WE LIVE IN EXCITING TIMES

Garry Fissenden, the chief executive of Skills Group, says we live in exciting times, but no matter what changes lie ahead in 2019 business needs to remember it’s still about dealing with people.

He says our society has moved into a time where no one knows the answers anymore.

We don’t know the answers so having a scientific mindset is key. “You have a hypothesis, you test that hypothesis, try experiments and then go.”

He also pointed towards the new skills managers will need in at a time when planning is no longer done for the long term as technological change means no one can predict what is ahead.

This means a focus on people capability and the different ways business can build and attract capability and help them learn.

While there are huge changes happening now such as AI and big data, Fissenden says that throughout history “there are always predictions people will lose their jobs to new technology, but never happens, new roles emerge and we adapt.

“The secret to success is in developing an enquiring mind and remembering you consistently have to deal with people.

“There are now four generations in the workplace and it’s about understanding how to manage, motivate and grow them all.

“It still comes back to attracting and managing and developing the talent and allowing them to grow. And understanding how they can do the job with a sense of purpose.”

He says millennials do not collect possessions, they collect experiences and business needs to plan how to attract, develop and retain these people.

With employment high attracting and retaining staff is going to get harder and harder and business needs to plan around this for the future. it