5 productive skills you need to consider to get ahead

Continuing on from 3 week we have covered: 5 key planning skills, 5 creativity skills, 5 key communication skills, here are 5 key productivity skills you need to consider to get ahead:

Productivity

1. Time management - I once had a boss who could never get to a single meeting on time. He would always turn up ten minutes late, red-faced, unprepared, looking like he had slept in a bush. He had a growing collection of excuses and apologies. Time management reduces stress and increases your respect.

2. Meeting management - Most of us hate meeting but they are a fact of business life. There are many tricks from firmly sticking to the agenda through to holding meetings standing up just before lunch. Whatever works for you if you can get meetings to be productive and under control you will get ahead.

3. Leadership - In business it really helps to be able to take the lead. Can you get people to follow you? Are you able to get people to do things they don't want to do for the good of the team?

4. Systems - If you are repeatedly re-inventing the wheel there is something seriously wrong. Effective systems bring consistency, efficiency and reduced costs. Learning how to create and implement both human and automated systems can go a long way to being more competitive.

5. Personal Productivity - What are your rhythms, when are you more sociable, detail-oriented, creative or lacking energy? Where do you excel and which areas are a struggle? Before you can lead anyone else you need to work out how to get the best out of yourself.

Bonus
You may have noticed 20 key skills identified in this list. But the bonus and most important of them all; the ability to switch off! It is so easy for the stresses and strains of business life to burn people out so you must develop the ability to relax and unwind.

5 communication skills you need to consider to get ahead

Continuing on from 2 week we have covered: 5 key planning skills, 5 creativity skills, here are 5 key communication skills you need to consider to get ahead:
Communication

1. Written - Most people in business spend a lot of time communicating in writing. You will spend a good few hours a day fighting your inbox. Add to this reports, proposals etc it's certain you will need to sharpen your word power to succeed.

2. Social Networking - We are not all comfortable socialising, some of us struggle to make small talk. It is a key skill to learn though, it is true what they say, and sometimes it is about who you know than what you know!

3. Speaking - Public speaking ranks high amongst the worlds most popular fears. You must overcome it and the best way is to practice. It might feel more comfortable working from the safety of your desk but at some point you are going to have to present. Better to have some experience under your belt before being forced to perform unprepared when it really counts.

4. Sales - You might think you do not need to sell but we all have to sell every day. In normal life we sell, persuading your partner of family that you really need that new purchase, getting out of that parking ticket ... persuasion skills can come in very handy indeed.

5. Negotiation - If you can't sell perhaps you can negotiate. A lot of the skills are the same but you will find people who have been in business for a while can drive a hard bargain. If you do not have the skills you will lose out each and every time.

I will be back with more tips next week on Productivity.

5 creativity skills you need to consider to get ahead

Continuing on from last week 5 key planning skills, here are 5 creativity skills you need to consider to get ahead:

Creativity

1. Imagination - Many people neglect their creative side feeling that it is better to be all about the logic, but in fact some of the most successful business people are also the most imaginative.

2. Inventiveness - If you can imagine it you can create it, and if you create it then you can sell it! Look around you, think of the things you buy and use, someone had to have the idea before it was built and sold to you. You might be surprised how few mad inventors there are, more products are invented in a office than a garage.

3. Problem Solving - A big part of surviving in business is about solving problems fast and effectively. An employee who is good at keeping their head in a crisis while fighting fires is a worthwhile asset to any business.

4. Brainstorming - Some people think brainstorming is all about having stupid ideas while ridiculing the contributions of everyone else while drinking coffee and eating biscuits or cakes. Perhaps this is why brainstorms get a bad name? If you can brainstorm great ideas, fast then you will be one step ahead.

5. Making connections - Some of the best ideas have simply been about connecting two otherwise unconnected ideas together. Could you invent the next iPhone App?

I will be back with more tips next week on Communication

What you need to do to get ahead in 2012

The greatest people in business have certain attributes in common. Several personal qualities are important, like a thirst for continuous education, personal drive and motivation, strong goals and ambition, clear vision, and always a great deal of passion.

Beyond those personal qualities though, what makes a successful business person stand out from the crowd? Here are 5 planning skills you need if you want to get ahead:

Planning

1. Strategic - A business that lurches from one crisis to another is not going to stay around very long. Obviously if you are in charge then you have to set your goals or objectives. Can you clearly see the road ahead?

2. Project - Project management makes your life and that of your team less stressful and gets things done on time and on budget. It might not be the white knuckle ride that some enjoy but at least you will be able to clock off at a reasonable hour!

3. Financial - The top reason why businesses go out of business is bad financial planning. All the cash flows in the wrong direction and in the wrong hands. Someone needs a firm grip on the numbers and it had better be you otherwise someone might just take a trip at your expense.

4. Risk - I'm a natural worrier which though it annoys my family, does have the advantage in business that I tend to see the potential potholes in any plan. If you can imagine a risk you can set about to mitigate it.

5. Logistics - Money is just one resource you need. Any business has inputs and outputs. You need to have the right people in the right jobs with what they need when they need it to get their work done. Logistics could make you a hero in your office.

I will be back with more tips next week on Creativity