Our 2023 Manifesto: All Eyes on the Skills Revolution and Effective Leadership through Uncertainty
5 min read
As we are heading towards 2023, we are all making plans and prioritizing actions for the coming year. The last three years have certainly been a rollercoaster. Now, it seems we have finally come out of the pandemic after a period of unprecedented challenges that put a spotlight on HR Executives and leadership at all levels. So can this be the right moment to hope for a linear period ahead? Unfortunately, this will not be the case.
The urgent need for mass upskilling to keep track of job evolution, leading through uncertainty, and keeping a close eye on employees' productivity in the face of a possible economic downturn are all challenges that keep the stakes high.
Let us elaborate on these trends and share our vision regarding this new world of work and its dynamics, on which we are committed to making a difference. We are confident our recently announced seed round is a big step forward in advancing our mission. Here are our thoughts:
Skills are the key to transformation. Filling the skills gap will raise challenges for the years to come
We are entering a new world of organizational design where traditional job architecture is becoming obsolete because it cannot keep pace with the fast job evolutions and its new in-demand skills nor with the new models of work that include freelancing, contingent workers, and cross-project collaboration. Instead, the more dynamic and flexible approach that places skills and human capabilities at the heart of talent strategies is taking the ground.
The skills revolution is already becoming a major shift in the labor market. Visibility over skills at the organizational level helps companies prioritize skills-building initiatives to ensure their people are equipped with the right set of skills and knowledge. At the same time, career mobility is a fundamental way to boost retention.
Our mission at Nestor is to help organizations develop and retain talent in the new hybrid world by creating a common language for skills at work. To do this we build talent software that enables people leaders to build agile people strategies to match the fast-changing business needs. Our People Intelligence Platform offers workforce visibility over employee skills and capabilities, engagement, performance, culture, and career mobility and is emerging as the new must-have in the new world of work.
Skills were a hot topic last year, and their significance will only grow in 2023, taking the central stage of HR strategies. We fundamentally believe that skills should be the foundation of any coherent talent strategy, including hiring, workforce planning, performance, career development, learning, and compensation. Leveraging skills allows us to unveil the unique potential of people.
Each employee is unique, and this belief is at the core of everything we do at Nestor. We envision a world where every employee has the right opportunity at the right time to continually develop and improve the skills that will help them succeed.
More than ever, people want to have a say about their work and development and want to be part of companies where their careers have clear paths forward. Almost all employees are looking for a growth path within their careers, and 44% of employees feel like their current companies don’t offer compelling career paths.
At Nestor, we help HR executives and leaders make an impact on employees’ development and solve one of the top priorities for people today: unveiling flexible and personalized career paths to grow inside the company.
With Nestor, each employee is empowered to take ownership of their own development, access new growth opportunities, get involved in cross-functional initiatives, access large-scale projects, and learn new future-fit skills that will help them to succeed. By enabling career mobility, we help create engaged and motivated workforces while planning for the future.
Leading through change and uncertainty is here to stay as we will continue to face disruption
Next year, the prospectus of a potential recession will bring even more challenges. HR executives and leaders will have to find the right balance between possibly cost-cutting measures, further investing in talent and leadership development, and enhancing employees’ productivity.
Some companies may be reluctant to invest in talent during an economic downturn. Still, we think it’s important not to lose sight that these periods are only limited. Moreover, this is the time when people need to be more productive than ever, and tailored development plans may help people perform at their best.
On the other hand, executives will have to ensure clarity around organizational goals while having a clear picture of the critical roles in the organization and the related skills. Managers will play multiple hats assuming a business role, people managers, psychologists, mentors, and role models so they will also need support to enhance their leadership skills and lead people through uncertainty.
To successfully manage so many challenges, leaders will have to be authentic and adaptive and enhance a more human-centric leadership style. This means putting people at the center, understanding their needs and their unique potential, helping them perform at their best, and ensuring they have visibility about their role across the organization and the means to access the best-fit career opportunities to go further.
Provide personalized guidance, and help people navigate their careers through meaningful development opportunities and by enhancing their skills and competencies to create organizational value with the help of a People Intelligence Platform.
To learn more about what it takes to retain people and help them succeed in the new world of work, find out how a People Intelligence Platform can help.
