📈 11 Skills That Will Always Be in Demand (And How to Stack Them) | Habit Chess Newsletter


Hi Reader,

If everything can be built, automated, or outsourced…what’s left for us to do?

Here’s the answer: Skills.

But not just technical skills anymore.

The real differentiators today are soft skills.

The kind of skills that make you adaptable, indispensable, and the person everyone wants to work with.

According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025, 39% of skills required on the job are set to change by 2030, trending towards more human centric skills.

And a staggering 50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025, as the adoption of technology increases.

Think about this: Salesforce, one of the biggest tech companies in the world, aren't hiring any software engineers this year.

Instead, they doubled down on 2,000 salespeople—people who know how to communicate, persuade, and connect.

Even the best at their craft can’t succeed if they lack these critical skills.

You know the type: brilliant but impossible to work with.

Their lack of soft skills can dilute the impact of everything they do.

CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg have said the same thing: the most important skill you can develop is learning how to learn.

It’s the ultimate meta-skill that ensures you’ll stay relevant, no matter what happens next.

But what exactly is a skill?

For this discussion, a skill is a developed ability used deliberately to solve problems, create opportunities, or outcomes.

And in a world where technical tasks are increasingly automated, these human skills are becoming the new hard skills.

In this email, I’ll share 11 timeless skills that will always be in demand.

These are the ones that open doors, build trust, and compound over time.

Plus, I’ll show you how to stack them strategically so they create exponential results.

Let’s dive in.


1. High-Agency

Do you ever feel stuck waiting for things to change as the months and years keep rolling by?

High-agency is the ability to take ownership and create opportunities, even in difficult circumstances. It’s about saying, “If there’s no path, I’ll make one.”

People who take initiative and solve problems are indispensable, especially in a world where automation handles everything else.

High-agency people are rarer than you think.

​Research by psychologist Carol Dweck at Stanford University emphasizes the importance of a growth mindset—believing that abilities can be developed—which aligns with the concept of high-agency.

How It Stacks: Pair high-agency with judgment to make decisive moves, or with emotional intelligence to rally people around your ideas.

Action Step: Pick one area of your life today—big or small—where you’ve been waiting for someone or something else to take the lead. Step in and make your move.


2. Skill Acquisition - Learning How to Learn

The world is changing faster than ever. How do you keep up?

Learning how to learn is the ultimate meta-skill. It’s the one thing that ensures you’ll adapt, grow, and thrive no matter what happens next.

CEOs like Zuckerberg and Jamie Dimon emphasize this skill as the most important for staying relevant in a fast-changing world.

How It Stacks: Combine this with time investing to accelerate growth or with writing to internalize or share what you’ve learned.

Action Step: Pick one skill you’ve always wanted to learn. Dedicate 5-10 minutes a day to be CURIOUS about that skill. Instead of following someone else's curriculum, work on designing your own. Trust that your curiosity will lead the way.


3. Saying No

Are you constantly overwhelmed or burnt out because you’re saying yes to everything?

Saying no isn’t just about declining—it’s about protecting your focus for what truly matters.

In a world of infinite distractions and opportunities, the ability to set boundaries is rare and powerful.

Companies, teams, and leaders value people who know how to focus.

Christina Maslach, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, pioneered research on job burnout, highlighting the importance of setting boundaries to prevent stress and maintain productivity.

How It Stacks: Combine this with time investing to ensure you’re saying no to low-return activities and yes to the things that compound over time.

Action Step: Saying no can help you find what's worth the YES. Ask yourself, "What are 1-3 things I can say no to in order to make space for the yeses?"


4. Time Investing

Are you busy all day but feel like you’re not making meaningful progress?

Time investing is about focusing your energy on high-leverage activities that generate the biggest return—whether that’s learning, building, or creating.

The most successful people treat their time like an investment portfolio. They prioritize long-term results over short-term gratification.

The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, suggests that 20% of activities often produce 80% of results.

Think deeply about what inputs truly generate the outputs you're looking for.

How It Stacks: Combine this with skill acquisition to maximize your learning curve, or with movement to ensure your health fuels your productivity.

Action Step: Track your time for a week with my Notion time tracker. I've used this every work day without missing for over 3 years at this point. You don't have to use it that long. But you'll see how this practice shows you all your inputs at a quick glance in ways that a calendar doesn't always reflect.


5. Writing

Do you struggle to communicate your ideas clearly? Or feel like people misunderstand your vision?

Writing is the foundation of communication. It forces you to think clearly, which makes everything else—like speaking or decision-making—easier.

It's also becoming the core input when talking to machines.

Refining this skill is equivalent refining your thinking.

From emails to scripts to proposals, writing is a skill that scales your influence. It’s the foundation of how we create, persuade, and connect in a digital world.

How It Stacks: Pair writing with storytelling to make your ideas unforgettable, or with judgment to clearly communicate your decisions.

Action Step: Start a daily habit of writing—even if it’s just freewriting or journaling or capturing your ideas as they come. Over time, you’ll sharpen your ability to organize and articulate ideas. Try word mapping as one style or writing. You'll find yourself creating interesting connections out of seemingly unrelated thoughts and associations.


6. Speaking

Do you feel nervous or unsure when presenting ideas in front of others?

Around 75% of the general population says public speaking is their top fear.

Speaking is writing brought to life.

Thankfully it can be developed.

I used to be afraid to talk on my own podcast in 2016 when I first started.

There was always a disconnect between what I wanted to say and what actually came out.

I even did standup comedy for 4 years to really face my fears and shortcomings in this area.

What you learn is that there's no perfect way of speaking that you're trying to mimic. Sure there are structures and frameworks.

But ultimately you're working towards sounding more life yourself.

As Miles Davis, the historic musician, used to say, "It took me years to play like myself."

No matter how great your ideas are, they don’t matter if people can’t understand or feel them. Speaking bridges that gap.

How It Stacks: Combine speaking with emotional intelligence to connect deeply with your audience, or with storytelling to inspire action.

Action Step: Record yourself explaining a concept you love for 60 seconds. Watch it back, refine it, and repeat. This isn't meant to be published anywhere. It's getting comfortable with the idea of practicing speaking on camera. Which applies in interviews, meetings, and everyday scenarios rather than just content production.


7. Storytelling

Do you feel like people tune out your ideas, even when they’re great?

Storytelling is about framing your ideas in a way that captivates, connects, and drives action.

We've seen firsthand the power of how even if something isn't true, the story or narrative can make millions of people believe it is.

We're not trying to use this skill to be dishonest though. We're channeling it to give justice to the ideas we care about.

The same brilliant idea may not be heard if it's not wrapped in the right story. A study published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience found that storytelling activates multiple areas of the brain, particularly those involved in understanding others' thoughts and feelings, making stories more memorable than facts alone.

How It Stacks: Pair storytelling with writing to craft narratives that scale or with judgment to present solutions persuasively.

Action Step: Practice reframing simple events into stories using this ABS structure: And, But, So.

  • And - Context
  • But - Conflict
  • So - Resolution

8. Judgment

Do you feel paralyzed by choices, worried about making the wrong move?

Judgment is about making sound decisions quickly and confidently, even in complex situations.

As Naval says, "Leverage is a force multiplier for your judgement."

When we have everything at our fingertips, our judgement is amplified, for better or worse.

In a world full of uncertainty, anyone who can evaluate options and take decisive action are invaluable. This becomes increasingly valuable under fearful, fast, or unfamiliar situations.

How It Stacks: Combine judgment with high-agency for decisive action or with emotional intelligence to weigh people’s perspectives.

Action Step: Reflect on one recent decision. It can be hard to look back and be totally honest, especially when we're wrong. What worked? What didn’t? Use those insights to refine your process and trust your instincts.


9. Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Emotional intelligence is one of those skills that can seem abstract until you see its impact—or lack thereof—in action.

Imagine a doctor who is technically brilliant: they can diagnose the rarest conditions, execute the most complex surgeries, and consistently save lives.

But their bedside manner is so poor—curt responses, no empathy, and a complete disregard for patient emotions—that patients leave feeling unheard and undervalued.

Despite their technical expertise, this lack of emotional intelligence creates a barrier to trust and connection.

Why does this matter so much?

Because people rarely say exactly what they feel.

Their words often mask deeper emotions, whether it’s frustration, fear, or excitement.

The ability to read between the lines—paying attention to tone, body language, and subtext—is what sets emotionally intelligent individuals apart.

As we get older, this skill becomes even more critical.

Honest feedback—especially the kind that helps us grow—becomes rarer.

Few people will take the time to tell you the hard truths about yourself.

Emotional intelligence allows you to develop that self-awareness independently.

It’s not just about understanding others; it’s about having the clarity to read your own emotions and behaviors, identify patterns, and self-correct.

We also live in a world where emotional intelligence signals something deeper: control of oneself.

It shows that you can manage your own emotions and navigate the emotions of others, even under pressure. This is a skill that can defuse conflicts, inspire teams, and build lasting relationships.

Research by Dr. Travis Bradberry shows that EQ accounts for 58% of performance across all job types, making it a better predictor of success than IQ. It's a skill that keeps paying off, regardless of the field you're in.

How It Stacks: Pair EQ with clear communication to deliver messages that resonate or combine it with good judgment to handle delicate situations with finesse.

Action Step: Try listing out some things you are great at. And a few that could use work. Start using emotional intelligence to play yourself like an instrument.


10. Movement

I spent over a decade working as a fitness coach and specialized in helping people come back stronger after their injuries.

When I was 19, I herniated a disk in my lower back that changed my life for the next year and a half.

Even though I had impressive numbers at the time on big lifts for my weight, I viscerally felt how much work it was to get out of my car.

It showed me how precious movement is. It's the most powerful medicine known to mankind.

I list this as a core in-demand skill because you will always need to get up and down, open jars and doors, and have access to your body.

Too many people have lost the ability to move because they think that's just how it is as they age.

Movement isn’t just about fitness—it’s about creating energy and clarity that fuel all other skills.

It's a domino that makes all the other health aspects easier. You find yourself trying to eat better, sleep better, drink more water, etc.

They say a fit body will be rarer than a Rolex in 5 years. Research from Harvard Medical School shows that regular physical activity improves cognitive function by increasing blood flow to the brain, boosting focus, and creativity.

How It Stacks: Combine movement with time investing to prioritize health or with emotional intelligence to manage stress better.

Action Step: Commit to adding movement throughout your day instead of just a workout. Walk, stretch, or do a quick yoga flow—it doesn’t have to be complicated to make a difference. The idea is to normalize this as a skill you practice OUTSIDE of just workouts.


11. Engineering - Skillfully Arranging for an Event or Situation to Occur

Now I'm not talking about the field of engineering in a traditional sense like software, mechanical, chemical, etc.

Engineering to me is about designing outcomes—arranging people, events, and actions to create the results you want.

In a world of complexity, the ability to orchestrate and anticipate outcomes is invaluable. Think of this as reverse-engineering success. In a world with unlimited access to tools, what's left is to turn those legos into something you find cool.

How It Stacks: Combine engineering with high-agency to take control or with storytelling to inspire collaboration.

Action Step: Pick one outcome. Deconstruct that into all the small steps you can think of. Then arrange the pieces intentionally to make the outcome inevitable.

Outcomes

The world values outcomes. So knowing how to code is a skill, yes. But it's no longer that valuable if the skill isn't channeled towards a specific outcome.

If you combine knowing how to code though, with 3-5 skills from above, you're on your way to being able to own outcomes, which will always be in demand.

These 11 skills are the new differentiators.

They’re how you solve problems, adapt to change, and stand out in a world where everything else can be automated or outsourced.

But here’s the thing: You don’t need to master them all at once. Start small. Pick one. Stack it with another.

Over time, these skills will compound into something extraordinary no matter what you do for work.

Which skill will you start with?

If you enjoyed this, feel free to reply or forward this to someone who it could help.

In your corner,
Misbah Haque

P.S. If you want a hand with starting or growing a podcast, book a free strategy call here.

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Misbah Haque

I write about high agency thinking and skill acquisition.

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