Skill It, Kill It

1. Communication: The Cornerstone of Career Success

Communication is everything, because everything is a form of communication.

Communication is unavoidable. From job interviews to team meetings, communication touches every dimension of the professional world. It's not just about speaking or writing; even silence communicates volumes. Employers highly value communication skills, recognizing their importance in navigating one's career and building relationships.

Communication skills are self-made. Strong communicators aren't born; they're self-made through practice and rehearsal. Overcoming linguistic challenges or shyness is possible with focused effort. Structure your thoughts, know your audience, and avoid over-speaking to communicate effectively.

Non-verbal communication matters. Facial expressions, hand gestures, body language, and eye contact are silent signals that speak volumes. Conduct a personal non-verbal audit to identify and improve your non-verbal habits. Make eye contact, project confidence, and maintain good posture to enhance your communication skills.

2. Storytelling: Connect, Convince, and Carry Others

Storytelling is the secret sauce of communications.

Stories shape minds and move hearts. Storytelling is the ability to explain a concept or idea by connecting it to a story from your own life or observations. It helps us relate to one another, learn, grow, and build human connections. Stories capture attention, leave a memorable impression, and stay with listeners long after you're done speaking.

Everyone has stories worth telling. Don't sell yourself short. Your thoughts and experiences are what make you unique. When you see a chance to tell a story to illustrate a key point, go for it! Start with a phrase like, "What we're discussing right now reminds me of something that happened..."

Keep it short, simple, and true. The best stories are short, simple, clear, and true. Avoid exaggeration, lying, or stretching the truth just to entertain or be different. Tell true stories to build trust. Incorporate storytelling into your daily routine to collect personal stories and see how you can use them to illustrate an important idea in your work.

3. Think Big, Overcome Fear, and Take Control

It’s not about the deck of cards you’re served, it’s about what you do with them.

Don't let excuses hold you back. Overcome limiting beliefs related to your background, education, or financial status. Many successful individuals come from humble beginnings. Focus on being a problem-solver who works hard for the team and adds value.

Face and crush your fears. Fear is the enemy of thinking big. Create a new mindset about failure. Embrace failure as a natural, normal, and even beneficial part of work. Reframe the question from "What will happen if I fail?" to "What will happen if I allow myself to try?"

Take the driver's seat. Don't base your ambitions on a desire to impress others. Focus your work and energy on doing what you love. Get in the driver's seat, grip the steering wheel, and learn to drive through life on your own.

4. Shine, Don't Whine: Embrace Responsibility

Every time you whine is a waste of sixty seconds that you can use to polish yourself and shine (again).

Reject the entitlement mindset. Professionals who get ahead reject the entitlement mindset. They don't believe they are inherently deserving of privileges and special treatment. Instead, they focus on adding value and contributing to the team.

Your career is your responsibility. Take control of your own professional growth. Instead of saying, "What my boss/company should do to make me a better employee is...", say, "What I can do to make myself a better employee is..." Employers want self-motivated professionals.

Raise your level of self-awareness. You can't take credit for victories if you won't accept responsibility for mistakes. Be honest about when you are at your best, as well as acknowledging when you could have done better. Work to shine by being humble, confident, and hard-working.

5. Listen, Observe, Learn: The New LOL

There is no way the other person will have a buy-in unless the one who is speaking has been heard completely.

Eliminate distractions. The biggest threat to effective listening and observation is distraction. Put the phone down and give colleagues the courtesy of your full focus. Avoid switching off your brain during parts of a meeting that do not directly deal with you.

Listen to absorb, not just react. Workplace listening involves taking in feedback from one's boss, managers, and coworkers. Absorb all criticism as positive suggestions for improvement. Avoid the temptation to ignore feedback.

Use powerful listening techniques. The "summarizing takeaway" technique highlights key action items and takeaways from a meeting. The "customized follow-up" technique asks questions based on the interaction you just had. Know what kind of feedback to absorb versus what to ignore.

6. Empathy: A Sign of Strength, Not Weakness

If I have to reach the heart of a person then it has to be through a story.

Empathy vs. Sympathy. Empathy is understanding how someone else is feeling, while sympathy is feeling exactly what someone else is feeling. Showing empathy does not mean letting people walk all over you. A manager can be strong and maintain high expectations while still showing empathy to their employees and peers when it's appropriate.

A little goes a long way. When a colleague experiences serious hardships or personal challenges, offer genuine empathy. The best way to show empathy is through focused listening with the goal of understanding and relating to the other person's problem. Don't feel like you have to "solve" their problem or be a therapist.

Leadership and empathy go hand in hand. Let people know you care about what happens to them. If empathy is at the back of your mind, you will relate and connect to people better. You will also come across as more inspiring. Peer-to-peer empathy builds unity.

7. Future-Proof Your Career Through Lifelong Learning

The days of being guided by company or boss are long gone.

Failure to upgrade skills costs far more in the end. The cost of losing one's job or promotion is much greater than the time and resources a person would invest in keeping their skills fresh and current. Redundancy will be high, and the need for specialization, being sharper, more knowledgeable and updated in your job, and learning all the soft skills needed to up your game are here to stay.

Identify 'trucks' and trends. Learn how to identify the 'trucks' (dangers) speeding toward your industry and the 'trends' (opportunities) that can take you and your company to the next level. Learning the newest methods, techniques, and technologies in your industry will keep you on the cutting edge of innovation.

Aim for deep learning. Online training with experts allows you to build 'deep knowledge' through hands-on interactive experiences. Growth can happen horizontally, too, by sharpening skills in your current job position. Consider switching things up by exploring a different domain with new team dynamics.

8. Multitasking: Myth vs. Reality

Multitasking often becomes the enemy of excellence.

Multitasking has different aspects. It's very important for us to be aware when we are multitasking. My first alert is when I am distracted or not fully concentrating on what I’m doing at that moment. If you are constantly distracted, you are in a multitasking danger zone!

Focus more on goals, less on tasks. Achieving goals is the goal! So don't get distracted with smaller, meaningless tasks that get in the way. Goals will get you results. Tasks will get you through a workday but not much more. Maximum productivity requires deep focus.

Develop an effective morning multitasking routine. The time when multitasking is most beneficial and useful is during your daily morning walk. Effective multitasking is all about knowing when it’s okay and beneficial to combine tasks versus when laser focus is required. Take a multitasking break to come up with the next big solution.

9. Stability is a Slippery Slope: Embrace High Growth

High career growth is not only for the super ambitious; it’s for everyone who cares about their career.

Is stable career growth still possible? In the twenty-first century, 'stability' cannot be taken for granted. Pursuing high personal growth is the safest way to protect your career and move ahead. The riskiest place to be is 5 on a scale of 1 to 10.

High growth traits. High career growth means constantly learning and developing new skills while taking on greater responsibilities in the job you already have. Instead of waiting for opportunities to come your way at work, you create and pursue opportunities.

Attitude determines altitude. The key attributes I look for when hiring people are attitude and ability to problem-solve. A high-growth attitude is one where a person listens to colleagues, prepares diligently, and constantly absorbs new information, ideas, and skills to bring their very best to each task or challenge in the team’s path.

10. From Clashes to Connections: Build Bridges, Not Walls

I’m sorry for xyz’ is a powerful phrase, especially when it’s sincere.

See the other side. When you encounter a conflict, take it in your stride. Retrace your own words and actions. Did you say a word or phrase that may have triggered that emotional response? Apologizing shows grace, humility, and that you care about keeping the team strong and united.

The words few bosses can resist. Most bosses enjoy giving advice and offering wisdom when approached properly. There is a massive difference between asking a person for something and asking a person for ADVICE about something. Drama fuels drama.

Be social, not stuck-up. There really is value in making an effort to participate in non-work activities. Showing your colleagues that you care about them outside of work is important. It builds bonds of trust and connection, understanding and commitment.

11. Batteries and Vampires: Manage Your Energy

Work–life balance is all about your energy.

Identify your 'batteries' and 'vampires'. Some days you have to complete several tasks that drain you without performing the activities that give you energy. Batteries might be a colleague or team member who brings out the best in you and gives you a daily overdose of positive energy. Vampires are the things that drain your energy levels.

Warning signs of burnout. One of the first signs that you’re out of balance and headed for a burnout is excessive dread of the week ahead. If you’re gripped by feelings of insecurity or failing confidence, it could be a sign that you’re setting unrealistic expectations or putting unnecessary pressure on yourself.

Don't hyperventilate, rejuvenate! Take small breaks. Short vacations. Avail of your leave as every time you’ll come back with higher energy levels, and your overall year-round performance will increase. Build a support system by finding team members, colleagues, and even seniors who get the best out of you, inspire you, and send you positive energy.

12. You Control Your Choices, Behaviors, and Beliefs

Failure fascinates and intrigues me.

The root of self-confidence. The root of self-confidence is knowledge. When you know how to do something, you feel greater confidence in your ability to do it well. Lifelong learning gives your self-confidence a boost because you’re developing and strengthening your knowledge.

Take micro risks first. The best way to learn risk-taking is to start small. You begin with taking a micro risk and build up from there. During work meetings you may remain silent and not share ideas out of fear they aren’t good enough.

Ignore negative people and energy. Life is too short to allow your thoughts and self-esteem to be controlled by negative people and negative energy. Surround yourself with positive people and energy—people who will challenge you to be the best version of yourself possible. Never, never, never quit on yourself.

Last updated: February 27, 2025