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CVR_PRIN_01_25916.indd 1 16/01/2019 23:19
1 ADAPTABILITY
Being adaptable helps you to embrace change and respond to the unexpected with ease being ready for
potential opportunities and handling setbacks with grace.
2 CRITICAL THINKING
Knowing how to think and work smarter, being more resourceful, creative and collaborative really gets you
places. We’ve got amazing brains – get yours truly working for you.
3 EMPATHY
Never has empathy been so important. Nurturing all your relationships, understanding where other people
are coming from and experiencing how effective it is to live in the present will have an immediate and tangi-
ble effect.
4 INTEGRITY
Trust, values, principles and honesty are valuable in a world of constant change. Integrity helps you to make
decisions and set direction for your life as well as making you stand out.
5 OPTIMISM
Happiness is right at your fingertips every day. No matter what life throws at you, you can respond with posi-
tive action and achieve different outcomes as a result.
6 BEING PROACTIVE
Respond rather than react to whatever is going on around you. Be the captain of your own ship in life through
small every day steps.
7 RESILIENCE
Know how to bounce back from disappointment, rejection and setbacks. Equip yourself with a strong support
network and look after yourself. Resilience has never been so vital.
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F01 7 Skills for the future 59161.indd 2 11/01/19 3:11 PM
Praise for 7 Skills for the
Future
‘It has been a delight to work with Emma Sue; she has so much passion for what she
does. Her workshop and book are excellent and fit particularly well with our core com-
pany values - definitely seven key skills we need for our future!’
Tanya Zuchowski, Learning and Development Manager, CMS Cameron
McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
‘This book is an essential read for technology leaders transforming their people at pace,
and for sale individuals with a growth mind-set, especially in high growth organisations.’
Rob Johnson, FInstLM. Sr Director, ServiceNow
‘A great CV might open a door, but these seven skills will determine your future
success and happiness. This gem of a book will help you to develop these essential
work and life skills.’
Dr Lisa Day, Director of Studies Online MBA, University of Liverpool
‘Emma Sue Prince exemplifies someone who has learnt to bounce back from adver-
sity. Her timely and practical analysis of important life skills shows us how she did it.’
Virginia Isaac, President, Career Development Institute 2015–2017;
Chief Executive, the Inspiring Futures Foundation
‘Life is too important to live it without some guidance; this book is THE guidance
all of us need to flourish in work and beyond.’
Dr. Sarah Mercer, Professor of Language Teaching,
University of Graz, Austria
‘Emma Sue is a consummate professional in the world of soft skills and emotional
intelligence and is highly regarded as a leading authority. In this captivating read,
Emma Sue openly shares details of her own incredible journey into the realms of
self-awareness and developing these crucial skills, and why mastering them is so
critical to achieving your own excellence.’
Hardeep Rai, Founder and CEO, Kaleidoscope Investments
‘Although we are born with these seven skills, it is never too late to improve the way
we use them in life and work. Everyone should buy this book and keep it by their
bedside for reference. This way each of us can continually increase our happiness,
success and well-being.’
Mark Swindell, Founder and CEO, Rock Rail
‘It has been a delight to work with Emma Sue. She has so much passion for what
she does. Her workshop and book are excellent and fit particularly well with our core
company value definitely seven key skills we need for our future!’
Tanya Zuchowski, Learning and Development Manager,
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
F01 7 Skills for the future 59161.indd 3 11/01/19 3:11 PM
At Pearson, we have a simple mission: to help people
make more of their lives through learning.
We combine innovative learning technology with trusted
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wherever and whenever they are learning.
From classroom to boardroom, our curriculum materials, digital
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Every day our work helps learning flourish, and
wherever learning flourishes, so do people.
To learn more, please visit us at www.pearson.com/uk
F01 7 Skills for the future 59161.indd 4 11/01/19 3:11 PM
EMMA SUE PRINCE
7 SKILLS FOR
THE FUTURE
Adaptability, critical thinking,
empathy, integrity, optimism, being
proactive, resilience
Harlow, England • London • New York • Boston • San Francisco • Toronto • Sydney
Dubai • Singapore • Hong Kong • Tokyo • Seoul • Taipei • New Delhi
Cape Town • São Paulo • Mexico City • Madrid • Amsterdam • Munich • Paris • Milan
F01 7 Skills for the future 59161.indd 5 11/01/19 3:11 PM
PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED
KAO Two
KAO Park
Harlow
CM17 9NA
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1279 623623
Web: www.pearson.com/uk
First published 2013 (print and electronic)
Second edition published 2019 (print and electronic)
© Pearson Education Limited 2013, 2019 (print and electronic)
The right of Emma Sue Prince to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The print publication is protected by copyright. Prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a
retrieval system, distribution or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
recording or otherwise, permission should be obtained from the publisher or, where applicable, a
licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom should be obtained from the
Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Barnard’s Inn, 86 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1EN.
The ePublication is protected by copyright and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred,
distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically
permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under
which it was purchased, or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised
distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and the publisher’s
rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of any
trademark in this text does not vest in the author or publisher any trademark ownership rights
in such trademarks, nor does the use of such trademarks imply any affiliation with or
endorsement of this book by such owners.
Pearson Education is not responsible for the content of third-party Internet sites.
ISBN: 978-1-292-25916-1 (print)
978-1-292-25918-5 (PDF)
978-1-292-25919-2 (ePub)
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for the print edition is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for the print edition is available from the Library of Congress
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
24 23 22 21 20
Cover design by Madras
Print edition typeset in 10/14 Plantin MT Pro
Printed by Ashford Colour Press Ltd, Gosport
NOTE THAT ANY PAGE CROSS REFERENCES REFER TO THE PRINT EDITION
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This book is dedicated to my husband
Nick, without whom, writing it would
not have been possible.
It is also dedicated to my Golden
Retriever Oscar who taught me the
real meaning of empathy and who
spent most of his time at my feet whilst
I was writing the second edition.
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F01 7 Skills for the future 59161.indd 8 11/01/19 3:11 PM
Contents
About the author x
Author’s acknowledgements xii
Publisher’s acknowledgements xiv
Foreword xvi
Introduction xviii
The world we are living in 3
1 Adaptability 41
2 Critical thinking 81
3 Empathy 121
4 Integrity 163
5 Optimism 199
6 Being proactive 237
7 Resilience 273
The beginning 310
Notes 320
Index 328
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