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When it comes to AI implementation, much has been made of the gap between what most workers\u2014particularly the youngest ones, the fresh college grads\u2014have to offer, and what future-minded companies need. On whom, between the employer and the employee, does the onus rest for ensuring workers have the skills they need to be competitive?<\/p>\n
To McKinsey<\/a> partner Anu Madgavkar, it\u2019s both. \u201cIt\u2019s becoming more and more clear that companies aren\u2019t going to find perfect unicorns,\u201d she said during the consultancy\u2019s media day last week. \u201cThis perfect person you\u2019re looking for to fit the slot you had in mind\u2014that person doesn\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n Most hiring managers are realizing that they\u2019ll need to both be able to predict which attributes a candidate has and is likely to have down the line. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s nothing to do with their education or credentials\u2014maybe it\u2019s about things like what experiences they might have had, and using science to predict that, rather than expecting that perfect candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n Given the looming shifts in the workforce landscape, the future could be bleak, even for white collar workers. A McKinsey report from last year<\/a> found that many companies think they have only 5% of the skills they\u2019ll need over the next three years, Brooke Weddle, a senior McKinsey partner, said during a discussion last week. \u201cThat\u2019s a very low number, and just reinforces the case for change.\u201d<\/p>\n The mismatch brings to mind a revolutionary approach to hiring: Leading with skills, or the potential for skills, as has been endorsed by leaders<\/a> at IBM<\/a>, Microsoft<\/a> and Google<\/a>, just to name a few. Skills-based hiring\u2014or even potential-based hiring\u2014is not altruistic, Madgavkar emphasized. \u201cYou have to do that if you intend to fill your talent pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n Leading organizations are much more analytical during the talent selection process, Weddle added. \u201cThey\u2019re really testing for learning agility as a key skill and mindset. Across the board, people want more aptitude in terms of learning mindset.\u201d That also, often, means a revamped workplace culture. \u201cSo many CEOs are talking about the need to instill continuous learning as a mindset across the organization, thinking, \u2018this is how we win in the marketplace.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That trend is likely to only gain steam, Weddle said, because \u201cthe fact of the matter is, even if you get that unicorn today, that\u2019s not the unicorn you\u2019ll need next year. Not without agility and learning.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nSubscribe to the CEO Daily newsletter to get global CEO perspectives on the biggest stories in business.\u00a0<\/span>Sign up<\/a>\u00a0for free.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n