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Skills Abilities at Work

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Beata Pieńkowska
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19 views7 pages

Skills Abilities at Work

Uploaded by

Beata Pieńkowska
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The 12 Most Important Skills You Need To Succeed At Work

Natalia Peart

Whether you're are a new graduate trying to figure out how to get a
leg up in your career, or you're a mid-career professional looking to secure
your next promotion, you might be wondering what are the most important
skills you need to help you get where you want to go. While it's, of course,
important to develop your industry-specific hard skills, what's just as
critical to your success are your soft skills. Soft skills are how you function
in the workplace and interact with others. And while they're not easily
taught in a classroom or measured, they are key skills that we all need to
have. Additionally, in our more globalized, fast-changing work
environment, there is now a premium on the kinds of soft skills that allow
you to keep pace with the future of work. So, if you’re looking to accelerate
your career, here are the 12 soft skills that you need to succeed.

1. Learnability

We’ll begin with learnability because it is arguably the most


important 21st-century skill you will need to succeed. Alvin Toffler said,
"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and
write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." That's because, in
an environment where new skills emerge as fast as others fade, success is
less about what you already know and more about adapting your skills by
growing and expanding your knowledge base, so you can use new
information and skills to respond to whatever is happening.

2. Resilience

Setbacks and failures are a part of life, but how you choose to deal
with those roadblocks is what is critical to your success. Resilience is the
ability to bounce back in the face of obstacles and failures. When you are
resilient, you don't focus on the ups and downs. Instead, you stay focused
on your long-term goals, and you never lose confidence in your ability to
prevail. By helping you face challenges and difficulties, resilience also
enables you to handle stress more positively.

3. Agility

As the work landscape shifts, learning to be agile is a critical skill, as


yesterday’s solutions do not solve tomorrow’s problems. At the heart of
being agile is shifting gears when the context calls for it and responding
accordingly to the needs of your workplace, clients or industry trends.
4. Collaboration

In our increasingly hyper-connected world, we’re no longer expected


to work just as individuals or only in silos. Our projects have become more
complex, so the ability to work effectively as part of a team has also grown
in importance. Given the increasingly global nature of work, your ability to
collaborate, share knowledge and contribute to teams that can capitalize on
a diversity of thinking and perspective in ways that everyone can benefit
and drive to the shared outcomes is critical.

5. Verbal communication

Advancing in your career is not just based on what you do. There’s a
good chance that at some point in your career you’ll have to use strong
verbal communication skills so you can sell others on your ideas, products,
or services. Whether you're needing to explain your value when you are
being considered for a promotion, presenting as part of a team project, or
speaking on stage, you need to be able to communicate well and convey
strong, persuasive ideas.
6. Written communication

We live in an era of tweets and sound bites, but good written


communication skills still matter when it comes to your career. Whether
you are sending professional emails, communicating with a client, trying to
deliver a coherent business plan, or anything in between, you should be able
to communicate quickly, accurately and effectively.

7. Empathy

The ability to empathize with others, or see things from their


perspective by understanding their emotions and reactions, is a
fundamental part of how we interact with one another. Communicating
genuinely and authentically with others is vital because even in instances
when you disagree with your co-workers on elements of a work project, for
example, empathy allows you to demonstrate to others that they are seen
and heard.
8. Creativity

Creativity is a crucial skill we all need because, in our fast-changing


times, employers value employees who can look beyond the present and
imagine future possibilities for their company. Creative workers are the
ones who ask why. They question, they are curious, and in so doing, they
develop new ideas and solutions.

9. Problem-solving

How often do you go beyond your immediate job as assigned and


instead, use more knowledge, facts, and data to see gaps and solve
problems? Being a good problem solver is essential because employers
value people who can work through challenges on their own or as an
effective member of a team by defining the issues, brainstorming
alternatives, sharing thoughts, and then making sound decisions.
10. Leadership

The importance of building the right culture at companies cannot be


overstated, so having the skills to be able to coach and empower others, and
to motivate those around you do their best work, is highly valued for
success.

11. Negotiation

Whether you’re in salary discussions, finalizing a deal with a client, or


trying to find common ground with your teammates during a project,
having strong and effective negotiation skills are extremely important.
Being a good negotiator allows you to get to reach goals while you build
relationships, which is a significant part of being successful in your career.

12. Technology
Technology is changing at an unprecedented pace, so even beyond the
technical skills you need to master for your job, keeping up with technology
is essential because of the tools that help you manage your career,
differentiate yourself in the market, brand yourself, and build the critical
relationships that you need to be successful.

Regardless of your chosen career path, building your soft skills is


critical so you can set yourself apart from others in a competitive landscape.

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