The top work skills you need in the 21st century
summary
Predicts that jobs will change dramatically and argues for investing in durable skills rather than tooling fads, classifying abilities as foundational vs domain skills and showing transfer with a Django/Python example and internal role moves at Google. Recommends specific practices: improve writing and public speaking, practice hard conversations, study cognitive biases via the Linda problem, learn system design, and reproduce research repeatedly to reach mastery. Gives a design win—Kingfisher-inspired Shinkansen redesign—as a concrete example of conceptual creativity.
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chapters (17)
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:00Progress is good for Humanity
- 1:22What skills should we acquire
- 2:00Merlins journey
- 3:27Changing jobs
- 11:23How to find your skills
- 13:53The foundational skills
- 15:41Communication
- 16:10Writing
- 20:22Creativity
- 20:35Conceptual Creativity
- 22:50Creativity is for young
- 24:48Creativity is for older
- 29:57Collaboration and leadership
- 35:15Critical thinking
- 42:13The spectrum of change
- 44:00Questions
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