In today’s tech-driven work landscape, digital literacy is a must. Here’s why!

Tuesday: Return Driven Strategy FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Have you heard of “Return Driven Strategy (RDS)?” If you haven’t yet, RDS is a pyramid-shaped framework that helps firms attain true wealth and value creation. For today, we’ll focus on the individual-targeted counterpart of RDS: Career Driven Strategy (CDS). This framework tackles principles you can personally apply to your profession. In this article, we’ll talk about digital literacy and why it’s important for your career. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

In today’s tech-driven work landscape, digital literacy is a must. Here’s why! Being digitally literate is crucial in today’s post-pandemic work environment due to the fact that businesses are starting to become more tech-savvy in how they operate each day. As a result of this development, employers need employees who know their way around not only on the internet but also in other tasks that require basic knowledge in using digital applications or solutions. So, let’s find out how being digitally literate can help you navigate a tech-driven work environment and jobs market… Firms these days are looking for tech-savvy workers who are proficient in using digital tools and applications. However, the U.S. National Skills Coalition (NSC) found out in 2020 that “approximately 1 in 3 American workers has limited or no digital skills.” The findings above are worrying since this means that there are workers who have yet to adjust to a digital and technological working landscape. According to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, developing digital skills is important for individuals since this enables them to “contribute to their communities, future-proof their careers, and explore a wide range of professional opportunities.” With that said, here are the things you need to do well or have basic knowledge of in order to thrive in today’s tech-savvy work environment: Communicate effectively through the use of online tools The COVID-19 pandemic forced many companies across various industries to shift to remote and hybrid work setups. This major change led employees and industry professionals to rely heavily on online messaging tools like Google Chat and Slack since these applications enable users to communicate with each other remotely. Aside from those platforms, companies also relied on video conferencing applications like Google Meets, Zoom, and Skype to facilitate important meetings and internal training sessions. Needless to say, knowing how to use these digital tools effectively is necessary in almost any role these days. Safely conduct transactions and other activities on the internet Aside from communicating through different tools, employees these days are expected to know how to safely and easily navigate the internet since many work tasks require doing simple web searches or reaching out to potential customers via email. Additionally, most transactions, financial or otherwise, are conducted digitally these days, so basic knowledge of cybersecurity and fraud prevention measures is a must. Possess adequate knowledge of web-based tools that can be used for work or project asks Using web-based tools is incredibly beneficial for accomplishing work-related tasks since these applications augment a professional’s ability to effectively and efficiently process information. Notable examples of web-based tools include Google Workspace, Canva, ChatGPT, Tome, and Atlassian. Knowing how to use these applications and other similar tools is important as these enable you to become more efficient and effective in how you work. Digital Literacy and Career Driven Strategy (CDS) According to Professor Joel Litman and Dr. Mark L. Frigo in the book, “Driven:” “Dynamic threats and opportunities arise for businesses regularly. The adage is that change is a constant. To succeed, business activities need to be continually reevaluated.” This particular passage refers to the importance of constantly reevaluating business activities and processes in order to keep pace with changes that are happening and have yet to happen. Applying this insight from “Driven” to your career means that you always have to evaluate and reevaluate the skills and knowledge you possess about your industry or field. In today’s tech-driven world, knowing your way around technology and its various forms is a must in order to adequately fill a role in any industry. That’s why digital literacy is important nowadays for those who want to thrive in their profession and attain career advancement. Keep the career-driven insights we shared with you in mind as you navigate your way in today’s technologically-driven workplace! Also, if you’re looking to gain a better understanding of Return Driven Strategy and Career Driven Strategy, we highly recommend checking out “Driven” by Professor Litman and Dr. Frigo. Click here to get your copy and learn how this framework can help you in your business strategies and ultimately, in ethically maximizing wealth for your firm. Hope you found this week’s insights interesting and helpful.     Ethically maximizing wealth is Return Driven Strategy’s (RDS) 1st tenet. This highlights the importance of setting boundaries in regards to business ethics and meeting the needs of consumers through specific products or services. Learn more about the importance of ethics in conducting business in next week’s article!