What are the top three things you are looking for when hiring digital talent?
First, flexibility and adaptability. Digital is always changing — just look at how it’s changed over the past year and a bit through COVID-19. I look for talent who embrace change and relish the opportunity to try new things.
Second, skills on the tools. There are plenty of new tools coming to market. I look for talent who always have their ear to the ground when it comes to new tools, features and methods to get work done more efficiently and effectively.
Third, high emotional intelligence. I don’t want to spend my time working with brilliant a**holes. Emotionally intelligent people are empathetic, self-aware and more likely to be team players.
It is projected that by 2025, the average worker in Australia will need to learn seven new digital skills. In what ways are you addressing this challenge in your workplace?
I’m a big advocate for fostering an environment of continuous learning. This means intentionally creating an environment for the team to learn and upskill in the areas they’re interested in.
One of the best ways to learn new skills is to teach them, so I like to give my team the opportunity to teach, showcase or demonstrate a new tool, workshop or way of working. It’s amazing what you can learn even by simply watching how someone else works.
What can businesses and individuals do to progress in their digital maturity?
Businesses should hire individuals who can educate the rest of the business on the latest digital trends. You can’t expect every executive to become the sole source of information on digital trends. Just hire people who live and breathe digital.
Individuals have access to more information than ever to grow in their digital maturity. Podcasts, eNewsletters, books, YouTube channels, meetups, blog posts — there’s heaps of resources out there. Individuals just need to find out what’s their preferred way to learn, and make it a regular habit.
Learning and upskilling in digital should be a daily exercise — not something you neglect until you really need it. You wouldn’t prepare for a marathon by only running 20km the day before the race — you prepare by building your stamina in regular smaller increments over a long period of time.
Stephanie Shang – Head of Media, Australia, Essence (Group M)
Stephanie heads up the media practice at Essence (GroupM), whose key clients include Google, Airbnb, Vistaprint and more in the Australian market.
Watch Stephanie in our recent webinar, “Digital Transformation Trends for 2021”.