This last group of fundamentals skills continues to build on the previous two lists. No matter what type of work you do, you will find value, advancement, and fulfillment in developing these skills. While we all aspire to climb to the top of our respective professions, from time to time we come up against a roadblock, a barrier that slows our climb to the top. These next general business skills will help to overcome challenges if you are already well on your way or just starting your career.
17. General Business Acumen
A company has experts in finance, accounting, marketing, sales, production and information technology and more. Sound decision-making requires the ability to see how the decisions you make impact other departments within the organization. Great quarterbacks are said to have a skill to “see the whole field.” In business, individuals with acumen have this quality as well.
General business acumen involves the ability to effectively communicate with all functional areas in the organization. An example is the marketing manager who has never studied finance, but knows how to speak the language of finance well enough to convey the logic behind a budgetary request so the finance team understands their needs and approves the budget. Go ahead and dust off those old business books, read about what makes a business run and how to read a financial statement. You will need to understand business and the language of business in order to reach senior roles.
18. Manage your Time and Priorities
It seems that there is never enough time in the day. We all get the same 24 hours, so why is it that some people achieve so much more with their time than others? The answer lies in good time management. The highest achievers are able to manage their time exceptionally well. By using the time-management techniques you can improve your ability to function more effectively – even when time is tight and pressures are high.
Good time management requires an important shift in focus from activities to results: being busy isn’t the same as being effective. Spending your day in a frenzy of activity doesn’t always translate to achieving results. Good time management lets you work smarter – not harder – so you get more accomplished as it relates to your goals..
“Time management” refers to the way that you organize and plan how long you spend on specific activities. Prioritize your time. Set personal and professional goals as a priority. You want accomplishments on your résumé, not just finished tasks. Setting annual professional goals will set you on track to advance your career. Meet mentors in your industry through networking events and LinkedIn will help you realize what goals you need to prioritize.
19. Resilience
Your career is a long journey. Having flexibility in response to changing situational demands, and the ability to bounce back from negative emotional experiences, will serve you well over the long haul. Take rejection with poise. Listen to feedback and not let it destroy you. Feedback can be a gift about a “blind spot” – a behavior or characteristic that is unknown to you. One of the key characteristics of someone with potential to be a leader is the ability to listen to critical feedback, handle rejection and not have this information destroy them.
Highly resilient people have stress-resistant personalities. They don’t fall apart during crisis; they’re able to cope well with adversity, and learn valuable lessons from their tough experience. Have you ever known anyone who seems to sail through rough times? Whether they experience job loss, financial setbacks, or health issues, they seem to bounce back easily. What is it that sets these people apart? Highly resilient people are able to cope well with high levels of on-going, disruptive change. They’re able to change to a new way of working when the old way is no longer possible. And they sustain good health and energy when under constant pressure.
Resilience will not prevent challenges from coming your way. However, it will help you be prepared mentally for whatever comes your way – whether taking on an increased workload, having your pay cut, or being laid off. Resilience will not only help you survive, but thrive, in the workplace.
20. Work remotely
It is apparent that remote teams are going to become far more commonplace as companies are increasingly beginning to conduct business online. A study from MITSloan was able to show that, “Dispersed teams can actually outperform groups that are co-located,” if the right sort of collaboration is in place. Working remotely can be challenging or it can be exciting. When you understand the factors that go into successfully managing yourself and maintaining meaningful connection with your colleagues along with your own well being, the word “remote” will become less of a connotation for isolation and more of a tool for choosing your own channels to thrive in your work.
21. Career Planning
Proactively manage your career and it will grow in the direction you would like. When you retire and look back on your career, what do you want to have achieved, contributed, taught, created, stood for/against and left behind? What do you want people to say about you? In your professional life, do you know what you want, and what you really want? Once you can answer these questions (and more), you will create a career path that will lead you to the ultimate destination you want. Don’t wait for others to do this for you.
22. Work-Life Balance
The struggles of balancing life and work are a big challenge for working moms with young children. Work-life balance is also an issue that everyone faces. What will it take to balance (or integrate) your life and work? How will you prioritize what matters most to you? What do you need to do to negotiate the conflicting demands of home and family life with what your employer wants? One area to practice — learn to unplug. Unless it’s an emergency, try not to check your work email (or mark it unread and deal with it when you get to the office) when you leave the office. Your priorities will change and evolve during the course of your life. Prioritize what’s important during certain periods and balance your work-life challenges accordingly.
23.Business Etiquette
In the business world, good business etiquette means that you act professionally and exercise proper manners when engaging with others in your profession. Good business etiquette is a valuable skill-set that will make you stand out from others, enhance your chances at success and help you land that dream job.
In business, the relationships you build are critical. Establishing good rapport is significant if you want to progress in your professional future, take on new clients, impress your boss or close that final sale. The way to build positive relationships in the business world is by exercising good etiquette, manners and specifically by exhibiting top-notch communication skills. For example, If others are speaking, give them your full attention and make eye contact to let them know you are engaged in the conversation. This is known as active listening. When it is your turn to speak, be clear and concise, and avoid jargon that your audience would not understand. Add a smile and a handshake so others find you pleasant to work with.
In the business world, people with good etiquette are rewarded for their professional and polite skills. For example, an employee who arrives at a meeting on time (or early) and is ready to take notes has a better chance of impressing his supervisor than the employee who shows up to the meeting late, and forgets to bring a pen. Those who exemplify good business etiquette are proving that they respect their position, job, coworkers and take their performance seriously. As such, these individuals win promotions and get ahead in their careers.
How to Develop These 23 Professional Skills
Along with technical skills, it is important to continue your professional development to remain in demand in the marketplace. You need to develop the transferable skills that are universally sought by employers. All twenty three fundamental skills are requirements of the jobs of today and tomorrow. Here are three ways to continue developing your skills:
- Choose two professional skills to improve each year. Monitor and track your progress.
- Develop a five-year learning plan to acquire the knowledge and education you need.
- Develop cross-functional skills. Beyond a certain stage in your career and in uncertain environments, specialization is no longer the route of choice. It can pay off for some; however, it has high risk of obsolescence.
Because specific technical skills may get out of date, keep your career current. That’s why you see nurses with business skills and technology experts with financial experience. A broad range of competencies, skills and abilities can help you secure a new job, will open the door to working in a new industry and increase your chances for career advancement.
I know this is a daunting list. Don’t worry if you don’t have all of them. Most of us don’t. The important thing is to understand why these skills are important to your career success and then ask yourself – what soft skills do you already possess and which ones do you want to develop next? If any of these feels challenging to you, contact us and we can help you to develop the fundamentals that will propel your career.
