World Economic Forum

In-Demand Skills

LinkedIn has used data from more than 660 million professionals in its network and more than 20 million job listings to identify the hard and soft skills that are most in-demand in 2020.

HARD SKILLS

1) Blockchain
2) Cloud & Distributed Computing
3) Analytical Reasoning
4) Artificial Intelligence
5) UX Design
6) Business Analysis
7) Affiliate Marketing
8) Sales
9) Scientific Computing
10) Video Production

SOFT SKILLS

1) Creativity
2) Persuasion
3) Collaboration
4) Adaptability
5) Emotional Intelligence

Learn more here.

Best Business Schools

According to the Financial Times, these are the 10 best business schools in the world. And new to the #1 ranking is…

Books That May Change Your Life

Did you know that one of the core habits that highly successful people have in common is reading? Socio-economist Randall Bell spent 25 years studying success and found that, “Those who read seven or more books per year are more than 122 percent more likely to be millionaires as opposed to those who never read or only read one to three [books].” Reading is not only a great source of knowledge and inspiration, but reading reduces stress and feeds your imagination.

Billionaire Warren Buffett has been known for saying that a single book, The Intelligent Investor, written by Benjamin Graham changed his life. In Buffett’s 2013 annual letter to shareholders he stated, “Of all the investments I ever made, buying Ben’s book was the best.” Now, Buffett spends up to 80% of his day reading. Billionaire Richard Branson once stated that the book that changed his life was Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. “I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from the book. I’ve never really wanted to grow up and I’ve always wanted to fly!”

Maybe one of the books from the below links may change your life!

Check out 24 books successful people read here.

Learn about 9 books Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett think you should read here.

Looking for a great business book? Check out the latest Financial Times & McKinsey‘s book list for 2017 here.

Finally, here are 13 must-read books on success according to the Young Entrepreneur Council.

Here’s to your next great book!

Is Flexible Work Driving the Future of the Workplace?

Will the day come when we all work as our own boss?

The World Economic Forum held its annual meeting earlier this month and the future of work was a key topic of discussion. The organization’s Global Future Council on Education, Gender and Work is presently crafting a document that addresses the question of how we facilitate the transition from the traditional form of work to the future state where work is more flexible.

Stephane Kasriel, CEO of Upwork and co-chair of the Global Future Council on Education, Gender and Work, recently shared the following perspectives on the future of work:

Entrepreneurs and freelancers represent the future of the workplace as traditional office jobs become less and less relevant
Lifelong learning is more important than ever before as skill requirements are constantly changing
There is a constant need to be reskilled and you need some kind of job renewal every five years or so
The workplace is moving towards more flexible arrangements where individuals are working with multiple companies at the same time
“Knowledge” work is especially aligned with more flexible work arrangements and can be done from anywhere, thereby creating more value than the traditional work model
The future of work is not going to be about full-time employment

Learn more about the future of work here.

Global Cities 2016

So do you think you know the world’s most powerful “global” cities?

A recently published study by The Brookings Institution and JPMorganChase might surprise you. The study suggests that our idea of a global city has become outdated in a rapidly urbanizing world in the midst of seismic technological change. A handful of financial centers, like New York, London and Tokyo, no longer drive world economy. Instead a “vast and complex” network of cities – some surprisingly small, others mid-sized – powers the international flow of goods, services, people, capital and ideas.

The study identified seven types of global cities comprised of 123 urban areas – including our very own Charlotte (defined by the study as one of sixteen “American Middleweight” global cities).

Learn more here.