In her talk, Leong explained that due to the pandemic, the learning institutions and working industries have shifted the operational mode from physical to online approach, which resulted in online learning classroom and working from home (WFH) as an alternative for learning and working arrangement.

Moreover, she stressed the difference between smart skills and sharp skills. She said, “One needs smart skills to successfully navigate through life, and respond to situations and challenges with intelligence and diplomacy. Meanwhile, the sharp skills are comprised of technical capabilities such as the use of data analytics, optimisation, risk assessment, system dynamics and machine learning.”

Leong explained that smart skills are categorised into ten categories, namely, emotional maturity (the ability to understand and manage your emotions), adaptability (the ability to change in order to suit different conditions), validation (the ability to provide recognition or affirmation on people’s feelings and opinions), strategic and critical thinking (the process of conceptualising, applying, analysing, synthesising and evaluating information to reach a goal and plan for execution), listening (the ability to focus completely on the person’s speaking and understand the message, comprehend the information and respond thoughtfully), managing up (developing good relationship with a superior), followership (the willingness to follow a leader), developing multiple perspectives (to recognise the value and become fluent in understanding multiple perspectives within yourself and your organisation), humility (to recognise your value and other’s value while looking up), and cognitive readiness (the mental preparation including skills, knowledge, abilities, motivations and personal dispositions). She also stressed the importance of these skills to students and working adults to help them to discover more about their abilities and achieve success in both learning and working environments.

Before ending the webinar, Leong advised the participants to practise lifelong learning and explore various activities that can sharpen creativity skills, or adopt new digital tools.

Ms Penny Leong referenced The SmartxSharp Skills from Asia School of Business in collaboration with MIT Sloan. Special thanks to Professor Loredana and Asia School of Business. Professor Loredana Padurean, (2019, April) Enough with Soft and Hard. Let's get Smart and Sharp instead! 

The insightful webinar ended with interactive Q&A sessions. This webinar is associated with SDG 4 - Quality Education as it provides the insights to work effectively during a pandemic and promotes lifelong learning opportunities to participants.