I took a big chunk of time off in January and have spent the last few days catching up (while recovering from jetlag).
One of the things that piqued my interest was a series of articles in Research Live. Articles in which a range of seasoned market research big wigs were asked about what skills and talents will be most in demand during 2023.
“Empathy” said Peter Totman (Jigsaw) and Annie Pettit (E2E Research). They wanted empathy targeted in different directions (at participants) and (employees) respectively but empathy none the less.
Technical skills came up too. So did courage, agility and the ability to keep up in a fast-paced world.
Ben Shimshon (BritainThinks) said calm, wise heads.
I areed with everyone but it got me thinking. What skills and talents will I need this year?
After a bit of thought I picked two things. Neither of them are absolutely essential in my role but I think both of them will enrich my working life more than some of the things that are part and parcel of my being or my day to day working life.
Perseverance
I’ve always admired perseverers. Maybe even envied them a little. Their diligence, grit, determination to complete a task or overcome a challenge isn’t something I was born with. I think this year might be a very challenging year for freelancers. I suspect I may need to hold my nerve and stay focused without losing heart (or confidence). My clients will be facing tough choices and I will need to partner with them in creative, flexible ways while not losing sight of the fact that I work this way because it is fun.
Collaboration
Again, like perseverance this is not something I have to do every day. I choose to work (broadly) on my own but I miss learning from other people and this year I will actively seek out opportunities to work with others, to learn from them and with them. That feels exciting, like the next step in this little evolving business of mine.
Want to know what everyone else thought, the full article can be found here.
