In every career journey, there will often come a point in time when you find that progress has stalled. Perhaps you are not getting promoted fast enough or maybe, you are not being chosen to take part in important projects. If you are in such a predicament, you could consider developing these five important qualities to boost your career:
1) Effective Communication Skills
Most of us work in teams and/or with clients, suppliers, and partners. Since our success is contingent on how well we can work with different groups of people, it is no surprise that effective communication skills are critical to get us ahead in our careers.
When speaking to others, are you able to get your ideas across clearly? Effective verbal communicators convey their thoughts in a way that is both simple and easy to understand. This clarity of expression helps them appear more confident and credible in front of others. It is also beneficial to have good listening skills. This means that you pay close attention to what other people say and actively try to understand the message they are trying to convey.
With the advancements in technology and the prevalence of email correspondence, being able to communicate clearly and persuasively in written form is also essential; hence, take the time to sharpen your writing skills.
2) Ability to Work in a Team
A proverb states: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Great achievements are possible when everybody works well together. This is why organisations value employees who are able to work effectively in teams.
Being a good team player encompasses a wide range of skill sets. They include being able to communicate, persuade, influence, and build rapport with your team members. When you cooperate well with everyone in the team and are accountable, you can build trust within your team.
At a higher level, if you excel in guiding team members and know how to resolve conflicts in a productive manner, you may find yourself in leadership positions more often.
3) Self-Starter
Given the brisk pace of businesses today, most managers do not have the time to tell their subordinates what to do in every single scenario. As such, employees who are intrinsically motivated to find out what needs to be done and take the effort to learn how to get it done are truly invaluable.
Take the initiative to ask your managers if there is anything you could help with and take the lead to get it done. This will put you in their good books and position you better for promotion.
4) Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
At the end of the day, what managers are looking for are team members who would be able to lighten their workload. As such, two qualities that are highly valued are critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Cultivate your ability to review situations, analyse what needs to be done, and come up with solutions.
When you earn the reputation of being a problem solver, you will find more responsibilities and opportunities heading your direction, and these will help you pave the way to advance your career.
5) Attention to Detail
As a busy manager, one of the last things you would want to hear is a situation cropping up due to the carelessness of your subordinate. This is why those who earn a reputation for being meticulous and detailed in their work tend to get more autonomy and trust from their managers, which ultimately bodes well for their career progression.
With over 500 academic programmes for higher learning and professional certification courses for skills development, we provide opportunities for you to always stay relevant. To speak to one of our consultants, please call 8613 8989 or email us at [email protected]