Future-proofing a company takes a lot of consideration and planning.
In business, executives often look for a high probability that their efforts will generate a strong return on investment. That’s becoming more difficult to guarantee in our fast-changing workplaces, where volatility is the norm.
One of the safer bets that leaders can make is investing in people development. Organizations that offer comprehensive training programs for their teams outperform their rivals by 45% in total shareholder returns. [1] By upskilling staff with the foundational skills they need to thrive in the future of work, you’ll be well on your way to unlocking higher performance and building organizational resilience.
As part of our series on 9 Learning & Development Priorities for 2026 [2], I’ll walk you through in-demand core competencies, using research from McKinsey & Company, so you can maximize your upskilling efforts this year.
[3]
Four Upskilling Priorities for 2026
According to McKinsey & Company [4], there are 56 foundational capabilities that staff will need for long-term success. They fall under four overarching themes:
- Digital Skills
- Cognitive Skills
- Self-leadership Skills
- Interpersonal Skills
1. Digital Skills
Living in the age of AI, I bet we all know just how important it is to learn about technology. However, succeeding in the future is not just about building technical skills in new tools. It’s broader.
The three categories under this umbrella include:
- Digital fluency and citizenship – e.g., digital ethics and digital literacy
- Software use and development – e.g., programming literacy and algorithmic thinking
- Understanding digital systems – e.g., data literacy and cybersecurity literacy
Beyond effectively using new technology, successful employees will be equipped to protect themselves and the business as they navigate ethical and security considerations of AI as well as evaluate the applicability of various tools. L&D teams can support by:
- Integrating digital ethics and cybersecurity awareness into training to reinforce safe, responsible use of emerging technologies
- Providing hands-on practice environments where employees can experiment with tools, apply concepts and build confidence without risk
- Delivering ongoing microlearning and tailored resources that keep skills current as technology evolves
2. Cognitive Skills
Cognitive skills are the functions your brain uses to process information, think, remember and pay attention. [5] As change unfolds, these competencies are so important to ensure that staff can problem-solve and respond effectively.
The four elements in this theme are:
- Critical thinking – e.g., logical reasoning and understanding biases
- Planning and ways of working – e.g., agile thinking and prioritization
- Communication – e.g., active listening and synthesizing messages
- Mental flexibility – e.g., creativity and adaptability
Outside of digital competencies, respondents to McKinsey’s survey struggled most with ‘communication’ and ‘planning and ways of working.’ L&D can boost employees’ cognitive skills by:
- Using an Emergenetics essential workshop – Meeting of the Minds [6] or Team Dynamics for Small Groups [7] – to learn how to apply Thinking and Behavioral preferences to improve communication and problem solving
- Offering lunch and learns and discussion groups to boost critical thinking using real workplace scenarios and simulations
- Delivering on-demand tools to support effective work habits, such as prioritization and time-management approaches
3. Self-leadership Skills
These abilities empower people to direct their actions, thoughts and emotions to achieve goals. [8]These capacities help drive intrinsic motivation, and with only about 15% of people being truly self-aware, [9] the majority of your workforce will likely benefit from a focus on self-leadership!
Within this theme, there are three components:
- Self-awareness and self-management – e.g., understanding one’s strengths and self-regulation
- Entrepreneurship – e.g., driving innovation and risk-taking
- Goals achievement – e.g., ownership and decisiveness
To level up self-leadership skills, L&D can support by:
- Investing in professional development tools like the Emergenetics Profile [7] to help employees understand their strengths and what energizes them and their colleagues
- Designing programs that build entrepreneurial thinking, such as innovation labs, pilot projects or experimentation challenges
- Embedding reflection practices like journaling prompts, debriefs or coaching moments into trainings so employees can regularly evaluate their actions, mindset and obstacles to growth
4. Interpersonal Skills
Also known as people skills, these competencies improve how individuals operate in social situations. [10] If self-leadership boosts intrinsic motivation, we can view interpersonal skills as advancing extrinsic motivation because they impact how we work with and influence others. 85% of workers say these talents are extremely or very important in today’s world. [11]
There are three skill categories under this umbrella:
- Mobilizing systems – ex: role modeling and crafting an inspiring vision
- Developing relationships – ex: empathy and sociability
- Teamwork effectiveness – ex: collaboration and resolving conflicts
Even in our AI-driven workplace, relational intelligence remains imperative to performance. L&D teams can boost workers’ interpersonal skills through:
- Organizing Power of WE workshops [12] to strengthen working relationships and collaboration
- Facilitating training in empathy, feedback and conflict resolution, giving employees practical tools to navigate tough conversations and build trust
- Developing leadership programs that prioritize emotional intelligence for newly promoted managers and people leaders
Assess Where to Start
With 56 skills to consider, it can feel overwhelming to decide where to begin. I encourage you to start by aligning your L&D initiatives with business strategy. Below are three quick tips, which you can read more about in our previous blog [13]:
- Review your company’s goals & workforce priorities
- Map skills development to strategy execution
- Involve leadership in defining success criteria
Co-Intelligence: The New Workforce Equation
With so much focus on AI, it’s fascinating that the majority of the competencies people need remain distinctly human. As you look ahead this year, I hope you’ll take this opportunity to turn towards a “yes, and” mindset compared to the “either, or” approach that has been grabbing headlines.
People intelligence and artificial intelligence both have a place in the future of work. Upskilling is the bridge that makes this partnership possible.
How can Emergenetics help you upskill your workforce? Fill out the form below to discuss the possibilities with one of our team members.
FAQs about Upskilling
1. What does upskilling mean?
Upskilling is the process of teaching employees new skills or enhancing existing ones to meet evolving job requirements and workplace expectations.
2. How do I prioritize which skills to upskill my employees on?
Identify which competencies to focus on by reviewing your company’s goals and workforce priorities. Then, map skill needs based on what’s required to execute the defined strategy. Along the way, ensure leadership is involved in defining success criteria. Read more about each of these steps in our blog here [13].
3. Can Emergenetics support upskilling?
Yes, Emergenetics supports upskilling, especially by strengthening people skills and cognitive skills. We focus on improving communication, collaboration, self-management, critical thinking and more. Emergenetics can even help complement your organization’s efforts in AI integration. [14]
4. Why is it still important to focus on people-powered capabilities when there is AI?
While AI can automate tasks and improve many aspects of work, it cannot replace human-centered skills and qualities, including motivation, empathy, creativity or relationship-building. Also, AI often struggles in complex, ambiguous environments. We need human judgment to manage these challenging conditions.
5. How can AI and humans work together?
By embracing a co-intelligence approach. AI can handle the data-heavy, repetitive work, while humans contribute to strategic thinking, emotional intelligence and ethical decision-making. When both are leveraged well, productivity and performance accelerate.