What
does it take to succeed? A positive attitude? Well, sure, but that’s hardly
enough. The Law of Attraction? The Secret? These ideas might act as spurs to
action, but without the action itself, they don’t do much.
Success, however it’s defined, takes action, and taking good
and appropriate action takes skills. Some of these skills (not enough, though)
are taught in school (not well enough, either), others are taught on the job,
and still others we learn from general life experience.
Below is a list of general skills that will help anyone get
ahead in practically any field, from running a company to running a gardening
club. Of course, there are skills specific to each field as well – but my
concern here is with the skills that translate across disciplines, the ones
that can be learned by anyone in any position.
1. Public Speaking
The ability to speak clearly, persuasively, and forcefully in
front of an audience – whether an audience of 1 or of thousands – is one of the
most important skills anyone can develop. People who are effective speakers come across as more comfortable with
themselves, more confident, and more attractive to be around. Being able
to speak effectively means you can sell anything – products, of course, but
also ideas, ideologies, worldviews. And yourself – which means more
opportunities for career advancement, bigger clients, or business funding.
2. Writing
Writing well offers many of the same advantages that speaking well
offers: good writers are better at selling products, ideas, and themselves than
poor writers. Learning to write well
involves not just mastery of grammar but the development of the ability to
organize one’s thoughts into a coherent form and target it to an audience in
the most effective way possible. Given the huge amount of text generated
by almost every transaction – from court briefs and legislation running into
the thousands of pages to those foot-long receipts you get when you buy gum
these days – a person who is a master of the written word can expect doors to
open in just about every field.
3. Self-Management
If success depends on effective action, effective action
depends on the ability to focus your attention where it is needed most, when it
is needed most. Strong organizational skills,
effective productivity habits, and a strong sense of discipline
are needed to keep yourself on track.
4. Networking
Networking is not only for finding jobs or clients. In an economy dominated by ideas and
innovation, networking creates the channel through which ideas flow and in
which new ideas are created. A large network, carefully cultivated, ties
one into not just a body of people but a body of relationships, and
those relationships are more than just the sum of their parts. The interactions
those relationships make possible give rise to innovation and creativity – and
provide the support to nurture new ideas until they can be realized.
5. Critical Thinking
We
are exposed to hundreds, if not thousands, of times more information on a daily
basis than our great-grandparents were. Being
able to evaluate that information, sort the potentially valuable from the
trivial, analyze its relevance and meaning, and relate it to other information
is crucial – and woefully under-taught. Good critical
thinking
skills immediately distinguish you from the mass of people these days.
6. Decision-Making
The bridge that leads from analysis to action is effective decision-making – knowing what to do based on the
information available. While not being critical can be dangerous, so too can
over-analyzing, or waiting for more information before making a decision. Being able to take in the scene and respond
quickly and effectively is what separates the doers from the wannabes.
7. Math
You don’t have to be able to integrate polynomials to be
successful. However, the ability to
quickly work with figures in your head, to make rough but fairly accurate
estimates, and to understand things like compound interest and basic statistics
gives you a big lead on most people. All of these skills will help you
to analyze data more effectively – and more quickly – and to make better decisions
based on it.
8. Research
Nobody can be expected to know everything, or even a tiny
fraction of everything. Even within your field, chances are there’s far more
that you don’t know than you do know. You
don’t have to know everything – but you should be able to quickly and
painlessly find out what you need to know. That means learning to
use the Internet effectively, learning to use a library, learning to read productively, and learning how to leverage your
network of contacts – and what kinds of research are going to work best in any
given situation.
9. Relaxation
Stress
will not
only kill you, it leads to poor decision-making, poor thinking, and poor
socialization. So be failing to relax, you knock out at least three of the
skills in this list – and really more. Plus, working yourself to death in order
to keep up, and not having any time to enjoy the fruits of your work, isn’t
really “success”. It’s obsession. Being
able to face even the most pressing crises with your wits about you and in the
most productive way is possibly the most important thing on this list.
Last Updated Date: May 22, 2012
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