Get Ahead: The Top Skills to Develop in Business This Year

Introduction: Why Business Skill Development Matters More Than Ever

Business is moving faster than most people were trained for. Technology evolves, customer expectations shift, and teams are more distributed than ever. The result is simple: what worked in your role last year may not work the same way this year.

Research from the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 suggests that about two-fifths of workers’ existing skills are expected to be transformed or become outdated between 2025 and 2030. That is not just a technology story. Employers also highlight human skills such as analytical thinking, resilience, and leadership as increasingly essential.

Continuous skill development is now a business necessity because it reduces risk. It helps teams make better decisions with imperfect information, communicate clearly across time zones, and adapt when priorities change. On an individual level, building skills strengthens performance, increases career advancement opportunities, and makes it easier to step into new responsibilities with confidence.

Organizations benefit too. When employees build future-ready skills, businesses improve execution, reduce friction between teams, and become more resilient during change. A strong skills culture also supports retention because people are more likely to stay where they can grow.

What Are Business Skills and Why Do They Matter?

Defining core business skills

Business skills are the abilities that help you deliver results in an organization, regardless of your job title. They include how you think, how you work with others, and how you execute.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) groups foundational workplace competencies into areas such as communication, critical thinking, teamwork, leadership, and technology. These categories are useful because they show that strong performance often comes from a blend of technical, professional, and leadership capabilities.

A practical way to think about business skills is in three layers:

• Technical skills: role-specific capabilities like using tools, systems, or specialized methods.
• Professional skills: transferable abilities like communication, problem-solving, public speaking, planning, and collaboration.
• Leadership skills: influencing outcomes, guiding others, making decisions, and building trust.

No matter where you sit in the org chart, these layers work together. A strong analyst still needs to communicate insights clearly. A great marketer still needs data literacy. And a project lead still needs time management and influence.

The shift from static roles to adaptable skill sets

In many industries, job roles are evolving faster than job titles. The title might stay the same, but the expectations change as new tools, new channels, and new customer behaviors emerge.

The World Economic Forum’s skills outlook emphasizes that employers increasingly value a mix of cognitive skills, self-management, and collaboration. That shift rewards people who can transfer skills across projects, learn quickly, and adjust their approach as the environment changes.

Transferable skills act like a career safety net. They help you move from one role or team to another, support better cross-functional work, and reduce ramp-up time when priorities change.

Skill Category 1: AI Literacy and Responsible Use

Why AI literacy is now a core business skill

Artificial intelligence is no longer limited to technical members. AI-powered tools are increasingly embedded in everyday business workflows (e.g. supporting writing, research, analysis, customer interactions, and decision-making). As a result, employees across functions need a baseline understanding of how to use AI tools effectively, responsibly, and critically.

According to the World Economic Forum – Future of Jobs Report 2025, AI and data-related digital platform capabilities are among the fastest-growing skill areas globally, with employers expecting a significant share of the workforce to require AI-related upskilling by the end of the decade. The report highlights that a substantial portion of job roles will change as AI adoption accelerates, making AI literacy a foundational skill rather than a niche one.

For businesses, this means competitive advantage in an evolving business landscape increasingly depends on how well employees can work with AI tools.

Skill Category 2: Strategic Thinking and Problem-Solving

Why strategic thinking drives business outcomes

Strategic thinking is the ability to see beyond today’s tasks and make choices that help the business win over time. It requires understanding priorities, trade-offs, and second-order effects, not just completing the next item on a list.

The Future of Jobs Report 2025 identifies analytical thinking as the top core skill employers consider essential. That makes sense because leaders and teams are constantly deciding what to do next under uncertainty: where to invest, what to stop doing, and how to respond to change.

Strong strategic thinking includes decision-making discipline. You define the goal, clarify constraints, explore options, and choose a path with measurable indicators.

Decision-making in uncertain environments

When you cannot predict the future perfectly, the best decision-makers use scenarios, assumptions, and fast feedback loops. They aim to reduce uncertainty step by step rather than waiting for perfect information.

Structured problem-solving approaches

Problem-solving becomes more valuable as work becomes more complex. The goal is not to be the smartest person in the room. The goal is to solve problems in a way that others can follow, trust, and repeat.

A structured approach often includes defining the problem clearly, gathering the right data, identifying root causes, testing solutions, and tracking outcomes. This reduces guesswork and makes improvements measurable.

Employers consistently value problem-solving skills. In NACE’s Job Outlook 2025 survey, problem-solving and teamwork appear at the top of what employers look for on a resume, which signals how widely these essential skills transfer across roles.

Critical thinking and logic as competitive advantages

Critical thinking is what keeps teams from moving fast in the wrong direction. It helps you evaluate evidence, challenge assumptions, and avoid common traps like confirmation bias or rushing to solutions.

Skill Category 3: Communication and Collaboration

Why communication is a core business skill

Communication is how work moves. Even the best ideas fail when they are not understood, adopted, or acted on.

Data from NACE’s Job Outlook 2025 report shows employers look closely for communication skills, including written and verbal communication, along with teamwork and initiative. In practice, communication is often what separates a high performer from a top contributor who can scale impact through others.

Clear communication also protects time. It reduces rework, prevents misalignment, and helps teams make decisions faster.

Clear writing and presenting for influence

Writing is a leadership tool. A short, clear message can save hours of meetings. When you write, aim for a simple structure: context, decision needed, options, recommendation, and next steps.

Collaboration in hybrid and cross-functional teams

Collaboration is no longer limited by office walls. Teams often work across departments, time zones, and tools. This makes coordination, clarity, and handoffs critical.

Microsoft’s Work Trend Index research highlights the rise of an “infinite workday,” including frequent digital interruptions and more work happening outside traditional hours. That reality increases the need for strong collaboration habits such as clear ownership, well-run meetings, and thoughtful async communication.

The best collaborators do three things consistently: they listen actively, clarify expectations early, and make progress visible so others can engage.

Active listening, conflict resolution, and teamwork

Collaboration is not just being nice. It is working through disagreement productively. Active listening and conflict management help teams protect relationships while still making hard decisions.

Skill Category 4: Digital and Data Literacy

Digital fluency as a baseline expectation

Digital literacy is now baseline, not optional. Most roles require comfort with tools for communication, documentation, workflows, and basic automation.

The Future of Jobs Report 2025 highlights rapid growth in technology-related skills, including AI and big data, cybersecurity, and technological literacy. This does not mean everyone must become a data scientist. It means everyone needs enough fluency to work effectively in a digital environment.

Digital fluency includes knowing where information lives, how to collaborate in shared tools, and how to protect data through good security habits.

Using data analysis to make better decisions

Data literacy is the ability to read, interpret, and question data in a way that improves decision-making and reduces reliance on assumptions or opinions. In practice, this means being comfortable asking questions such as: What does this metric actually measure? What changed over time? What action should we take if this number shifts?

According to research cited by IBM, 40 percent of business leaders reported reduced productivity and 39 percent cited inaccurate decision-making as key risks associated with low data literacy. These findings highlight how gaps in data skills can directly undermine performance and strategic outcomes.

When employees understand data context, limitations, and relevance, decisions are more likely to be grounded in empirical evidence rather than intuition. Strong data literacy enables teams to identify meaningful trends earlier, challenge weak assumptions, prioritize actions based on measurable impact, and clearly explain trade-offs when making recommendations.

Practical ways to build digital and data literacy

• Learn the dashboards and metrics your team uses most, then practice explaining them in plain language.
• Use simple experiments: change one variable, measure impact, and document what you learned.
• Build AI tool judgment: use tools to draft or summarize, then verify accuracy and context before sharing.

Skill Category 5: Adaptability and Learning Agility

Thriving in change-driven environments

Adaptability is the ability to stay effective when the situation changes. It is not about liking change. It is about responding well to it.

The World Economic Forum highlights resilience, flexibility, and agility as core skills employers consider essential. In change-heavy environments, these qualities help you stay calm, prioritize what matters, and keep progress moving even when the plan shifts.

Adaptability is also a team skill. It shows up when teams revisit priorities, communicate updates early, and adjust workflows without losing trust.

Responding to shifting priorities and processes

When priorities shift, update your definition of success. Confirm what matters most, what is deprioritized, and what the new decision timeline looks like.

Building resilience and flexibility

Resilience is not just pretending you are fine. Resilience means having recovery habits: realistic planning, boundaries, social support, and stress management skills.

Developing a growth mindset

Learning agility is the habit of learning quickly and applying what you learn. A growth mindset supports that habit by treating skill building as a process rather than a fixed trait.

Research on motivation and learning popularized by psychologist Carol Dweck emphasizes that people are more likely to persist when they believe abilities can develop through practice, feedback, and effort.

In practical terms, a growth mindset looks like asking: What can I learn from this? What would I do differently next time? Who can coach me? What are the best next steps?

Learning from feedback and failure

Feedback is data. Treat it like a signal you can use to improve. If feedback feels vague, ask for specific examples and suggested behavior changes.

Taking ownership of professional development

Ownership means you do not wait for a perfect training program. You build a plan, schedule practice, and track progress.

Skill Category 6: Leadership and Influence

Leadership skills beyond formal titles

Leadership is not just a job title. It is a set of behaviors that helps people move in the same direction.

Modern organizations often rely on cross-functional work, which requires influence without formal authority. Leadership guidance used in many development programs, such as Cohen and Bradford’s Influence Without Authority model, focuses on earning cooperation through mutually beneficial exchanges and clarity on what others value.

Practical influence includes building relationships early, clarifying shared goals, and making it easy for others to say yes by reducing ambiguity and effort.

Influencing outcomes without authority

Influence comes from credibility, clarity, and trust. If you want support, be specific about what you need, why it matters, and what “done” looks like.

Coaching, mentoring, and supporting peers

Coaching and mentoring scale knowledge across a team. When you share playbooks and feedback, you reduce repeated mistakes and speed up development.

Emotional intelligence and people management

Emotional intelligence supports leadership roles because it helps you understand your own responses and respond well to others. That matters in high-pressure environments where misunderstandings can quickly become conflict.

A widely cited meta-analysis by Joseph and Newman (published in Psychological Bulletin) found that certain emotional intelligence measures relate to job performance, especially in roles that involve higher emotional labor. In plain terms: when your work depends on managing relationships, emotional skills become a performance advantage.

People management basics are not complicated, but they require consistency: set expectations, give timely feedback, remove blockers, and recognize good work.

Self-awareness, empathy, and communication

Self-awareness helps you notice when you are stressed, rushed, or defensive. Empathy helps you understand what others need to do their best work.

Building trust and engagement

Trust is built through follow-through. Do what you say you will do, communicate early when plans change, and make decisions transparent.

Skill Category 7: Time Management and Productivity

Prioritization and focus in high-demand roles

Time management is really decision management. It is choosing what deserves your attention and protecting focus long enough to complete meaningful work.

Research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology task-switching study found that alternating between tasks creates measurable switching-time costs, especially as rules get more complex.

Microsoft’s Work Trend Index research also reflects how constant digital messages and late meetings can stretch the workday. In an always-on environment, prioritization becomes a protective skill, not just a productivity trick.

Managing workload effectively

Start with a short list of outcomes for the week. Then break each into the next smallest actions. If your list cannot fit into available hours, employ negotiation skills early.

Avoiding burnout and inefficiency

The World Health Organization describes burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. The best prevention is often structural: realistic workload, clear priorities, recovery time, and supportive management.

Working smarter with systems and processes

Systems beat willpower. When you rely only on motivation, your results swing based on energy and interruptions. When you rely on systems, you protect the work even when life gets busy.

Simple systems include time blocking for focus work, batching small tasks, and using checklists for repeatable processes. For teams, strong systems include clear documentation, standard handoffs, and shared definitions of “done.”

Leveraging tools and workflows to improve output

Use tools to reduce cognitive load: templates, reminders, project management boards, and shared documentation. The goal is fewer decisions about logistics and more energy for problem solving and creativity.

Balancing speed and quality

Move fast, but not blindly. Define quality standards up front, then iterate with feedback rather than waiting for perfection.

How to Identify Which Business Skills to Develop

Assessing current strengths and gaps

Skill development works best when it is targeted. The goal is not to improve everything at once. The goal is to improve what will unlock your next level of impact.

Start with evidence. Combine self-assessment with feedback from managers, peers, and performance results. Ask: Where do I consistently get strong outcomes? Where do I lose time? Where do others experience friction when working with me?

A useful approach is to identify one “power skill” to deepen (something you are already good at) and one “gap skill” to strengthen (something that blocks your impact).

Self-assessments and performance feedback

Use concrete prompts: “What should I start, stop, continue?” and “What is one behavior that would make working with me easier?”

Aligning skills with role and career goals

Look at the next role you want. What skills does it require regularly? Build those skills in your current role through projects, stretch assignments, and deliberate practice.

Aligning skill development with business needs

The fastest way to grow is to build skills that help the business world right now. When your development solves real problems, effective leaders notice and opportunities follow.

Connect skills to outcomes. For example: communication improves execution speed, data literacy improves decision quality, and strategic thinking improves prioritization. When you can link a skill to a measurable business outcome, it is easier to get support and resources.

Matching individual growth with organizational priorities

Ask your manager: “What outcomes matter most this quarter?” Then choose one skill that will help you contribute to those outcomes more consistently.

How Organizations Can Support Business Skill Development

Creating structured learning pathways

Organizations get better results when learning is structured, relevant, and applied to real work. A pathway gives employees clarity on what to learn, in what order, and how to practice.

Blended learning often works well because it mixes formats such as short videos, quick reference guides, live sessions, and hands-on practice. It reduces overload and helps people apply skills when they need them.

Workplace learning research frequently points to the value of practice and reinforcement. Short, focused learning is also popular because it fits into real schedules.

Industry research from the Association for Talent Development (ATD) has reported strong employee preference for short, digestible learning formats. Microlearning works best when it is paired with practice, feedback, and real tasks.

Encouraging continuous development

A learning culture is built through daily behaviors, not annual training events. Managers play a major role by setting expectations, making time for learning, and recognizing growth.

Coaching and mentorship are powerful because they translate knowledge into behavior. Workplace learning frameworks and HR practice guidance often highlight coaching, mentoring, job shadowing, and on-the-job learning as practical methods for building capability.

Coaching, mentorship, and on-the-job learning

The best development plans include real application: projects, peer reviews, practice sessions, and clear feedback loops.

Conclusion: Building Skills That Drive Long-Term Success

The most valuable business skills are the ones that help you deliver results across changing conditions. Strategic thinking, communication, digital and data literacy, adaptability, leadership, and time management work together as a skill set, not isolated traits.

For individuals, skill development creates confidence, career mobility, and more consistent performance. For organizations, it creates speed, resilience, and a workforce that can handle new tools, new markets, and new ways of working.

The key is intentional, continuous learning. Choose one or two technical or soft skills to build, practice them in real work, ask for feedback, and repeat. Small improvements compound quickly.

Bring Business Skill Development to Life with Intellezy

Skill development is most effective when learning is practical, role-relevant, and easy to apply in real work situations. That’s where a modern, flexible learning approach makes a meaningful difference.

Intellezy supports business skill development through video-based learning and microlearning designed for real workplace application. Teams can build capabilities at scale without overwhelming schedules, while learners can revisit short, targeted lessons exactly when they need support.

In addition to our on-demand video library, we also offer custom learning solutions that help organizations design and deliver training aligned to specific roles, skills, and business priorities. These tailored learning experiences make it easier to address unique skill gaps, reinforce critical behaviors, and support long-term performance improvement across teams.

If you’re looking for a scalable way to build business skills while also having the flexibility to create learning that fits your organization’s needs, get in touch with our team using the form below.