As the workplace evolves, so too are the skills and competencies needed to navigate professional life successfully. And a new one is emerging—hybrid competence. This soft skill demonstrates a person’s ability to seamlessly transition from traditional to remote work and effectively work in and with distributed teams. According to Mark Mortensen, an associate professor of organizational behavior at INSEAD, this is more than just a set of skills. It’s a source of power. “Someone who has better network awareness management—and part of that could be better EQ—is going to fare better in this complex environment,” he said. And while the data still needs to be collected and analyzed on what exactly makes a highly component hybrid worker in the modern age, some traits have started to become clear. Those who can multitask, think flexibly, and navigate different networks in a way that they remain visible are those who are more successful than their counterparts. And these “hybrid competent” folks aren’t a new phenomenon. “When you look at some people who in the past have worked effectively in multiple locations—they have trained themselves to be very good at working on both small and large projects,” said Sophie Wade, author and futurist. “\[They\] are often self-motivated, self-directed, and typically very organized.”