Do you want to succeed in your career? Of course you do. You already know developing skills is vital, but what skills? There are some which are essential for everyone no matter the career and industry.
These are skills which provide the foundation for building, honing and developing specific skills later on. They will allow you to use the opportunities you have on the table to the fullest.
So, before you go head-first into a new career, make sure you have honed the essential skills. Mary Kleim is a corporate coach and writer focused on teaching people how to develop personal and professional skills. She has written a great article on the topic which covers some of the skill you need. We have added a few more, just to make it more challenging for you.
The six essential skills
One of the most important skills is adaptability. You must be able to adapt to the ever-changing industry. New things come, old are changed. New technologies and processes quickly replace the old. If you are not on top of the wave, you will be swept away before you even realize it. This is a key skill for personal growth as well. Times change and you have to be able to change with them.
Be flexible and open minded. If you think you already know it all, you can be sure you know nothing. If you know you know nothing, then you know the most important – you have to continue to learn and improve all the time. This puts you in a great advantage. Also be open to ideas and feedback from everywhere. Sometimes the person you least expect can give you valuable insight or a simple comment which you can then see through your perspective.
Do not underestimate anyone or anything. This means to always be prepared that your competitor will have a better product, marketing or skills. It also means that sometimes opportunities can and will arise from the least expected place.
If you’re in, you are in to win
Understand the business you’re in. If you are in it just for the paycheck, then you are at the wrong place and you are wasting your own time. You might be flexible, adaptable and all the rest, but if you don’t know what to do, then it’s pointless. Develop a deep understanding of the business you’re in. Teamed with your other skills, you will be able not only to see and know what to do, but how to do it as well.
Develop group management skills. What? You’re simply a worker? Well, if you work with other people, and chances are, you do, you need skills for that. From knowing how to treat a basic customer phone call, to in-depth teamwork on new products and strategies, you need to know how to get the most out of the people you work with.
You also need presentation skills. How you are going to convince your boss or coworkers that this is THE thing you need to do? It doesn’t matter if you are a team leader, manager, a worker or even if you simply want to grab the attention of that attractive person on the other table. You need to know how to present yourself and your goals.
Image credit: Flickr (CC) / Steve Davis