Now that we’ve gotten a fresh start to a new year, let’s prepare ourselves for the joys and challenges ahead by continuing to learn and grow in something new each week.

Enter the NewCampus Learning Tracks.

Designed to deliver concrete takeaways for up-and-coming managers, the Learning Tracks are a series of live and interactive virtual workshops that aim to instill key leadership skills for the future of work.

In the first half of this two-part series, we look into three of our Learning Tracks which focus on the competencies of communication, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving and why they matter for 2021 and beyond.

Communicate with clarity

We are able to do our best when we begin with the end in mind, and managers who are effective at communicating the organisation’s vision and end goals to their team are able to build better employee relations, improve their team’s productivity and even their problem solving skills.

When managers don’t communicate their goals and plans enough, we are more likely to feel burnout and underperform. Many of us might know the feeling, as one study found that two-thirds of managers are uncomfortable communicating with their employees. 

In the Communicate With Clarity track, the workshops will help you communicate your truth as a leader, be more confident in your delivery, become a more empathetic listener and work effectively in cross-cultural environments.

• Class 1 — Set Your Team Vision
  Learn to clarify your vision when leading teams to keep them motivated and thriving.
• Class 2 — Build Trust Through Active Listening
  Learn to listen actively and respond clearly to form stronger relationships.
• Class 3 — Speak With Confidence
  Portray your intended message through confident speech delivery.
• Class 4 — Reduce Cross-Cultural Barriers
  Improve cross-cultural communication and cultural intelligence to reduce friction and misunderstandings.

Emotional intelligence

While automation and artificial intelligence are posing threats to the future of work, spelling doom for industries like recruitment, accounting and even the legal industry, what will ultimately survive as a key leadership skill is something uniquely human—our capacity for emotional intelligence (EQ). 

So, what will become of the recruiters, accountants and lawyers if AI is expected to take over the jobs? Well, roles for these industries will still exist to some degree, but the managerial skills that empower team’s performance will shift, putting the spotlight on employee engagement and well-being.

Moreover, managers with higher EQ are known to be empathetic leaders who strengthen productivity, boost morale, and reduce employee turnover. In the midst of the pandemic, dealing with employees’ mental health was a big concern for managers. It was shown that managers who exercised empathy were able to give ample emotional support, helping their team ease into an unfamiliar way of working and resume work at the speed of the “new normal”. We’re pretty sure an android manager wouldn’t be great at that.

In the workshops of the Emotional Intelligence Learning Track, we learn how to harness our emotional intelligence to understand ourselves, check our biases and mental blocks, and lead with authenticity and resilience.

• Class 1 — Practice Self-Awareness
  Understand your emotional intelligence and improve the way you show up and perform at the workplace.
• Class 2 — Reframe Negative Thoughts
  Learn how to thrive during uncertainty and develop resilience by reframing your mindset.
• Class 3 — Build Trust Through Vulnerability
  Learn to lead authentically through courage and vulnerability.
• Class 4 — Uncheck Your Bias
  Transform your biases and mental blocks into positive enablers.

Solve complex problems

Great leaders are able to solve hard problems, but they don’t always have the right answers—at least not immediately. To navigate these hard issues and arrive at a solution, especially in an increasingly complex and uncertain world, leaders will need to hone their critical thinking abilities and learn quickly from new information, systems and processes. 

According to the World Economic Forum, critical thinking, along with problem-solving skills, are expected to grow in prominence in the next five years, making complex problem-solving a skill vital for leaders of tomorrow.

In the Solve Complex Problems track, you will learn how to solve complex problems, develop a growth mindset, test with an entrepreneurial hat and think creatively.

• Class 1 — Become a Lateral Thinker
  Develop a knack for thinking outside the box to come up with innovative and creative solutions.
• Class 2 — Cultivate an Adaptable Mindset
  Cultivate a growth mentality to better adapt to tomorrow’s challenges.
• Class 3 — Systems Thinking for Problem Solving
  Get to the root of complex and interconnected problems using a systematic approach.
• Class 4 — Develop Entrepreneurial Thinking
  Put on an entrepreneur’s cap to experiment on new solutions for unknown problems.

Let’s get learning

Your most important work is always ahead of you and never behind you, as Stephen Covey aptly puts it in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. With another year ahead of you, it’s the perfect time to take charge of your development as a world-class manager. 

How will you decide to learn, lead, and grow this year?

To sign up for the NewCampus Learning Tracks, you just need a few minutes to fill in this form here to register for any number of tracks you wish to join.