What I am looking for in my ideal …

2020 has been, and will no doubt continue to be, a tough year. 2021 will be a year of continuing change for all of us in some way. We will be forced to reconsider the way we work, the way we socialise and what is important to us in our lives and in our careers.

In the midst of COVID, McKinsey and Co completed a study to find out what is important to employees and employers, consumers and businesses. Their key findings confirm what we at Chorus Executive have observed in our everyday interactions with candidates and employers.

In 2021 employers are looking for more than just technical skills. Over the years, organisations have slowly amended recruitment processes to acknowledge the benefits of both soft and hard skills. Now COVID has made it clearer than ever that while technical skills can be learnt or bought, true leadership skills can only be developed and nurtured over time.

Many employees are redefining success and what is important to them. Only this week, I had a senior executive tell me he is resigning from his ‘significant’ job with its six-figure remuneration package because the pandemic has shown him how much he has missed as a result of his excessive focus on being a business success and a provider for his family. As a family they have re-prioritised – they have fewer assets and treats but more everyday experiences and memories.

What will be important to organisations in 2021:

• Strategic thinking and the capacity to deal with ambiguity and incomplete information
• Foresight – the ability to see the impact of decisions in the future
• Leadership, communication, influencing and negotiation skills
• Personal resilience and adaptability
• Commercial acumen
• Team spirit, personal integrity and care for others.

What employees will be looking for in 2021:

• Organisations and managers aligned to their personal values; research and our own anecdotal evidence indicates that people are now choosing family, integrity, purpose and passion over bonuses and overseas holidays
• Flexibility and acceptance of personal circumstances and priorities beyond work
• Ethical behaviour of both leaders and organisations, not only in terms of how organisations have managed COVID but also how they have dealt with other significant issues – we have already seen the impact of this with the forced resignations of executives from AMP and Rio Tinto due to employee and customer backlash
• Organisations that genuinely support, develop and care for their employees and customers – lip service will no longer be accepted.

To be the employer who attracts the most talented people it is critical to

• have a clear and inspiring vision – increasing profit for shareholders’ returns will not be enough to attract the best.
• genuinely do the right thing – for example, don’t blow up sacred landsites or sexually harass your employees and if mistakes are made, own up and don’t make excuses.
• develop, support and promote employees, adding value to customers and the community
• have great leaders leading teams, not just great technicians.

To be the employee who is successful in 2021 you need to

• develop your leadership skills; if the business won’t support you, then do it yourself – it is the best investment you can make in your career and future.
• become more commercial, understanding the impact of decisions on the bottom line and the bigger picture and look beyond how they affect you personally.
• stand out and step up – find solutions, take initiative, be brave. Don’t wait to be told what to do.
• constantly ask yourself how you can add value to others, including the team, your manager, your customers and your suppliers.