At the NWRC, we often talk about the skills of the future, which aren’t technical, they are behavioral. While technical skills will remain, it’s the soft skills or power skills that take effort. Within the lens of power skills, leadership development is a clear priority for every organization. From the executive team to middle management to individual contributors, leadership training and power skill development are essential for the workforce of the future to be successful.

In a recent report, Udemy Chief Learning Officer Melissa Daimler said, "Power skills have always been an important part of workplace learning and their importance has only grown more urgent as the global workforce navigates the changes of the last few years. Enabling employees to develop power skills related to communication, collaboration, and change leadership is key to building an agile business and a strong company culture."

Daimler went on to say that “the most in-demand skills aren’t just about staying ahead of the technical curve. Skills related to leadership, teamwork, communication, productivity, and wellness are critical to every employee’s performance. This is why it no longer makes sense to call them ‘soft skills,’ as if they represent a less important set of skills in the workplace.” These skills aren’t just nice to have; they’re essential for changing the workplace. They have become known as power skills because Learning and Development (L&D) and HR leaders agree that these skills are what give employees power at work: power to collaborate, power to communicate effectively, power to lead.

The NWRC couldn’t agree more, which is why we're excited to provide access to programs and curriculum and embrace the new era of power skills.