Tag Archives: skills

Getting good at something

This applies to many things, however, the core of this premise is its applicability to your work, no matter what it is.

Be so good that your colleagues, clients and bosses have to take notice of the work you do.

It might be the way you do it. The level of quality that you are reaching every time you send an email, for example. The style of your communications. The way you listen.

Or it could be a technical proficiency. Something you’ve honed over many years of practice and repetition.

Whatever it is, work as hard as you can on making it a little better every day.

It is not wasted time. The effort will stand up under pressure.

Sometimes this stuff is drowned out by the policiticans that inhabit every workplace. The game-players. The ones who will burn anyone to get what they feel they deserve.

In general – and I have seen this play out over time – those with the skills become dependable, reliable, and essential to leaders when they’re making their picks.

I know which camp I’d rather be in.

The third goal

Cruyff speaks, we listen.

The third goal yesterday was a stand out moment for our football team.

I’ve been banging on about putting passes together, keeping the ball. The clock was ticking. It looked like we would miss out on the points again. The final substitutions had been made.

We got the break from a 50/50 challenge in the middle of the pitch and the ball suddenly started moving from back to front, one player to another to another, then finally at our striker’s feet.

She swings a big right foot at it and the net bulges. It was never missing.

I was pleased and proud of what just happened because the simplicity of the move made it so effective.

There was nothing fancy. The ball just went from player to player in maybe five passes max, and the finish was excellent, but it all came from passes.

The whole game is about making passes – executing on the most basic of skills. The team that does it the most wins most of the time.

The work will carry on. The weeks we play badly will be when we don’t execute on our plans and the frustration mounts as mistakes take over.

But when that plan comes together and the ball hits the back of the net at the end of a move as sweet as the one we delivered yesterday, there will be no frustration. We’ll be winning.

Be ready for the call: get the skills you need to go places

When the call to the big leagues arrives, you want to be at your best. Your skills in whatever you do for a living will get you to the top eventually. They can, however, also work against you if you’ve not got them primed and ready at all times.

Do you want to be more efficient than your colleagues? Are you struggling to stand out in your team and get ahead? By learning skills we all use every day to a proficiency level beyond the basic, it won’t be hard.

If you open Excel every three months, you’ll be rusty at best for the first few minutes. If you need a pivot table or some conditional formatting, you’ll be browsing YouTube for tips. The clock will be ticking. Stress will build.

Instead, do a bit of research. What are the top ten things you do everyday that you can improve at? Do you open PowerPoint occasionally but often need a deck in a hurry? Is simple business writing a big part of your job, proof reading and rewriting reports, or sending emails about emails?

Think about what you can work on that will increase your output speed or improve your overall skill level. (Business writing excellence, by the way, is a lost art, so if you make this your goal, you’ll be in high demand.)

We build muscles by training. The same rules apply here, too. Make a plan to practice often by using mini-projects (writing blog posts, maybe?) and having the apps you need open, or the tools close to hand, all the time. Sharpen that sword with regular effort. The benefits will compound over time.

When a project kicks off and the call goes out for a skillset that the team is lacking or doesn’t have in depth, you’ll be ready. Put your hand up and you’ll get the chance to shine. Your contribution will stand out. You’ll deliver at speed with little stress because you’re in control.

And next time the need arises, who’s name will be top of the list? You’ll be remembered for volunteering, for doing an excellent job, and for being efficient – a most-wanted skill when the pressure is on.

Take a few courses. Watch a few YouTube videos. The notes you make and that handful of shortcuts and practice presentations hiding on your hard drive could get you more than you bargained for.