The sign of a good job is one that you can continually grow at. If you do not feel like you are learning new things and progressing in your career, then it is time to re-examine your current job and place of employment. Some are quick to blame the company and begin looking for another place to work. Yes, sometimes the only solution is to find a new job and continue your career at a new opportunity. However, the solution to your growth problem may be found in changing the way you approach your job.
If you want to learn a skill it is up to you to make it happen. You need to to identify the skill you need to learn and how you can utilize your current position to make that happen. It is also important that you craft a plan that allows you to implement that new skill consistently. This will help you retain more knowledge and progress in your career. Today, we will cover five skills that you can start working on immediately and apply them to your work.
Presentation Skills
For many, presenting in front of people is uncomfortable and even scary. However, the need for a skilled presenter will never go away. Teams need a representative who can update the company or executives on what is happening in their department. Companies need individuals who can present information to key stakeholders, outside vendors, investors, and prospective clients. Getting comfortable with public speaking will enhance your reputation and open you up to more opportunities.
The only way to learn this skill is to do it repeatedly. To start, think about the way you present your updates in your weekly status meeting. Try organizing your thoughts ahead of time and speak loudly and clearly. When appropriate, create a brief presentation that outlines your key points. Then, talk to your direct supervisor about your desire to improve your presentation skills. They will begin letting you present at meetings and provide feedback on how to improve for next time. Eventually, you will be the go-to person to present updates and become the face of your department.
Managing Up
A lot of focus gets up on managing direct reports. While this is important, not enough attention is paid to the skill of managing up. This term refers to managing your supervisor or someone else whose title is higher than yours. This may sound scary, but it is actually a highly valuable skill. This skill involves you understanding how your boss operates including their workflow, communication style and even weaknesses. Managing up means you know how to speak to them, what they prefer in certain situations, and taking the appropriate actions to ensure nothing gets missed.
Yes, this is a tricky skill to master. The key thing to remember is that you are not responsible for managing this person’s time or deliverables. You do not need to check on them to ensure they are doing what they said they would do. Managing up is about anticipating issues before they happen. For example, if you know your boss’s inbox is constantly full, and someone from outside your organization has sent an important e-mail that needs a quick response, it’s your job to pop your head in and ensure they saw it. You also want to include the reason you are following up is because of the level of importance and how time sensitive the request is.
Prioritizing Tasks
It’s easy to get work done when you are allowed to work on one task at a time. However, if you are going to progress in your career and eventually get promoted, you must master the art of prioritizing the tasks and projects that are given to you. While you can only work on one project at a time, it’s important to understand where it falls on the priority list. If someone comes to you with an urgent request, you have to know how to respond. Is what you are working on top priority or can it be pushed back a few days?
The way to master this skill is to gather key project information before it begins. For example, you should know the deadline of every deliverable you are assigned. You should also be aware if there are any other deliverables that cannot begin until yours is completed. When this is the case, you can add an extra layer of urgency to your work. Lastly, be sure to know who is managing that project. This way, if someone wants to pull your time in a different direction, you know who to reach out to and confirm which deliverable takes priority.
Saying No
The last skill on our list is the art of saying no when someone asks you about certain things. It’s important that you never say things like “that’s not my job”. That type of attitude can quickly get you into trouble and saddle you with a bad reputation. However, it is important to protect your job responsibilities and deliverables assigned to you. They hired you to do a specific job. While your boss may ask you to take on something extra, be careful when others ask you to do things that are too far outside your job description.
For example, as a digital marketing specialist, your boss may ask you to help on a print marketing project. While it is not digital, it is still marketing and since they are your direct supervisor, you should do it. However, if someone from HR asks you to write up the new job descriptions and post them to the website, that might be a step too far. It’s important to diagnose the task you are being assigned to complete and ask yourself if it falls in line with your department’s goals and objectives. If it doesn’t, communicate the request to your boss and see how they would like you to respond.
Conclusion
Learning new skills are great but only when they can be put into practice. Your job should act as an opportunity to learn and apply the skills you need to progress in your career. It is solely up to you to state your career goals and identify the skills you need to obtain to achieve them. Then, you must take action and ensure those skills are being learned and applied at your place of employment.
Let’s Talk
The RGLP Group helps companies everyday by training their workforce to learn new and valuable soft and hard skills. These trainings help your teams progress in their career as well as increase the value of your talent.
To discuss how our services can benefit your employees, please send us a note at contact@therglpgroup.com.
