Developing Career Soft Skills Presented by Larry Gavin Cumberland County Public Library
Objectives Prove that Soft Skills have hard value within the life of an organization Provide a framework that enables us to rethink what the elements of success are Build a leadership framework that emerging leaders can begin to leverage across their careers which enables them to better serve their constituency
Soft Skills in the Workplace Soft skills are increasingly becoming the hard skills of today's work force. It's just not enough to be highly trained in technical skills, without developing the softer, interpersonal and relationship-building skills that help people to communicate and collaborate effectively.
What are Soft Skills It's important for you to recognize the vital role soft skills play within your team and not only work on developing them within yourself, but encourage their development throughout the organization. Areas to examine and evaluate include: Personal accountability. The degree of collaboration. Interpersonal negotiation skills. Conflict resolution. People's adaptability and flexibility. The clarity of communications. Creative thinking. Inclusion. Coaching and mentoring.
Emotional Intelligence From Self Awareness to Relationship Management
What is any organizations Greatest Asset People
Consider What are the things that make a person a liability? What are the things that make a person an asset?
Human Beings Have at Least 2 Types of Intelligence:
Emotional Intelligence Defined Emotional Intelligence refers to the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and our relationships Coleman working with Emotional Intelligence 1998
IQ vs EQ (intelligence Quotient vs Emotional Quotient) Research Indicates that IQ can help you to be successful to the extent of 20% only in life. The remaining 80% is dependent on your EQ.
Emotional Intelligence
Self Awareness Increasing our own levels of self awareness therefore, empowers us to make different choices. Not that we will automatically do things differently.. Some habits die hard! It allows the leader and the people they influence to move to a place of not automatically reacting in the same old inappropriate manner as before.
The Emotional Brain Your life experiences are not sterile facts; they are emotionally laden memories.
Building Emotional Trust Consider the following statement: If you knew this about me, you would better understand who I am as a member of this team.
Building Emotional Trust Exercise What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about others? What did you learn about truthful communication? What did you learn about the value of self awareness?
Self Awareness Your Current Environment Your Current life circumstances, at home and at work sets the context for exploring your EQ capacities. Many times, individuals are unaware that they are having an emotional reaction. Undeveloped self awareness leads to a just do it / fly by the seat of my pants attitude. We need emotional competencies to help us in this area.
Self Awareness Emotional Competencies High degrees of self awareness are strongly correlated with the following competencies Intentionality Creativity Resilience Interpersonal Connections Constructive Discontent
Values & Attitudes One s view of the world and what one values within it Describe in the words we use The actions we take Consistency over time They shape our outlook They fuel our compassion They inform our intuition
Self Awareness Principles Taking the time for mindfulness Recognizing and naming emotions Understanding the causes of feelings Differentiation between emotion and the need to take action Preventing depression through learned Optimism. Managing anger through learned behavior. Listening for the lesson of feelings.
Self Management Essential Components Emotional self control Integrity Innovation / Creativity Initiative / bias for action Resilience and Achievement drive Realistic optimism and Intentionality
Enhancing Self Control Remain aware of feelings Paying attention to how you feel in the moment is critical Keep a journal Create a list of situations or events that trigger negative emotions Pay attention to self talk (internal voice) Tell yourself what it looks and feels like to be under control Remember, you have a choice
You Tube video links: Slide 4: www.skillsconverge.com softskills training: inspirational quotes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ouqz_en7mi Slide 23: Walter Bond / motivational speaker. Former NBA player for Detroit Pistons. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdfzbb8q_58