According to Friedman, what should be an individual's core competency in a flat world?

Yes, no problem. Regarding the core competencies of individuals as discussed by Friedman in "The World is Flat," let's break it down in plain language.

In the “Flat World,” What’s Your Value?—Personal Core Competencies Through Friedman's Lens

Imagine previously, in your village, being the top runner made you a champion. But now, the whole world has become a vast, flat playing field. Standing beside you are top contenders from India, the US, and Brazil. Everyone wears the same running shoes (the internet) and heeds the same starting gun (global business rules). So, how do you not only avoid being eliminated, but actually stand out?

This is the challenge posed by Friedman’s concept of "The World is Flat." He argues that the old ways—relying on information asymmetry, geographic barriers, and single skills—no longer work. In this all-encompassing competitive environment, an individual’s core competitiveness is no longer a single "skill," but a "combination of abilities" and "mindset."

Specifically, he emphasizes these key points:

1. Be a "Swiss Army Knife," Not Just a "Hammer"

A hammer has only one function: hitting nails. In the past, knowing how to drive nails quickly and expertly could land you a job. But now, there are too many nail-drivers, and even machines can do it better.

So, you can’t just be a hammer. You need to be like a Swiss Army knife, possessing multiple seemingly unrelated functions that become immensely powerful when combined. Friedman calls this person a “Synthesizer.”

What does this mean? It means you not only understand A, but also B, and crucially, you can combine A and B to create C.
For example:
- A programmer who only codes might be replaced by a cheaper programmer in India.
- A designer who only draws might be replaced by AI art tools.
- But someone who understands programming, design, and user psychology can create an app that’s both user-friendly and visually appealing. This person is the “Synthesizer,” and they are hard to replace.

2. Learn to "Collaborate," Especially with "People Who Are Different"

In a flat world, your colleagues could be on the other side of the planet, with completely different cultural backgrounds and ways of thinking. Working alone doesn't cut it. So, “Collaboration skills” become critically important.

This isn’t just about being “nice,” but:

Knowing how to communicate: Clearly express your ideas and accurately understand others.
Knowing how to coordinate: Rally people from different departments and cultural backgrounds towards a common goal.
Knowing how to build trust: Establish trust for remote work even when you cannot see each other.

Simply put, your emotional intelligence and communication skills must keep pace with this era of global cooperation.

3. Your "Right Brain" Needs to Outpace Your "Left Brain"

Friedman offers an interesting perspective: he believes the future belongs to the “right brain.”

What does the left brain handle? Logic, sequence, calculation, routine tasks. These are the easiest to standardize, outsource, and automate. Think accounting or assembly line work.
What does the right brain handle? Creativity, empathy, synthesis, art, storytelling. These are hard for machines and AI to replicate.

Therefore, your core competitiveness should lie in:

Creativity: Can you generate ideas others haven't thought of?
Empathy: Can you understand a customer’s deepest unspoken needs?
Big-Picture Thinking: Can you step back from the details to grasp the whole picture and future trends?
Storytelling: Can you package a product or idea into a compelling story that resonates and wins people over?

4. Curiosity + Passion > IQ (CQ + PQ > IQ)

This is a formula Friedman strongly advocates. He argues that in an era of rapid knowledge obsolescence, what you know today will soon be outdated.

IQ (Intelligence Quotient) matters, of course; it determines your speed of learning.
But CQ (Curiosity Quotient) and PQ (Passion Quotient) are even more crucial.
- CQ (Curiosity Quotient): Do you have an innate drive to understand new things? Do you proactively seek out learning and exploration?
- PQ (Passion Quotient): Do you have genuine passion for what you do? Does this passion fuel your perseverance through challenges and drive continuous mastery?

Put simply, it's the capacity for “lifelong learning.” What propels your learning isn’t a boss's demand, but your own curiosity and passion. Only then can you remain relevant in an ever-changing world.

To Summarize

Friedman contends that in a flat world, an individual’s core competitiveness is no longer a traditional, secure "iron rice bowl" skill. It’s more like an "anti-fragile" survival ability, specifically:

Be a relentlessly curious and passionate learner, continuously honing your "right-brain" strengths (creativity, empathy), synthesizing diverse skills like a Swiss Army knife to solve complex problems, all while collaborating effectively with diverse people around the globe.

Your value doesn't lie in being a perfect "cog in the machine," but in being an irreplaceable, adaptable "multi-toolbox" capable of tackling novel challenges.