A few years ago, the president of Columbia University, Minouche Shafik, remarked that, in the past, jobs were about muscles. “Now they’re about brains. [In] the future, they’ll be about the heart.”

Most experts agree that AI will eventually affect most jobs. While there’s not much we can do about that, commodities that will always be valuable are soft skills: among them communication, teamwork, time management, critical thinking and problem-solving.So, what can you do to enhance your soft skills?

  1. Become your most valuable asset. Make a list of your strongest abilities and set out to develop them to your advantage. Are you good with people? How about organisation and time management? Can you think creatively?
  2. Be as organised and capable as you can be. Use apps, planners and technological advances to work in an organised, time-efficient way. Have a daily routine that makes it easy for you to enjoy both productive time and leisure time.
  3. Develop your problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Sudoku and crossword puzzles, group games such as Frostbite, and improv games challenge your brain.
  4. Boost your EQ. A well-rounded person is self-aware and continually developing themselves. Work on your emotional intelligence by increasing capabilities such as patience, listening to understand, and taking criticism constructively. Grow your strongest points.

Bottom line

Machines are here to stay, but we humans have always been good at adapting to challenging circumstances. There’s no reason to believe the future will be any different.