The question above should hopefully have given you pause for thought. When was the last time you truly tested how good you are at your skills which earn you your living? This might sound insulting to read, but stay with us. Once we develop our skills and experience to the point where we can earn a decent living by them, we often forget just how strong our grind to competence was.
For this reason, it always pays to reflect on our ability with honest self-reflection. Sometimes, as we gain confidence in our ability and become settled in our ambition, we often neglect some very important further development. Sometimes we become so comfortable that our blind spots are no longer up for improvement.
Or are they?
We’d like to suggest the following tips to help you out in this regard. Whatever you do, please don’t feel too proud to try them. A little humility here can help you develop your weaknesses, and help you become better and live happier within your career.
When Was The Last Time You Were Newly Qualified?
We all feel that whatever works for us should be repeated ad infinitum until the process is no longer effective. If you’re a good marketer, you feel no reason to work on anything other than that. But when was the last time you branched out to truly give your skillset the full picture? What was the last time you studied a course to improve your understanding of the business world? Not only will this help you in the area you choose to study anew, but it will help you identify links between business disciplines that otherwise evaded your attention.
If applying for a new and better job, having this excess qualification could make the world of difference. Even when opening your firm, a shrewd investor is much more likely to look fondly on someone who has chosen to learn even more in the middle of their career. This could be as simple as taking an online MBA or business management course, or to a lesser extent become well versed and understanding of the content written on blogs like ours.
When Was The Last Time You Were Newly Social?
It’s easy to get in a comfortable social stupor. Seeing the same people at the office day in, day out will often make you so immersed in an office culture that you forget how to approach new people. Refining your social competence will help you become better at what you do, and will help you stay comfortable when diversifying your job role and speaking to new people from a professional perspective. For example, talking to said shrewd investor will be much easier when you level with them and are obviously at ease in your business communication. Keeping ahead of the business curve is one thing which will help your conversation, but practicing your interpersonal skills through quiet presentation practice or public speaking skills through a service such as toastmasters will help to no end.
With these tips, you are sure to have a much better time walking in your professional shoes.
