How ready is your team for the next wave of change—AI, new regulations, shifting markets?
When priorities collide, do you know which skills you should focus on first?
Where are you and your team already strong, and where could you use an upgrade?

Welcome to a new episode of Self-Leadership with Dr. Bensmann, where we explore how mastering self-leadership helps you thrive in all areas of our life.
I’m Burkhard Bensmann—a consultant, executive coach, and professor. I work with entrepreneurial people in Germany and abroad, mostly in demanding transition situations.
Today, I invite you to sharpen your own future skills. When I say “future skills”, I don’t mean buzzwords. I mean core abilities you need now and tomorrow—very practical tools you can use in real change situations.
In this episode, I’ll walk you through six selected fields—six future skills that leaders need to master. I’ll explain what each field is, why it matters, and how you can start with small, concrete steps right away.

As a consultant and executive coach, I regularly ask myself: given changing conditions, which abilities really matter? And do we need new skills—or are we simply renaming old ones? Many so-called “future skills” were already essential in the past. They just become more visible when pressure rises.
For this episode, I looked at recent studies from McKinsey, Deloitte, MIT and the Institute for the Future, and then compared them with what I see every week when coaching leaders and teams.
I’ve also been working on self-leadership as a core topic for many years, and I’m pleased that its importance is now widely recognised.
The six fields I’ll share show up again and again—in research and in practice. They connect individual capability, team performance, and the ability to shape change actively rather than just react to it. Let’s start with the first field.

1. Self-Leadership

What it is

Self-leadership is the foundation. It is the set of attitudes and methods you use to lead yourself in a goal-oriented way.
In concrete terms, it means you deliberately steer:

Instead of only reacting to your calendar, emails, and other people’s expectations, you make active decisions: What is truly important today? Where do I say yes—and where do I say no? If your inner direction is unclear, even the best tools and methods won’t help you much.

Three aspects are central here:

Why it matters

Everything else builds on this field. When you are clear about your purpose and you manage yourself well, you’re more resilient—and you upgrade all other skills faster.

Small moves for this week

Reflection question

When was the last time you consciously paused and checked a decision against your values? What guided you?

What it is

In an age of uncertainty, the ability to recognise complex problems and work through them systematically is crucial. You can recognise complex problems by several signs:

In these situations, intuition alone is not enough—you need thinking tools.

Key elements include:

Why it matters

When markets, regulations and technologies shift quickly, guessing is not enough. You need to design solutions with others, adjust as new information appears, and avoid wasting energy on rework.

Small moves for this week

Reflection question

For which upcoming decision is it worth asking now: “What could go wrong—and what can I influence today?”

What it is

Digital competence has become a basic requirement—from confident use of tools to working with artificial intelligence. This does not mean you must become a programmer. It means you are able to organise your work with digital tools so that you:

It also means you realistically assess the opportunities and risks of AI.

Three pieces are important:

Why it matters

New tools appear every month. Being digitally fluent means you can select what really fits, collaborate with AI instead of fighting it, explain your process, and keep your work and your team compliant.

Small moves for this week

Reflection question

Which digital or AI tool could you deliberately test this week—and what do you need to discuss in your team about data protection and ethics?

What it is

Collaboration and communication are at the heart of effective leadership.
In times of decentralisation and diversity, depth matters: as a leader, you need to share information in a way that others truly understand what’s at stake and can contribute—across locations, hierarchies, and cultures.

Good collaboration shows up when:

This is closely linked to what we call psychological safety.

Key elements in this field:

Why it matters

Open, honest conversations keep teams moving. When everyone is included and feels safe, you get better ideas, faster learning and stronger buy-in for decisions.

Small moves for this week

Reflection question

In which meeting tomorrow could you deliberately make space for more diverse opinions—and how will you handle conflict constructively?

What it is

Learning agility is more than attending training courses. It is the ability to continuously turn new experiences into insights—and then adapt your behaviour accordingly.

Adaptability means you don’t cling rigidly to routines you once established. You’re willing to change your approach when conditions change or when better ways become visible.

Two aspects are central:

Why it matters

Your value rises when you can learn quickly and adapt to whatever comes. That’s true for individuals, teams, and whole organisations.

Small moves for this week

Reflection question

What small experiment could you start this week to strengthen your own learning ability—or your team’s?

Signal you’re improving

You reach valuable insights faster, and you can name concrete experiments that changed the way you work.
One company I mentored introduced weekly micro-experiments and used them to launch products faster with less risk.

What it is

Success happens when good ideas are consistently turned into action—and when teams consciously focus on opportunities. This field is about moving from thinking to doing—in an entrepreneurial way. Not every idea becomes a big project, but good ideas get a fair chance to be tested.

Entrepreneurial execution means:

At least two components:

Why it matters

Trying new things is good—but only if you can also deliver. Opportunity without execution is just talk; execution without fresh ideas means you risk falling behind.

Small moves for this week

Reflection question

How often do you actually translate new impulses into practice? Which idea could you test as a small prototype in the next two weeks?

Keep the six field names visible:

Use them as a simple weekly checklist for your own development and for your team.

You can also integrate a check of your future skills into your annual personal planning day—your own yearly strategy retreat with yourself.

As you think about these six fields, consider three short questions:

Future skills are not a fashion. They are everyday abilities you and your team can build step by step.

Start with self-leadership. Make more conscious decisions. Establish rituals of reflection.  

This was today’s episode of Self-Leadership with Dr. Bensmann.
If you found this useful, share it with someone who leads a team.
And before you move on: write down one small step you will actually take this week to strengthen your future skills.

If you want to improve your Self-Leadership: use my book “Self-Leadership. The Key to Being Productive” (second, revised and expanded edition, 2025).

To purchase the book:

BoD Bookshop

Amazon

and your local bookstore!

Music Intro & Outro by Joakim Karud http://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud

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