Skills For Career Success
The skills we need for career success are more than our technical skills. Sure, we can fulfill the role requirements of our jobs, but do we have the skills necessary to stand out? Do senior executives see us as capable of a leadership position? The skills essential for career success can help us get the attention of the right people within our organization.
Our CEO and Founder, Jessica Chen, recently hosted a Soulcast Media | LIVE event on LinkedIn. She interviewed James Rogers, CEO of 3 Enrollment Marketing Inc., and Patricia Maben, President and Co-Founder of 3 Enrollment Marketing Inc.
They shared tips and personal stories about the skills we need for career success.
1. Effective Communication
During the Soulcast Media | LIVE, Jessica, James, and Patricia all agreed effective communication is one of the most critical skills we need for career success. In fact, the consensus was less work, and more communication is better than more work and less communication. According to Expert Market, 86% of employees and executives cite the lack of effective collaboration and communication as the leading cause of workplace failures.
Consider the following:
- Internal Communications – As part of our job, we should plan a cadence for internal communications. There are several ways we can implement this into our workflow. For example, we can send a weekly status report. When we do this, we are showcasing what we’ve done and we’re bringing it back into the organization’s mission. We can say something like, “We completed the spreadsheets with vendor information so our sales team can quickly identify potential new leads.” It’s short, precise and directed.
- Proactive – Being proactive in communication is critical for career success. We never want to catch our manager by surprise, especially if it is bad news. We also need to bring solutions, not just problems. Proactive communication means we are thinking ahead and showcasing our critical thinking skills.
- Clear – If we want people to understand what we can bring to the table, we have to be clear in our communications. One way to do this is to consider our audience. Think about what our audience needs and cares about. When communicating with senior leadership, keeping our communication high-level will ensure they know only the most important information.
Effective communication will help us share information in a valuable way.
2. Intentional Learning
Technology is ever-evolving, and there will always be a new program or app to learn. This is why it is critical for us to always be learning. It’s about having a growth mindset.
Consider the following:
- Critical Thinking – Managers want people who possess strong critical thinking skills. This means taking information, analyzing it and then communicating it. For example, let’s say we see our most recent sales numbers show a significant decrease in sales from the previous months. As a critical thinker, we should take that information and analyze it. We should ask questions like, why are the sales so low? What has changed over the last month? Macro-economics at play? What can we do to switch strategies? Critical thinkers go beyond the information to find out the cause.
- Problem Solver – Our manager wants us to bring solutions, not just problems. When we are intentional learners, we make it a point to figure out how we can solve the problem rather than hoping our manager knows what to do.
- Growth Mindset – As intentional learners, we must have a growth mindset. This means believing we are capable of learning something new. For example, if we are tasked with doing something we’ve never done before, instead of throwing our hands up and saying, “We don’t know how to do this,” we can say, “We don’t know how to do this yet, but we are going to figure it out.”
Intentional learning will help us as we move up throughout our career.
3. Be A Team Builder
During the Soulcast Media | LIVE, James said being a team builder is a critical skill for career success. Being a team builder means genuinely caring about the success of someone else. To be a team builder, we must be seen as credible, valuable, and always looking for ways to boost connectivity.
Consider the following:
- Credibility – Credibility needs to be continually earned. To build credibility and trust, we must continually communicate the process – tell people what we are doing to avoid surprises. The other thing we need to do is take action. When we are credible, others can trust us to do the work. This will help us be team builders because the rest of the team can count on us.
Connectivity – Being a team builder means connecting with other people. One way to do this is to have a positive mindset. For example, during the Soulcast Media | LIVE, Patricia said going into new work situations and believing everyone has good intentions is one way to boost connectivity. If we can leave our pre-existing notions at the door, we will be more open to being team builders.
- Be Valuable – As team builders, we want to ensure we are valuable to the team. One way we can do this is by helping someone. For example, if we are whizzes at spreadsheets, but know one of our team members struggle with this, we can offer to help them complete their spreadsheets. This will not only boost our connectivity, but it will also show how we are dedicated to working together for a common goal.
Being team builders requires us to think outside of ourselves. When we genuinely care about the success of others, we can find ways to connect and be valuable.
Becoming an effective communicator, intentionally learning, and being a team builder will help us achieve your career goals.
Check out Jessica’s Youtube Channel if you want to see the full LIVE version of this Soulcast Media | LIVE conversation.
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