The World Economic Forum and The International Leadership and Management Congress have undertaken some research to identify the critical employability skills our next generation will need to acquire and apply over their career. Employability skills are what every employer looks for in any new hire. It is about attitude and how they value add to team dynamics. The research was prompted by the impact the COVID pandemic years had on the under 25’s.

Employability skills are acquired through practice and application. The identified five employability skills are timeless and a key to long term employability. They are:

• Collaboration
• Effective communication
• Problem solving
• Adaptability
• Self-management

I will explore these themes over the next five ARR.News editions, starting with Collaboration.

Collaboration is the ability to engage with and work with people. In other words, being an effective team member. It requires good intent and a genuine desire to get something done with others. I wonder if our political masters adopted a more collaborative approach (rather than coercion and confrontation) they may achieve more things for the greater good of this country!

It seems the need to collaborate is not in vogue. Just turn on any reality TV show or scroll down the comments section on social media posts, and it becomes clear the formula for entertainment and engagement is one of arguments, name calling, greed, quick judgements, confrontation and a winning at all costs mentality! This may be entertaining but sends a wrong message. Things are achieved through unity and collaboration, not arguments, fixed mindsets, and confrontation.

Great discoveries and improvements invariably involve the need to collaborate and co-operate many minds
– Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of the telephone)

Why is collaboration important? Collaboration is how things get done. How problems are solved. How teams work together. How family unity is achieved. It is the essence of social cohesion. But collaboration requires practice and application. It takes all types to successfully collaborate. This requires familiarity, understanding, empathy, encouragement of diverse thinking, and tolerance to difference.

Why is our next generation’s ability to collaborate diminishing? There are many factors influencing this. Certainly, COVID and isolation did not help. There are some unique factors impacting on our next generation’s ability to effectively collaborate:

• Digital communication overload: An over-reliance on digital communication tools can lead to a lack of personal connection;
• Lack of interpersonal skills: Reduced face-to-face interactions can limit the development of essential interpersonal skills. Growing up with digital devices has seen a decline in our next generation’s ability to pick up on non-verbal cues such as reading body language, tone of voice and emotional gestures;
• Virtual collaboration challenges: During COVID and since, students have been using remote work and virtual collaboration tools which require different skills and practices than in-person teamwork. It is a different dynamic to human interactions. The use of virtual collaboration tools tends to create more forensic and transactional relationships, based on a task rather than a relationship;
• A lack of structured collaboration training: Many educational systems do not prioritise teaching collaborative skills or providing structured experiences. Without formal training, young people may lack strategies for effective teamwork, problem solving, or innovation;
• Technological and social isolation: Increased use of technology can lead to social isolation, reducing opportunities to practice collaboration in varied contexts; and
• An unnecessary adversarial approach to life: This is reinforced through our politicians, news cycles, and reality TV shows. The norm now is confrontation, name calling and judging people inappropriately. Life is grey, and requires us to be curious, empathetic and tolerant.

There is no silver bullet to solve or eradicate any of these issues. But when you put them all together, you can see all sorts of red flags as to why our next generation needs to practise and apply the art of collaboration. An ability to collaborate requires practice and application, otherwise it diminishes.

The research highlights that parents can play a crucial role in developing their children’s ability to collaborate. This costs nothing and includes:

• Role modelling collaborative behaviour with all family members;
• Encouraging group play from an early age, requiring children to share, be polite, and to be self-aware and aware of others;
• Assigning collaborative chores around the house, so everyone must “pitch in”;
• Encouraging children to enrol in team activities / team sports; and
• Facilitating collective problem solving and the settlement of arguments (rather than solving it for them). Let the children arrive at their own solutions.

How a leader can encourage collaboration by adopting a few key principles and strategies:

• Clear two-way communication: It is important for leaders to establish open channels of communication with an expectation for team members to collaborate and work together. This requires having a mindset to collaborate, and the adoption of behaviours that encourage collaboration;
• Set common goals: Ensure all team members understand and are committed to common objectives. Align individual goals with team goals to encourage cohesive efforts. Link how one team requires the support of other teams;
• Establish a team cadence: This is how a team teams! Things like meeting schedules, onboarding new team members, reward and recognition mechanisms where collaborative team performances and achievements are acknowledged, and problems raised are solved together;
• Endorse and enforce team behaviours and disciplines: It is important for a leader to role model and entrench the need and expectation to collaborate. The need to collaborate cannot be a “nice to have” but indeed the way things are done;
• Actively listen and consider all contributions: This is symbolic of how the leader places importance on the importance of co-operation, contribution, and collaboration. It also reinforces that the mechanism and methodology to resolve conflict, solve problems, and innovate new ideas is collaboration;
• Celebrate team achievements: Recognise and celebrate team and individual achievements and call out how collaboration is a central part to achieving success – which in turn reinforces the modus operandi of the team is collaboration, co-operation, and communication.

By focusing on these aspects, a leader will encourage collaboration, and allow all team members to practice and apply collaboration, skill acquisition and application. This always leads to better outcomes and a more positive working environment.

Leadership Lesson

Leadership is not about being in control, but creating an environment and expectation where everyone can contribute to the team’s success through co-operation and collaboration. This is done by building familiar, respectful, and authentic relationships – not one of confrontation, adversity, and personal gain at all costs

Facta Non-Verba – Deeds Not Words