I’m often asked about the strategies and future skills we need to work towards.
I can sit on panels and nod sagely at WEF reports, Gartner findings, and cherry-picked HBR articles that just so happen to support whatever point I want to make.

It’s so convenient when the things I believe show up in the reports I’ve read.

And when they don’t?
Well, either the report’s an anomaly or (more likely) I haven’t had time to find that one sentence which backs my opinions up.

But what really stands out from is simply that most people, most of the time, just need a way through their real problems.

So let’s redraw the playing field.

Take this phrase I saw in a presentation recently: “Create a culture of continuous skills mapping.”
It sounds strategic.

Important.

Vaguely futuristic.

But what does it actually mean?

Here’s what I think the REAL steps look like:

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Start with Reality
Don’t rely on job descriptions or person specs. Talk to people. Find out what they really do.
Your aim? To tell senior leaders which 20% of skills drive 80% of performance. That’s the map we need to be drawing and the place your organisation is starting from.

Plan the Aspiration
Skills don’t exist in isolation. They sit alongside systems, structures, and strategy.
You can’t plan for what’s next without knowing the business’s actual goals.
“Better collaboration” or “clearer communication” aren’t business targets. You need to find out what they REALLY want to achieve.

Don’t Overengineer It
This isn’t about designing a new bureaucracy.
It’s about being responsive.
If your process takes longer than 10 minutes a month for a manager or employee to engage with, it’s too much.
Try things that fit into flow:
→ Small pilots
→ Communities of practice
→ Masterclasses
→ AMAs with leaders
→ Informal sessions on emerging skills

Find what sticks. Drop what doesn’t.
That’s what a culture of skills mapping actually looks like.

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As always, what are your thoughts? What do you do which works – or doesn’t?

Let me know in the comments.