In my last column, I identified the top competencies that digital organizations had to build over time.  In order to jumpstart the progress towards these competencies, there are top skills that business professionals, technology professionals, and entry-level workers would ideally possess.  Even if the skills are not complete, effort to acquire them is what most organizations will be looking for in the future.  Here are the top seven skills by category. 

Business Professional Expertise

1. User Experience Design
2. Data Leverage
3. Business Architecture
4. Domain Knowledge
5. Business Analysis
6. Project Management
7. Application Specification or Development

Technology Professional Expertise

1. Logic & Creativity Combination
2. Mobile & HTML5
3. Android Development
4. IOS Development
5. Hadoop
6. Social Media
7. Project Management

Entry-Level Hire Expertise

1. WiFi Setup & Operations
2. Cloud Backup
3. Photo Editing or Video Editing
4. MS Office or Google Drive
5. Website Configuration
6. Basic Coding
7. Individual Branding via Social

Net; Net

Organizations looking to compete in the new digital era will be picking people that can get them there, so this is my initial shot at the skills that will be valued today.  Over time these are likely to shift as the race for digital differentiation intensifies.  Security is the one area that supersedes and is one of the primary needs in the digital world we are creating.

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