Being successful in your workplace takes more than just being an expert in your craft. Things that involve soft skills, such as being easily adaptable and mastering small talk, all play a major role in the development of your career.
Soft skills are a combination of different skills, behaviors, and personality traits that let you work harmoniously with other coworkers. To learn more about the essential soft skills you need to master to grow professionally, below are seven skills that you should know about:
1) Leadership Skills
Leaders need not only technical expertise but also the ability to supervise and direct other workers. They should understand how to influence people and address their needs. To achieve this, leaders need to encourage their team members, discipline their workers, build teams, resolve conflicts, and cultivate their organization’s desired culture. Keep in mind that soft skills development is a key element of leadership training.
2) Teamwork
There is nothing wrong with preferring to work alone, but if you are part of a team in your company to complete a certain project, you will need to understand and appreciate the value of teamwork. Engage in productive collaboration by partnering and working with others to accomplish your company’s goals efficiently.
3) Communication Skills
Did you know that successful communication goes beyond talking, listening, writing, and reading? This skill involves the following five components:
- Verbal communication
It is your ability to speak clearly and to the point so that members can understand your message.
- Written communication
It is your proficiency in composing text messages and creating reports, articles, blog posts, and other types of written documents.
- Nonverbal communication
It is your skill to display positive body language and facial expressions when working with others.
- Visual communication
It is your artistry in relaying your message and helpful information using pictures and other visual aids.
- Active listening
It is your ability to hear and actually listen to others when they are talking to you, which helps you best communicate with your team members.
4) Problem-Solving Skills
Employees are hired to solve problems, which mean they are expected to face challenges and see them as learning opportunities. By seeking and developing solutions to pressing problems, you demonstrate that you can handle and excel in your job. Discussing the mistakes and lessons that you learned from those problems is also essential to a successful career.
5) Work Ethic
As an employee, you are expected to be responsible and do the job that is given to you. This includes being punctual at work, meetings, and other company-related events, beating project deadlines, and making sure that your work is error-free. Going above and beyond your call of duty also shows your dedication and commitment to excel at work.
6) Adaptability
Companies undergo swift and constant changes to rise above the competition, which is why they need employees who can adapt to varying situations. You can show that you can easily adjust to development by handling different tasks and showing your willingness to take on responsibilities outside your area of expertise.
7) Interpersonal Skills
This broad category of “people skills” includes the ability to establish and maintain positive relationships, be respectful, give and receive constructive criticism, and remain empathic. Among all the listed soft skills listed above, this is the most important because it is vital to create teams that are rooted in trust and accountability.
Conclusion
When growing your career, you may tend to focus more on honing your technical skills or competencies. However, keep in mind that soft skills should be given equal importance so that you can have better chances of succeeding in positions that require a high degree of emotional intelligence and social interaction. An online course on team building will benefit even those who believe themselves to work well in teams. Want to upgrade your team skills? Why not learn to lead them?
If you lack soft skills, keep in mind that it’s never too late to develop them. We offer short online courses that help develop your arsenal of soft skills. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help!
