Top Skills to Succeed in Business

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To be successful in the corporate industry professionals require a polished set of skills, and although some may be inherited genetically, most skills have to be learned.

Here are the top skills needed to be successful in business today.

Time Management and Delegation

Being able to select what first needs addressing is a skill that keeps successful business professionals afloat in stressful times.

It’s important to focus on the major goals first and delegate or delay other objectives. A large part of managing stress is managing time wisely. Without effective time management business professionals are dead in the water.

Assertiveness

Being assertive does not mean being rude and aggressive. It means getting what’s needed with respect and tact. Quietly sitting there whilst the conversation runs on loses the deal, the respect and the value. Business professionals should be prepared to state their needs assertively without giving up. The Gap Partnership are experts at boosting assertiveness through their tailored training and coaching courses.

Experimentation

Taking hold of new strategies and observing what legs they have is a crucial skill because old-fashioned methods are not always appropriate for the modern world - except politeness which never goes out of fashion.
Fear of failure holds back talent and growth. The business environment needs fresh ideas, new tactics and wider solutions to stay ahead of the game. If it all goes wrong then the best approach is to take the learning points and store them away for future innovations. The whole idea wasn’t necessarily flawed, so pick out what did work.

Confidence

‘Fake it till you make it’ is a cliché, but has some basis in truth.

Professionals that project an aura of confidence inspire others to respect them and follow their lead. Portrayed confidence will transform into true confidence over time, with successful presentations at the Chief Executive’s meeting, brokering a deal or dealing with difficult situations safely under the belt.

Building Relationships

Without proper support from employers and co-workers its difficult move forward. Building relationships on a business level is essential. When co-workers and peers dislike a colleague they undermine them, spread rumours and stall careers. Working with people is a skill - learn how to build supportive inter-work relationships and the rumour mill turns in the right direction

Negotiation

Negotiation skills are critical because no-one works in a silo. If business professionals can’t negotiate then their careers stagnate.

Managing a compromise is best won with a mixture of listening, talking and listening some more. It’s important to remember that listening is not confined to the opposing party’s voice - look for clues in their body language. This is easier said than done and although negotiation skills will come with practice or shadowing the experienced, it’s possible to jump ahead with specifically tailored negotiation training and courses.

Understand the business

There no excuse - all professionals should understand the company they work for and the larger market.
With the internet at fingertip it’s easy to learn about competitors, the history of the business and worldwide opinions on future direction. Ignorance is not acceptable in today’s business environment.

Media Literacy and Technology Understanding

The rise of social media makes it a tool worth utilising in the business sector and all savvy professionals should know how to wield it to their advantage. One false move and carefully constructed reputations are destroyed.

Alongside social media dominance are new technological advances that make business partnerships faster, multi-international, and globally connected within minutes. Video-conferencing for example is a must in today’s workplace. The confident professional will know how to present themselves on teleconferences, video conferences, and how to maximise results in a virtual team.