Are you relevant and valuable at work? To what extent do you think your value is in any way related to your soft skills? In today’s fast-paced and competitive job market, it’s more important than ever to have the right skills to succeed in the workplace.
Whether you’re just starting in your career or looking to advance to the next level, certain skills are universally valued by employers across industries. These skills go far beyond technical knowledge and include soft skills such as personal effectiveness, personal leadership, communication skills, business knowledge, agility, and being able to interact well with others.
In this blog, we’ll explore these most valuable workplace skills and why they are essential for success in today’s ever-changing workplace. Whether you’re still fresh in the field or a seasoned professional, mastering these skills can help you stand out and achieve your career goals. So, let’s dive in and discover the most valuable workplace skills you need to succeed!
Caveat: There could be great variability in the application of the knowledge in this article, based on role type, employer, organisation, and job seniority. This doesn’t make the principles in this article any less useful.
What do valuable workplace skills mean?
The term refers to those skills that increase your hiring potential as a finance professional or accountant, and this is not just about your hiring potential but also about the skills that help you do your job well and get retained in your job too. It is also good to note that these valuable workplace skills are not peculiar to finance professionals and accountants alone but cut across every professional industry.
However, bear in mind that we live in a world where things change rapidly, and accountancy and finance firms may change their choices about what valuable skills they would like an accountant to have to be hired.
6 most valuable workplace skills
PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS:
This soft skill is crucial, and its impact can be significant in every professional’s career success. Factoring in being organised, proactive, efficient, and knowing what’s good enough are key components in supporting professionals to enhance their productivity and value in their respective workplaces.
- Being organised enables professionals to manage their time well, prioritise tasks, and ultimately reduce stress.
- Proactivity helps them anticipate challenges, take initiative, and seize opportunities.
- Efficiency allows them to accomplish tasks quickly and effectively.
- Knowing what’s good enough helps them strike a balance between perfection and practicality. If you are struggling with striking a balance, our work-life balance course can provide you with some practical tools and techniques in this area.
When you possess these personal effectiveness qualities, you’re more likely to achieve your goals and deliver quality work consistently. You also tend to gain the trust and respect of colleagues and senior management, which can lead to greater opportunities for advancement.
PERSONAL LEADERSHIP:
As a vital soft skill for professional development, this encompasses self-awareness, emotional intelligence, a clear view of others’ perceptions, and leading by example.
- Self-awareness helps professionals to understand their strengths and weaknesses, identify areas for improvement, and develop a growth mindset.
- Emotional intelligence enables them to manage their emotions, empathise with others, and build strong relationships based on trust and respect.
- Having a clear view of others’ perceptions allows professionals to communicate effectively, collaborate with colleagues, and build a positive work environment.
- Lastly, leading by example involves setting high standards for oneself, being accountable, and inspiring others to follow suit. Many professionals find it difficult to inspire and impact others, even when they’re in the right position to. If this sounds familiar, consider taking our Influencing for Impact course to help you sharpen your leadership skills.
When you possess these qualities of personal leadership, you’re more likely to become an effective leader. They will enable you to build a culture of trust, respect, and collaboration, which can improve team performance and productivity. They can also help you inspire and motivate others to achieve their goals and pursue excellence.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
Being a good communicator is a fundamental soft skill that can significantly impact a professional’s career success – for better, or for worse! Effective communication involves the ability to listen actively, articulate ideas clearly, tell engaging stories, and adapt communication styles to fit different audiences.
- Active listening enables professionals to understand the needs, expectations, and perspectives of others, which can improve collaboration and build strong relationships.
- Clear articulation allows them to convey ideas effectively, avoid misunderstandings, and gain buy-in from colleagues and superiors.
- Telling engaging stories can help professionals connect with others emotionally, inspire action, and create a memorable impression.
- Adapting communication styles to fit different audiences enables professionals to build rapport, demonstrate respect, and establish trust.
Effective communication can be a significant asset to career success. You can communicate ideas, goals, and expectations effectively, which can help you achieve objectives and build a positive reputation. It can also help you to collaborate effectively with team members and colleagues, mitigate and manage conflicts, and influence others to take action.
AGILITY:
In today’s fast-paced and constantly evolving business environment, professionals who possess agility are better equipped to navigate changes, seize opportunities, and achieve success in their careers.
- Being flexible enables professionals to adapt to changing business conditions, such as new technologies, market trends, and customer needs.
- Having a growth mindset allows them to embrace challenges, learn from failures, and continuously improve themselves.
- Being resilient enables them to bounce back from setbacks, remain focused on their goals, and maintain a positive attitude. Check out our course on building resilience.
- Being open to change enables them to embrace new ideas, approaches, and perspectives, which can lead to innovative solutions and improved outcomes.
Survival of the fittest! Being agile makes you more likely to achieve your goals and succeed in your career. You’ll be more able to navigate complex challenges, seize opportunities, and create value for your organisation. This will also enable you to build strong relationships with colleagues and clients, demonstrate your value to the organisation, and, as a consequence, advance in your career.
GOOD INTERACTION:
This involves the ability to communicate effectively, build strong relationships, and collaborate with others towards shared goals. When professionals possess good interaction skills,
- They can build strong relationships with colleagues and clients.
- They can communicate effectively, actively listen, and show empathy, which can help them build trust and rapport.
- They can also collaborate effectively with others, sharing ideas and working together to achieve common goals.
- Being positive is also an important aspect of good interaction. A positive attitude can help professionals overcome challenges, maintain focus on their goals, and inspire others to work towards a shared vision. It can also help to create a positive work environment, where colleagues feel valued, respected, and motivated. Consider also taking my course, Positivity for Success to help you stay positive in your workplace.
BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE:
Of course, understanding is key to achieving success in everything that we do, which includes what we do in the workplace and in our career lives. This involves understanding the fundamental principles of the business, such as its goals, objectives, strategies, and operations, not to mention how the business makes money!
When professionals possess good business knowledge;
- They are better equipped to make informed decisions.
- solve complex problems.
- identify opportunities for growth and innovation.
- communicate more effectively with colleagues and superiors.
- anticipate market trends.
- adapt to changing business conditions.
Having sound business knowledge and commercial acumen will support your performance as well as your growth and career progression. This will enable you to demonstrate your value to the organisation by contributing to the bottom line, building strong relationships with clients and customers, and developing innovative solutions that drive business growth.
In conclusion, possessing personal leadership, good communication, agility, good interaction, personal effectiveness, and business knowledge can all help you develop and succeed in your career. By building and honing these skills, professionals can build strong relationships, enhance their networks, get promoted, and seize new opportunities.
How do you measure up today?
If you are an individual reading this article and would love to boost your soft skills, you can check out our essential skills online courses and select the ones that are most relevant to you.
You can also boost and sharpen your team’s soft skills by checking out our options for essential skills workshops.
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