7 Critical Skills That
Predict Success
If
you want to succeed in life, psychologists have figured out the skills you'll
need. Since knowing is half the battle, see how you're doing and where you need
to improve.
What
skills do you really need to succeed? In school, they taught us history and
algebra and if we got good SAT scores they said we'd succeed. But are those the
skills we really need? Developmental psychologist Susan Engel researched the skills
that actually predicted success. I'll give you a hint--differential calculus
isn't on the list. Here are the 7 skills that are critical for success.
1. Reading.
Of
course, you can read. If you couldn't you wouldn't be reading this. Engel
defines reading as follows: "It means having the ability to read an essay
or book and understand it well enough to use the information in some practical
way or to talk about it with another person."
I'd
like to ask a different question: Do you read? Do you apply what you've
learned? Share it with others? People who read fiction, for
instance, are more empathetic. That empathy can certainly help you be a
better boss.
2. Inquiry.
If
you're running a startup, you probably already have this skill down. After all,
the purpose of every startup is to either solve a problem that exists or
convince people that they have a problem so you can sell them the solution.
But, the question is, do you allow your employees the same level of inquiry?
Are
ideas encouraged? If they are, are they encouraged at all levels of your work
force, or are they welcomed just from your senior team? The process of
inquiry is the process that will lead your company to success. Keep asking
those questions.
3. Flexible thinking and the use of evidence.
Sometimes
we get focused on the solution we think is right, and we forget that there are
many different angles for looking at each problem. When I taught political
science courses, I'd have students write a persuasive essay on a controversial
subject. Then, I'd have them write a second essay arguing the opposing
viewpoint. There's a good chance you had a professor that required the same,
but do you do this now?
Have
you really looked at your decisions from all sides? Are you looking at evidence
or are you rejecting anything that doesn't back up your predetermined
conclusion? And when you find new evidence, you need to change your course of
action.
4. Conversation.
Engel
identifies conversation as a way that children gain not only the ability to
communicate, but also pegs it as a way that children actually learn.
"Children living in poverty are much less likely to hear and be part of
such rich exchanges at home," Engel says. Have you put yourself into such
an environment? Not that you aren't speaking with your colleagues daily. Of
course you are. But, are you having rich conversations about a variety of
subjects that expands your mind? If you're hyper-focused on your business, you
just may have given up the conversations that can actually help you.
5. Collaboration.
Are
you working together with others, or simply directing their work? Some people
are natural-born collaborators and others of us prefer to sit alone. While the
idea of the lone genius is interesting enough, you'll find yourself better off
if you work in a collaborative mode
.
6. Engagement.
How
successful are you on a project that you hate and wish you could avoid? Not very,
right? Do you have enough of interest going on that you can "immerse"
yourself in work? Is there something that excites you?
What
about your team? Are you making sure that employee engagement is high on your
list of priorities? Because your company's success isn't just dependent on your
engagement but on the engagement of your employees.
7. Well-being.
Remember,
you're a human and your employees are human as well. It's critical to know if
you and they are happy. And if you're not happy? It's time to change that. The
children that Engel studies don't have a great deal of freedom in their own
lives (after all, they are children), but you do. If things are not working out
for you, you can change what you are doing.
Some
circumstances we're stuck with. If you have a chronic health problem, it's not
like you can just wake up one morning and say, "I'm not going to be sick
anymore." But, you can choose your friends, your job, your method for
getting to work, what you read, what you watch on television, and how you treat
your dry cleaner. If you're not in a state of happiness, the best thing to do
is to start making some changes.
By Suzanne
Lucas
http://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/7-critical-skills-successful-people-have.html?cid=em01016week11d
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