REMOTE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

This page has been created to help the large number of people who find themselves at home and unable to perform the bulk of their job, and for those who are without work entirely.

For those who thrive with structure and want to use their time in a way they feel is productive, this is a good time to improve on or learn new skills that will help you when you get back to work. There are a wealth of courses and other resources available to you at all kinds of price points.

We’ve divided the resource lists into two sections:

Future Skills

Based on a wide body of research telling us which skills will be increasingly important as technology continues to change the workforce

Sales Skills

For those that can no longer meet their customers face-to-face (and those who were always virtual too!)

Our team has researched and vetted the list below to provide you with targeted, reputable learning opportunities.

Future Skills

Based on a wide body of research telling us which skills will be increasingly important as technology continues to change the workforce

Adaptability / Mental Elasticity / Agility

varied duration | Free (Blog)
Top Trends in Agile You Can’t Miss in 2020

varied duration | Free (Podcast)
The Agile World

5 mins | Free (Article)
How to become an 'elastic thinker' and problem solver

5 mins | Free (Article)
The Elastic Brain: The Most Important Thinking Habit Nobody Taught You

1 hr| $50 CAD (Online Course)
Strategic Agility

1 hr| $45 CAD (Online Course)
Cultivating Mental Agility

7 hrs, 49 mins | $39 CAD (Book)
Agility: How to Navigate the Unknown and Seize Opportunity in a World of Disruption

7 hrs, 35 mins | $18 CAD (Book)
Elastic: Flexible Thinking in a Time of Change

21 hrs | $495 USD (Organization/Certification)
PMI Agile Certification


Business Acumen

varied duration | Free (Videos)
The Top 10 Best TED Talks for Business Leaders

3 mins | Free (Article)
6 Ways to Improve Your Business Acumen in 2020

varied duration | Free (Blog)
Business Acumen

varied duration | Free (Podcasts)
10 Podcasts to Help Build Your Business Acumen

varied duration | Free (Podcasts)
Build Business Acumen Podcast

20 mins | $95 USD (Online course)
Understanding Business Fundamentals

1 hr, 7 mins | $30 CAD (Online course)
Understanding Business Fundamentals

1 hr, 15 mins | $40 CAD (Online course)
Business Acumen for Project Managers

varied duration | $25 CAD (Book/eBook)
Seeing the Big Picture: Business Acumen to Build Your Credibility, Career, and Company

varied duration | $28 CAD (Book/eBook/Audio)
What the CEO Wants You to Know: How your Company really works


Critical / Analytical Thinking

4 mins | Free (Video)
5 Tips to Improve Your Critical Thinking

5 mins | Free (Blog)
Analytical Thinking: Why You Need It and How to Get Better

varied duration | Subscription (Podcast)
Critical Thinking Initiative

1 hr | Free (limited time) (Online course)
How to be Successful: Create A Growth Mindset For Success

13 hrs | Free (limited time) (Online course)
Mindware: Critical Thinking for the Information Age

1 hr, 30 mins | $155 CAD (Online course)
Being Strategic: Thinking and Acting with Impact

1 hr | $105 CAD (Online course)
How to be Successful: Create A Growth Mindset For Success

20 hrs | $105 CAD (Book/eBook/Audio)
Thinking, Fast and Slow


Data Literacy

12 mins | Free (Video)
Why everyone should be data literate

varied duration | Free (Podcast)
Top 15 Big Data Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020

varied duration | Free (Podcast)
DataCrunch Curated Podcasts

varied duration | Free (Organization/Blog)
The Data Literacy Project

varied duration | Free (Organization/Blog)
Data Literacy

1 hr, 39 mins | $55 CAD (Online course)
Learning Data Analytics

1 hr, 17 mins | $40 CAD (Online course)
Data Analytics for Business Professionals

45 mins | $45 CAD (Online course)
Design Thinking: Data Intelligence

5 hrs/4 weeks | Free (limited time) (Online course)
Healthcare Data Literacy

11 hrs/ week | Free (limited time) (Online course)
Executive Data Science Specialization

varied duration | $51 CAD (Book/eBook)
Data Literacy: A User's Guide 1st Edition

Decision-Making

varied duration | Free (Video)
Playlist-- Talks to watch when you have a big decision to make

5 mins | Free (Blog)
Finding the One Decision That Removes 100 Decisions (or, Why I’m Reading No New Books in 2020)

varied duration | Free (Podcast)
Decisions Decisions Decisions

47 mins | $45 CAD (Online course)
Decision-Making Strategies

3 hrs | $130 CAD (Online course)
Decision Making: Solve Problems with Emotional Intelligence

10 hrs | Free (limited time) (Online course)
Design Thinking for Innovation

5 hrs | Free (limited time) (Online course)
Effective Problem-Solving and Decision-Making

Empathy

varied duration | Free (Podcast)
Top 15 Emotional Intelligence Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020

varied duration | Free (Blog)
Top 30 Emotional Intelligence Blogs & Websites To Follow in 2020

varied duration | Free/subscription (Organization)
6seconds.org

varied duration | Free/subscription (Organization)
Society of Emotional Intelligence International

varied duration | Free (Organization)
The Emotional Intelligence Network (group)

33 mins| Free (Organization)
Learn Emotional Intelligence, the Key Determiner of Success

44 mins| $55 CAD (Organization)
Understanding and developing Emotional Intelligence

1 hrs| $180 CAD (Organization)
Using Emotional Intelligence on the Job

13 hrs, 32 mins| $15 USD (Book/eBook/Audio)
Emotional Intelligence

4 hrs, 17 mins| $50 USD (Book/eBook/Audio)
Emotional Intelligence 2.0


Creativity

8 mins | Free (Video)
Reigniting Creativity in Business

varied duration| Free (Blog)
Just Creative Blog list

5 mins| Free (Blog)
8 Ways to Nurture Your Creative Energy in 2020

varied duration| Free (Blog)
Top 15 Creativity Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020

47 mins| $40 CAD(Course)
Creative Thinking

27 mins| Free (Online course)
Take a More Creative Approach to Problem-Solving

2 hrs| $150 CAD (Online curse)
Creativity, Design Thinking, and Innovation for Business

3 hrs| $150 USD (Online curse)
Find out why: The key to successful innovation

varied duration| Free (Group)
NOW GO INNOVATE

14 hrs, 12 mins| $28 USD (Book/eBook/Audio)
Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques

varied duration| $15 USD (Book/eBook/Audio)
Thinkertoys: Create the Future + the Innovation Handbook: Tactics for Disruptive Thinking

Interpersonal Communication

varied duration | Free (Blog)
Top 30 Communication Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2020

varied duration | Free (Blog)
Top 15 Communication Skills Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020

11 hrs| Free (limited time) (Online course)
Improving Communication Skills

2 hrs, 30 mins| $75 CAD (Online course)
Communication and Interpersonal Skills at Work

37 mins| $50 CAD (Online course)
Interpersonal Communication

1 hr, 16 mins| $45 CAD (Online course)
Communicating with Confidence

90 mins| $95 USD (Online course)
15 Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work

8 hrs, 42 mins| $23 USD (Book/eBook/Audio)
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know


Leadership

varied duration | Free (Videos)
PLAYLIST: Tips for inclusive leadership

varied duration | Free (Blog)
Top 100 Leadership Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2020

varied duration | Free (Blog)
12 Best Leadership Blogs You Should be Following in 2020

varied duration | Free (Podcast)
Top 30 Leadership Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020

varied duration | Free (Online course)
Leading With Effective Communication (Inclusive Leadership Training)

41 mins | $45 CAD (Online course)
Leadership Foundations

2 hrs, 30 mins | $30 CAD (Online course)
Leadership: Practical Skills

27 mins | Free (Online course)
Ken Blanchard on Servant Leadership

1 hr | $45 CAD (Online course)
Inclusive Leadership

5 hrs/week | Free (limited time) (Online course)
Leading People and Teams Specialization

5 hrs/week | Free (limited time) (Online course)
Organizational Leadership Specialization

6 hrs | $150 USD (Online course)
The 4 Essential Roles of Leadership

9 hrs, 23 mins | $10 USD (Book/eBook/Audio)
Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

4 hrs, 48 mins | $36 USD (Book/eBook/Audio)
Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow


Diversity / Cultural Intelligence

varied duration | Free (Video)
Playlist: A blueprint for diversity in the workplace

varied duration | Free (Video)
Playlist: Why tech needs diversity

varied duration | Free (Blog)
The Institutional Diversity Blog

3 mins | Free (Blog)
The Importance of Cultural Intelligence in International Business

varied duration | Free (Blog)
Cultural Intelligence Center

varied duration| Free (Podcast)
9 Podcasts That Inspire

27 mins | Free (Podcast)
Episode 118: Cultural Awareness and Cultural Intelligence

39 mins | Free (Podcast)
EPISODE 72 – PRACTICING CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE AS A PM

1 hr | $30 CAD (Online course)
Developing Cross-Cultural Intelligence

1 hr | $50 CAD (Online course)
Managing Diversity

7 hrs/week | Free (limited time) (Online course)
Culture-Driven Team Building Specialization

12 hrs | Free (limited time) (Online course)
Cultural intelligence: Become a global citizen

1 hr, 30 mins | $14 CAD (Online course)
Digital Diversity/Cyber-Citizen/Cross Cultural Communication

1 hr | $95 USD (Online course)
The Diversity Advantage

2 hrs | $150 USD (Online course)
Unconscious Bias: Understanding Bias to Unleash Potential

varies | Free/Subscription (Organization)
Cultural Intelligence Center

varies | $25 CAD (Book/eBook)
Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success

10 hrs, 27 mins | $13 USD (Book/eBook)
The Diversity Delusion: How Race and Gender Pandering Corrupt the University and Undermine Our Culture


Resilience / Perseverance

varied duration | Free (Blog)
Resilience Shift

varied duration | Free (Blog/Book)
The Resilience Way

1 hr, 6 mins | Free (Podcast)
Ep 58: Perseverance in Your Business: How to Keep Going When You Want to Give Up

1 hr, 6 mins | Free (Podcast)
15 Inspiring Podcasts to Encourage Resilience (Infographic)

12 hrs | Free (limited time) (Online course)
Build Personal Resilience

3 hrs | $205 CAD (Online course)
How to Develop Emotional Resilience to Manage Stress

34 mins | Free (Online course)
Building Resilience

54 mins | $30 CAD (Online course)
Enhancing Resilience

8 hrs, 12 mins | $12 USD (Book/eBook/Audio)
Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness

varied duration | $7 USD (Book/eBook/Audio)
What Do You Do With a Problem?


Technology Literacy / Comfort

Sales Skills

For those that can no longer meet their customers face-to-face (and those who were always virtual too!)

Customer Centricity

Virtual Selling

varied duration | $21 CAD (Book)
Virtual Selling: Going Beyond The Automated Sales Force To Achieve Total Sales Quality


Selling Virtually: Metrix has created our own virtual selling program. Contact Rose at rduggan@metrixgroup.com for more details

General Sales

varied duration | Free (Blog)
Top 100 Sales Blogs & Websites To Follow in 2020

varied duration | Free (Podcast)
List of best sales podcasts

varied duration | Free (Podcast)
Make It Happen Mondays

varied duration | Free (limited time) (Online course)
Business Foundations Specialization

varied duration | Free (limited time) (Online course)
The Art of Sales: Mastering the Selling Process Specialization

56 mins | $45 CAD (Online course)
Solution Sales

1 hr, 6 mins | $40 CAD (Online course)
Soft Skills for Sales Professionals

39 mins | $45 CAD (Online course)
Sales: Closing Strategies

varied duration | $299 CAD (Online course)
Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA)

varied duration | Free/Membership (Online course)
National Association of Sales Professionals (NAS)

8 hrs,21 mins | $12 USD (Book/eBook/Audio)
Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide for Starting Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, E-Mail, and Cold Calling (BESTSELLER)


Business Planning

5 mins | Free (Blog)
Business Planning for 2020

varied duration| Free (Podcast)
Business Planning Podcast List

1 hr, 22 mins|$50 CAD (Online course)
Strategic Planning Foundations

4 hrs|Free (limited time) (Online course)
Essentials of Entrepreneurship: Thinking & Action

varied duration|$85 USD (Book/eBook/Audio)
Business Planning: Closely Held Enterprises (American Casebook Series)


Strategic Account Management

varied duration | Free (Blog)
Account Manager Tips Blog

5 mins | Free (Blog)
Strategic Account Managers, Here's How to Amplify Your Efforts

varied duration | Free (Blog)
Key Account Management (KAM)

18 hrs | Free (limited time) (Online course)
Account Management & Sales Force Design

varied duration | Membership (Organization)
Strategic Account Management Association (SAMA)

varied duration | $45.50 USD (Book/eBook/Audio)
Crafting and Executing Strategy: Concepts 21st Edition