The Best Professional People-Skills to Learn Before Work
Posted on Apr 1st, 2010
A recent MSN CareerBuilder article What They Should Have Taught You in School offers insightful practical advice to all GEN Y (aka Millenials). The writer, Anthony Balderrama, did a great job of amassing lessons learned and best advice on the professional people-skills you will need to succeed at work. I contributed three tips for that article.
Yet the topic is so valuable to GEN Y and to all those changing careers, that I include here more of the best professional people-skills to learn before work.
Six of the Best Professional People-Skills to Learn for Work:
- Flexibility. How well do you work with different people? How do you react when asked to change certain behaviors? I asked a VP of Human Resources one day, what is the most important trait you look for in a new hire? Answer: “Flexibility and adaptability. Things never stay the same and employees who can’t work with different bosses and team members are a drain!”
- Communication that connects! Communication today has to cross generations, cultures, educational backgrounds, and occupational areas. How well do you connect through your communication with someone different from you?
- Positive Initiative. Employers hire you to contribute your all and to help create business success. So give more in effort than you ask for in privileges. True story: An employee emailed his manager the following message: “I would like to work from home 3 days a week. How can you make this happen for me?” In the next downsizing, he was gone. If you want to explore working from home, speak with your manager (not email) and ask what you would have to do to get this accommodation from the company (as opposed to how she can make this happen for you). The manager is not your concierge!
- Balancing. Regardless of your age you have individual goals and beliefs different from the organization’s. Learn early on how to focus on the organization’s goals first and foremost while still being you. If you find this balancing act tortuous, you may do better in self-employment.
- Understanding Beyond Words. If you tend to be a literal person, you will need to learn to read between the words. Organizational politics exist and thriving in it requires this skill. Asking great questions and observing are two surefire steps to developing this skill.
- Diplomatic honesty. As you work on teams — good teams — your honesty will be expected. How you deliver that honesty will impact your work relationships for a very long time. One excellent way to deliver diplomatic honesty is to speak about observable behaviors and events rather than your interpretations of behavior and events. For example, if one team member’s behavior is so strong that it causes friction, discuss the exact behaviors as opposed to saying “You are always trying to dominate!” Not only can you not be sure that person is trying to dominate, that statement will leave an emotional scar that plagues future interaction. Moreover, it doesn’t give the person anything specific to change.
Invitation: Please add your insights on the best professional skills for work in the comments field below. It will be an ongoing expansive resource for learning.
Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach, delivers keynotes, workshops, and training dvds on professional people-skills, transformational customer service and teamwork, and leading change. Her energy, insights, and practical advice, have helped tens of thousands over the last 20 years.
