Prelims

Half Title Page

The Skills Advantage

Endorsements

Skills have become the new currency of work. When people are aware of skills required, apply new skills, and act with agility, they deliver high performing organizations. This excellent book offers insights and tools for reskilling that help people and organizations be effective.

— Dave Ulrich , Rensis Likert Professor of Business, University of Michigan. Partner, The RBL Group

The Skills Advantage provides a timely and comprehensive guide to addressing the challenges of reskilling in today's dynamic business landscape. Anish’s dual perspective as a business leader and practitioner creates a holistic approach that aligns skilling efforts with strategic goals. The emphasis on collaboration across HR teams and practical insights from successful organizations make this book an invaluable resource. This is a must-read for leaders seeking to drive impactful reskilling initiatives and individuals looking to thrive in the evolving world of work.

— Dr Marshall Goldsmith is the Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.

In ‘The Skills Advantage', Anish Lalchandani takes his readers on a journey of exploring the building blocks necessary for business success in a rapidly evolving age of AI and digital disruption. Starting with an introduction that sets the stage for why new thinking in skills development is crucial, the book puts theory into action. It covers the entire spectrum of strategies from skills identification and development to deployment and measuring effectiveness, providing readers with actionable steps to implement a successful reskilling transformation in their organizations. The author’s deep business expertise combined with a forward-looking perspective make the book an actionable guide and a must have resource for professionals seeking to lead their organizations in today’s fast changing world of business.

— Dr Anna A. Tavis , Department Chair, Human Capital Management, New York University

Do you know that the skills you learned today will be obsolete in four years? Do you know how to identify and acquire the skills that are in demand and will make you successful? Do you know how to use data and AI to help you learn faster and better?

If you answered no to any of these questions, you need to read this book. It will teach you how to use data and insights to focus your reskilling efforts and measure your progress.

It is time to rethink your career as a series of skill-based projects and opportunities. This book gets you started.

— Abhijit Bhaduri, GM, Global L&D, Microsoft, Author of Career 3.0 & LinkedIn Top Voice with a million followers

Combining human-centered design principles, research, and broad industry insights “The Skills Advantage” is a compelling read with a reflective approach, examining how skills shape the future of work. The book equips HR professionals (and beyond) with practical frameworks to navigate change. Highly recommended read for leaders seeking to embrace the skills revolution, the book offers actionable insights and encourages thoughtful introspection for driving adaptive and people-centric strategies in the face of disruption.

— Karina Cuello – Global Head of Talent, Careers, JLL

This timely book makes a compelling case for the importance of reskilling and upskilling people for the future: a must-read for any business leader interested in future-proofing their talent

— Tomas Chamorro Premuzik, PhD, Chief Innovation Officer at ManpowerGroup and Professor of Business Psychology at University College London

Many companies have talked about creating a ‘Skills First’ approach with their workforce but struggle to understand the practical steps required to take and sustain that position.

Anish Lalchandani gives a comprehensive and complete picture of what that involves not least by reflecting on powerful cross sector industry insights that provoke ‘Aha’ moments. Implicit in all of his thinking is the mindset shift and culture change required for traditional line managers to become effective people leaders.

I can thoroughly recommend The Skills Advantage for the curious HR or Business Leader interested in understanding what’s required to make the ‘Skills First’ shift a worthwhile and relevant change in their organisation.

— Stephen Lochhead, Chief Talent, Culture and Learning Officer ex Expedia, Unilever, Walmart & Standard Chartered Bank

As the world pivots from jobs to skills as the currency of work, this insightful book gives us the road map for navigating this complex yet essential journey.

— Ravin Jesuthasan, Bestselling Author and Globally Recognized Thought Leader on the Future of Work

In this convergence of humanity with a programmatic approach to skills, Anish challenges the very idea of work and lays down inclusively practical strategies that connect people's authentic value with work.

— Giselle Mota, Chief of Product Inclusion, ADP

In the future, the ability to reskill and upskill will be an advantage for organizations, countries, and individuals. The emphasis on awareness, application, agility, and alliances will be cornerstones of a vision for a healthier talent ecosystem. As a Global Talent Leader, Anish is perfectly positioned to guide leaders on how to develop a successful reskilling strategy.

— Andrew Spence, Publisher of Workforce Futurist

As change accelerates in the world of work, reskilling of the workforce is an imperative. Organizations need the skills to upskill and reskill. This excellent book provides the knowledge, insights, and frameworks for those serious about delivering the agile response required to meet the reskilling challenge.

— Dr Simon Mac Rory, award winning author, Academic and CEO of the Guardian Service Ltd.

In this book, Anish provides a compelling argument for a laser-like focus on upskilling and reskilling our current and future workforces. His practical advice will guide all groups involved in skills development to ‘stay within the rails’.

— Charles Jennings, Director, Duntroon Consultants and Co-Founder, 70:20:10 Institute

Title Page

The Skills Advantage

A Human-Centered, Sustainable, and Scalable Approach to Reskilling

By

Anish Lalchandani

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL

First edition 2024

Copyright © 2024 Anish Lalchandani.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

Reprints and permissions service

Contact: www.copyright.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters' suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83797-265-4 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83797-262-3 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83797-264-7 (Epub)

Dedication

To all those who are courageously reskilling.

List of Figures and Tables

About the Author

Anish Lalchandani is an internationally recognized HR Leader, Author, and Global Thought Leader. He is renowned for his innovative approach to people development, skills, culture, and transformation. Over the past two decades, Anish has been shaping the future of work by strategically connecting insights and trends and developing strategies for a future-ready workforce.

A distinctive impact of Anish's work extends from developing experiential learning initiatives focused on people development to accelerating talent and enhancing leadership capabilities. His work encompasses talent development and integrating sustainable diversity and inclusion practices across multiple industries.

Throughout his remarkable career, he has held generalist, specialist, and transformational leadership roles at some of the world's most prestigious organizations, such as A.P. Moller Maersk, Standard Chartered Bank, Jones Lang LaSalle, General Electric, and other organizations. He is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD Institute, a certified Coach (ICF, ACC), and a Mental Health First Aider (MHFA, England).

Anish is recognized as one of the Top 25 Thought Leaders on HR and the Future of Work by Thinkers360, Top 200 biggest voices in Leadership by Leadershum, featured on the 2023 Asia HRD hot list and HR Global 100 by HRD. He is a sought-after speaker on future skills, workforce transformation, and talent management, and his thought-provoking talks inspire audiences and drive meaningful conversations.

In addition to his corporate journey, Anish extends his leadership to nonexecutive roles, serving on boards and committees for organizations such as the Bone Marrow Donor Programme, Singapore and the Singapore Institute of Directors.

Based in Singapore for the last 17 years, Anish's career has taken him across Asia, Europe, and the United States. These experiences have enriched his global outlook and deepened his appreciation for diverse cultures.

Learn more about Anish Lalchandani at www.anishlalchandani.com

Acknowledgments

Like a complex LEGO set, each unique mind's contribution fits seamlessly, creating an extraordinary whole. Heartfelt thanks to all, driven by curiosity and a deep connection to skill building – your insights are priceless. Your presence to listen, challenge, inspire, and support has been the bedrock of this journey.

Thank you, Mona Mourshed and the team from Generation; Charlie Kim, Megan Messenger and the team from Next Jump; and the Unilever team and many others for taking the unconventional steps to build a human-centered, sustainable, and scalable approach to reskilling and upskilling and allowing the world to be inspired by it.

I am deeply honored and privileged to gain insights from Dave Ulrich, Abhijit Bhaduri, Anna Tavis, Charles Jennings, Andy Spence, Sharmi Surianarian, Shaun Temby, and Anneli Rautianen. My gratitude goes to many other organizations and leaders referenced in the book who continue to push the boundaries of sustainable and innovative approaches.

My colleagues at A.P. Moller Maersk and former colleagues at Standard Chartered Bank for their continuous encouragement and invaluable insights throughout this journey, drawing upon their vast experiences. Being able to work with you all is a truly humbling experience. In particular, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to David Adrian for dedicating his time to read the entire manuscript, offering constructive feedback and providing ongoing encouragement.

A huge shout-out to my literary agent, Chris Newson, for taking this book to a global stage and for your ongoing guidance. Thank you to my book coach, Supriya Jain, for adding the fun challenge of making the book engaging and saving it from becoming a dull textbook. I have developed my writing skills and applied them with joy and excitement throughout this journey!

I am indebted to the team at Emerald Publishing: Madison Klopfer, commissioning editor at the time to believe in the project; Nick Wallwork, Lydia Cutmore, Aruna Amirthalingam, Varsha Velmurugan, and the entire team for listening to my never-ending questions and accommodating all my special requests; and Mike Hill for the amazing book cover.

Thanks to all of you who participated in the Skills Survey, engaging in countless interviews and discussions to generously share your perspectives. Your contributions have been instrumental in illuminating the challenges and complexities, and I appreciate your undying passion to shape the future collectively.

Most importantly, I'm deeply grateful to my family and friends for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout this book-writing journey. Hema, my dear wife, thank you for being my sounding board for all these wild ideas and being relieved that the book is finally complete. To my son, Reyaan, watching your daily growth is awe-inspiring. Stay endlessly curious and never hesitate to bombard us with those “why, why, why…” questions.