When you were in school, were you taught the crucial skills needed for success in today’s digital world?

If you are a leader, you have probably heard of or, more accurately, experienced VUCA. VUCA was coined in 1987 to represent a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous business environment.

It was not until the 2000s that educators started to prepare students with what they called 21st Century learning to prepare students for the “VUCA” world. So if you went to school in the ’80s and ’90s (or earlier), you might not have been taught some of the more crucial skills needed for success in today’s digital world.

Those skills include over 20 competencies condensed into 4Cs: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. They include such skills as the ability to critically weigh perspectives, communicate effectively with diverse and global audiences, and take action for results.

Leadership also requires integrating those competencies with the emotional responses of the people you lead. Consequently, leaders today need a broad base of competencies to perform at their best, and with so many skills to learn it’s hard to know what is valuable and will make an impact for you. What do you think?

For additional information on 21st Century Learning – check out: http://www.fpsct.org/uploaded/Teacher_Resource_Center/FHS_Design_Team/21st_century_skills.pdf