Honing those Decision-Making Skills

People make decisions all the time.  Today, you’ve probably already made dozens of decisions… small choices.  Get up early or hit the snooze button.  Go for a run or skip a day.  Make breakfast or grab a café au lait on the run.  We think most of these decisions have little to no bearing on the outcome of the day.  But getting up early, working out and having a healthy breakfast do impact stamina, focus and energy level.  So even tiny decisions can have a big impact.

Decision-Making – The Soft Skill Made of Steel

Not every job requires a person to make decisions.  Depending on the role and the company, some positions may be more focused on following instructions and procedures.  But other jobs require staff to make judgment calls and choices throughout the day. 

In fact, in an increasingly complex world, most jobs or professions now require the employee to make decisions… not just once but multiple times every day.  Even seemingly simple jobs like bagging groceries or cashiering might involve making small decisions about how to best perform a task, address customer requests, or handle specific situations.  And positions with management or leadership responsibilities heavily involve decision-making, ranging from tactical choices to strategic planning. Positions in fields like law, medicine, engineering, construction, real estate and business require individuals to make critical — potentially life-and-death decisions — based on available information and analysis.  So this really is an incredible important soft skill… one that often requires a fortitude made of steel.

How to Get Along to Get Ahead in Your Career

Ever had someone with whom you just did not get along?  They might have been too loud and outspoken.  Or they were shy and non-communicative.  Perhaps they were overly confident to the point of arrogance.  Or maybe they were so submissive and passive that they were nearly invisible.  They might have been silly and vapid.  Or very serious and dry.  There are a multitude of reasons why two people might not get along.  In fact, it’s common for people not to gel.  What is unusual is when people instantly click.  That’s rare.  More often, that kind of bond takes time and effort to forge.  

Get Along to Get Ahead in Your Career

Likeability: The Invisible Currency

The modern career landscape often resembles a complex equation.  We’re told the variables for success are clear: intelligence, a strong work ethic, demonstrable results, taking initiative, and showcasing leadership potential.  Grind hard, produce exceptional work, step up when needed, and the rewards – raises, promotions, recognition – will naturally follow. It’s a compelling narrative, rooted in the appealing idea of meritocracy.  Many bright, ambitious employees operate under this assumption, meticulously honing their technical skills, logging long hours, and focusing intently on deliverables, believing this is the sole path to the summit.

Boosting Emotional Intelligence Skills

When companies hire staff, what qualities and abilities are most desirable?  Typically, “intellectual aptitude” is considered important or even essential.  People want to hire the best and brightest.  But what about emotional aptitude?   Is that essential?  And which matters more, intellectual aptitude or emotional abilities?  Most would prioritize intellect.  No doubt intelligence is important.  After all, there is a reason IQ tests were created.  It’s why organizations like Mensa exist.

Emotional Intelligence Elevates People over AI

Here’s an uncomfortable truth:  AI and automation are advancing at an unprecedented speed, and many human jobs are at high risk of being replaced by algorithms and smart machines over the next decade.  First on the chopping block are low-skill, repetitive jobs such as data entry, telemarketing, and assembly line work are primed for replacement by robots.  But even jobs requiring technical skills, including positions in the healthcare, accounting and legal sectors, are already being done by specialized AI.  Machines can analyze medical scans, detect diseases, diagnose conditions, read and abstract leases, do bookkeeping, proofread text for grammar and syntax, etc.  Even some jobs that involve interacting with people,  such as receptionists, cashiers, bank tellers, and translators, are being replaced by bots. 

Boosting Adaptability, Open-Mindedness and Resilience

Are you flexible?  Can you pivot at a moment’s notice and embrace last-minute changes to carefully laid plans?  Do you eschew routine preferring to focus on achieving the goal in whatever way works best?  Can you shift gears seamlessly and embrace alternative approaches as needed?  If so, you’ve got a high capacity to adjust to changing circumstances, plans, and priorities without being rigid.

Are you resilient?  Are you like a Timex watch… you can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’?  Do you bounce back from defeats and difficulties?  Covid.  Bankruptcy.  Lawsuit.  Illness.  Loss.  Nothing can keep you down long.  Then you have a positive outlook and are able to persevere through adversity.

Adaptability and Flexibility are the Ultimate Flex

Adaptability has always been an important skill.  As Max McKeown put it, “All failure is the failure to adapt; all success is successful adaptation.”  It is also a bit of an invisible soft skill that is often overlooked and underappreciated.  But it has become a must-have skill in a world characterized by lightning-fast change.  In the dynamic tech-rich landscape of the 21st century, the ability to adapt has transcended the realm of a mere desirable trait and solidified its position as a critical competency for both individuals and organizations.  Amidst rapid technological advancements, evolving market demands, and unforeseen global disruptions, adaptability is the linchpin for survival and success.  

Decoding Work Ethic: the Most Crucial yet Amorphous Soft Skill

The Elusive Essence of a Solid Work Ethic

In the modern workplace, a lexicon of “soft skills” permeates every hiring discussion and performance review.  Communication, teamwork, problem-solving – these are the oft-cited pillars of professional success.  Yet, underpinning them all, lies a more fundamental, more elusive quality: work ethic.  It’s not as glamorous or exciting as creativity and innovation.  But it’s the silent driver – call it an intangible force — that separates the merely competent from the truly exceptional.  But what exactly is work ethic?  Is it a universal standard, a set of objective behaviors, or a subjective interpretation that shifts with every employer and industry?  Let’s look at the somewhat amorphous and highly complex nature of the solid work ethic.

Problem-Solving is the Most Desired of all Soft Skills

It’s been said that “Every great company starts by solving a problem.”  Indeed, all businesses are in the problem-solving space because their core function is to identify and address customer needs or pain points.  Businesses essentially solve problems that exist within their market, whether it’s through providing a product, service, or solution that improves a customer’s situation.  Thus, problem-solving is inherent to any business operation.  So, it stands to reason that the ability to solve problems is one of the most desired skills employers seek from all soft skills.  In fact, it is desirable even if the position doesn’t really require much, if any, problem-solving.  Here’s why.