When I think of Vintage, I think of something timeless and valuable. My brother in law has taken an old 1964 Cordini and restored it to its true essence. To see the original colours and trim is a sight to behold. That which was ‘ordinary and every day’ has now become valuable, beautiful and in high demand.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the word Vintage is defined as: “Denoting something from the past of high quality and lasting value.”[1] When we talk about Vintage “Future Skills”, we look at the skills that our parents and their parents took for granted. These were skills that were considered ordinary and every day. These skills were learned, practised and developed from a young age without anyone necessarily being conscious of them. They were the cultural norm and standard of the day. From my perspective, Future Skills are a return to the skills of the past. They are timeless skills. Skills that allow us to interact and engage with other people effectively.
According to the World Economic Forum, 10 of the top 16 skills needed for the future are going to be soft skills. Skills like communication; social and cultural awareness; persistence and grit.[2] Some of these skills are “vintage” by nature and came naturally to those before us. People that are intentionally developing these skills are unfortunately few and far between. There is a generation coming into the marketplace that is unable to connect and communicate effectively, lack social awareness, patience, endurance and grit. Unless we become purposeful to engage this process of restoration of these skills, we are sitting with a great dilemma in the workplace and in society.
There are so many ‘Vintage’ future skills that we could look at, but we have chosen a handful that we feel, based on research and life experience, are crucially important. Over the next few weeks starting with the topic of Identity Formation, we will begin to unpack the following Future Skills:
Identity Formation
Self-management
Emotional Intelligence
Communication
Teamwork
Adaptability
Collaboration
People who intentionally develop these Future Skills will become more valuable and in high demand.
If you are looking for more information, please visit our website or follow us on Facebook. Keep a lookout for our next few blogs on
Identity Formation.
