, negotiate and lead. Shockingly, only 15% is due to technical knowledge.

I believe you are now convinced why you should focus on your people skills if you want to catalyze your career or even be irreplaceable by machines. You are probably thinking about which skills you should focus on. 

Let us look at another research that lists the top 10 skills you need by 2025. As per the World Economic Forum's report, the skills related to technology are only in the 7 and 8th positions. So then, what are the Top 6 skills? Yeah, you guessed it right. They are soft skills under the main areas of Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Self Management, and Teamwork. 

These skills that can help you stand out in the professional crowd are the same skills that will make you irreplaceable by machines. Even though a lot of research is in progress to make robots display soft skills like humans, we are far from that. So let's take a look at the 3 key skills you need to master:

1. Emotional Intelligence:

As per Roche Martin founder Dr. Martyn Newman

"Emotions determine whether or not people will work well for you, buy from you, employ you and enter into business with you…Emotional capital has emerged as a new and more critical asset to bottom-line performance." So what is Emotional intelligence or EI? It is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions and those of the people around you. 

Travis Bradberry, the author of the book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 , says the Emotional quotient or EQ is your Success quotient. 

He quotes that 90% of the top performers have high EQ, and people with high EQ earn 29000$ more than the ones with low EQ.

So if there is one soft skill you should focus on after hearing this podcast, I would say it is the EI. 

2. Critical thinking or Problem-solving.

It is the ability to think critically in any situation.It helps you identify a problem and find innovative and creative solutions. This skill can help you differentiate yourself from others and is skill innovators possess.

3. Leadership

Finally, a skill that encapsulates everything we mentioned above is Leadership. A person with a vision and direction is always looked up to and required in any company to drive it to success. 

Leadership is not the role or position you hold.

By the way, Leadership is not the role or position you hold; it's all about your vision in your role. Simon Sinek, the author of Start with Why and The Infinite Game, says "Leadership is a choice, not a rank," Anyone in an organization can be a leader. "It's choosing to look out for the person on your left and for the person on your right."

"We call them leaders because they go first, because they take the risk before anybody else does because they will choose to sacrifice so their people will be safe and protected," says Sinek. 

So Emotional Intelligence, Leadership, and creativity are the critical skills you will always need because those skills never go out of fashion. Technology will change, and tech skills will too, but as long as humans are social animals, these skills are here to stay. 

So I believe this article inspires you to invest in improving your people skills. Because your people skills are your differentiator now and will be your differentiator in the future.

Because your people skills are your differentiator now and will be your differentiator in the future.

I am Sajna Samad, and this is the Catalyze Your Career Newsletter. I am a Jay Shetty Certified Life coach focusing on Self-Mastery and Career. I coach young aspiring professionals and new women leaders to stand out in the crowd by helping them create a Unique Selling Personality and Personal Brand.

If you want to know how you can catalyze your career, let's hop on a call and decide how to work together. DM me for more details.

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