Adapting to Ever-Changing Needs
Emerging technologies are transforming traditional business models and entire industries. As a result, the global skills gap is widening, and employees must now adopt a continuous learning mindset that will enable them to adapt to meet the ever-changing needs of the business.
As the digital transformation of everything gathers pace, the importance of investing in reskilling your employees is already well documented. But what about the next generation of workers and leaders of tomorrow? The education system is tasked with arming students with skills for roles that do not even exist yet and a life of continuous learning.
Meanwhile, business leaders are concerned about how they will compete with the intense competition for tech talent who possess the critical skills they need. The big questions keeping CEOs awake at night are understanding how they can prepare and upskill their future workforce? And how can they position themselves to attract tech talent that is in increasingly short supply?
We must educate the workforce of the future
The latest crop of talent is expected to evolve and adapt to meet the changing needs of the businesses. But as the skills shortage gap widens, especially around in-demand areas such as Salesforce, something needs to change. There needs to be a stronger focus by businesses on the next generation and educating the future workforce.
Salesforce has been leading the way with its ethos and forward-thinking 1-1-1 model, which gives 1% of Salesforce’s product, 1% of its equity, and 1% of its employees’ time to philanthropic causes and the non-profit sector. One of their main areas of focus is education. As a result, Salesforce has recently announced a grant to NYC schools and have even adopted over 100 public schools.
What can businesses learn from this approach?
Although many will not have the time or resources to adopt the entire model, they could solve future problems by helping to train individuals into work today. The value of creating opportunity with a proactive, rather than reactive mindset should not be underestimated.
Marc Benioff, the founder of Salesforce, believes that every CEO should consider adopting a public school. A full package that combines volunteerism mentoring, and technology can deliver spectacular results and something that Benioff believes that every CEO can help with.
Benioff also reminded leaders that the students from your local public schools are also the children of your employees. Investing in your future employees is not only in your interest, but it could also help you thrive and survive in a digital world where diversity of thought is critical to your success.
Bringing underrepresented minorities and women involved in computer science is not only a huge step forward in the name of progress, but it could be a game-changer for many businesses too. The key to removing the Salesforce skills gap is through education and good old-fashioned storytelling from the consultants who have been on the journey from training course to experienced Salesforce expert.
As many leaders continue to push digital transformation strategies forward, many are discovering that legacy mindsets are holding them back more than old technology. Businesses must now adopt a new digital-first mindset where leaders can lead by example in creating cultures where learning and empowerment flourish.
It often said that “Silicon Valley is a mindset, not a location.” Sure, businesses increasingly rely on technology to develop new offerings and build new businesses. But tech is the easy part. A digital-first mindset is required to prepare for the rise of a new hybrid workforce model where people and technology work seamlessly together.