Dear Destiny Friend,

In our contemporary society, one cannot undermine the importance of skills. Every employer is always concerned about what each prospective employee will bring to the table apart from their academic qualification. In some cases, employers are not concerned about educational qualifications, they are just concerned about experience and what the potential employee can do.

To succeed in life, one must not only personally and professionally develop himself, he must go the extra mile to acquire a skill. I strongly believe the best form of education is self-education. Anyone can teach you, but the knowledge and information you impact in yourself is what will make the difference in your life.

Skills come in various forms and manners. Depending on the area you are interested in, you will need to know the kind of skills you need to succeed in the industry. For instance, if you are shy, you need to develop your interpersonal relationship skills. If you are in business, you will need to develop your leadership and strategy skills.

One of the most important skills in life is taking care of yourself in body and mind. Yes, taking care of yourself is a skill most people underrate. It is the foundation for all other skills and areas of personal development. Sometimes, we focus on developing other aspects of our lives instead of focusing first on our mental well-being. If you do not take care of yourself, you will find it much difficult to harness the power of your mind to develop, learn and achieve more.

You may be wondering what is the most important skill one needs to succeed. Below are some skills we need to succeed in life.

Technical Skills

This Skill involves machinery and handy work. These skills are specific to an industry.

Professional

Depending on your industry, they may need you to have general knowledge of public speaking, writing, and leadership skills.

Personal Skills

The most important skills you need in life are personal skills. I call them emergency skills. Skills like driving, swimming, cooking, speaking, hygiene, accountability, etc. These skills can be learned. You need them because you never can tell when the need may arise. Let’s say, for instance, you have a medical emergency, and a patient needs to be transported to the hospital with a car, your ability to drive might save the day. Also, supposing there’s a car accident that led the car to somersault into the river, your ability to drive might save the day. Finally, suppose you are married, and your wife was sick, or you had a little misunderstanding with your wife and she decides not to cook, what will be your fate? Your ability to cook again might save the day. Do you see that there are certain skills you need to succeed in life?

Interpersonal skills

These are the life skills we use every day to communicate and interact with other people, both individually and in groups. Your interpersonal relation skills can help to build your communication and romantic relationship. Your ability to use these skills can make a difference in your life.

Leadership kills

Dr. Dele Momodu, a journalist, defined leadership as the ability to manage people and resources. To succeed in business, you need a strategy. Whether you are in the public or private sector, you must have great leadership skills because you will definitely meet difficult people in addition to getting opposition. Your ability to manage their emotions might be the game- changer.

The ability to lead effectively is based on a number of key skills. These skills are highly sought by employers as they involve dealing with people in such a way as to motivate, enthuse and build respect.

In addition, here are a few characteristics and skills you need to adopt if you are interested in growing.

Learnability

Most people are so rigid that they find it hard to adapt to new innovations. According to Alvin Toffler “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

Resilience

Resilience is the ability to bounce back in the face of obstacles and failures. Each and every one of us must experience our own fair share of failures and setbacks in one way or the other. When you are resilient, you don’t focus on the ups and downs. Resilience is a top skill that is in top demand. Many people find it hard to fight back. Whether you have a business, work in an established institution or dealing with a life situation, you must have the resilience to push through life when life hits you hard.

Teamwork/Collaboration

Your ability to work with a diverse set of people will have a huge role to play in your success. According to an African proverb, if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go with a team. In any space of life, you need to work with people to succeed. In your family, you need to be united to succeed. In politics, you need to work with the opposing side to pass a bill. In a work environment, you need to work with your colleagues to meet deadlines. Even as a human being, your body parts depend on others to succeed.

Communication Skills

You cannot underscore the importance of writing and speaking. These are the most priced skills in the world. If you can use it very well, you will be valuable in life. If you have a good idea, but don’t know how to convey the right message, you might lose some golden opportunity of attracting a scholarship or grant. Your ability to write and speak in a clear, concise, and succinct manner can be the game changer for a progressive being. According to Les Brown, when you open your mouth, you tell the world who you are.

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is an uncommon skill. It’s the ability to recognize and identify your feelings and the feelings of others. As you interact with colleagues, emotional intelligence helps keep you in tune with their emotions, allowing you to notice if someone is hurt, frustrated, or angry. Proactively addressing these emotions can help reduce conflict and wasted time in the workplace. By knowing your own emotions, you can speak honestly about them and manage them maturely rather than being overcome by them.

Creativity

This is otherwise known as the ability to think out of the box. Your ability to have a holistic picture will place you on a higher pedestal. Creativity is a crucial skill we all need because, in our fast-changing times, employers value employees who can look beyond the present and imagine future possibilities for their company. Creative workers are the ones who ask why. The question is,  are curious, and by doing so, they develop new ideas and solutions.

Your creative skills help in problem-solving. Being a good problem solver is essential because employers value people who can work through challenges on their own or as an effective members of a team by defining the issues, brainstorming alternatives, sharing thoughts, and then making sound decisions

Negotiation

This is one of the best skills anyone can get. Your ability to negotiate in life will give you an edge over your competitors. In life, it’s generally said, you don’t get what you desire, you get what you deserve. The sad part of negotiation skills is that, sometimes, we sell ourselves short due to desperation.  Employers use powerful negotiation skills to get the best from prospective employees.

In summary, make an effort to develop yourself by learning new skills and don’t get tired of learning because the more you know, the more you are paid. So, learn first in order to earn.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a Human Capacity & mindset coach. He’s also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success and President of gloemi.com. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com