pERSONAL SKILLS

Hardworking and patient:
Employees who are hardworking and get lots of work done will make an impression on their employer and be valued as opposed to employees who spend a lot of time talking, answering their mobile phones or surfing the net during work hours. Take care not to get distracted by chatting and answering private calls. Patience is also a good quality particularly if you are dealing with customers or members of the public.

Good interpersonal skills:
INTERPERSONAL skills enable us to get on with other people, promote positive relationships in the workplace and enable the job to be done better or more efficiently. Some people are naturally good at getting on with others and encouraging colleagues, but IT IS POSSIBLE TO LEARN GOOD INTERPERSONAL SKILLS. These skills will make you MORE EMPLOYABLE and will enable you to do a better job of work.

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING INTERPERSONAL SKILLS:-

Communication skills – communicating effectively is a vital interpersonal skill.

Listening – listening is not as easy as it sounds. Most people only listen passively (hear the words spoken but they do not think about what is being said) and consequently they do not remember what is said. When someone is speaking you should be thinking about what is being said; does it sound reasonable; pick out the main points and summarise them in your mind. You must concentrate on the words being spoken and try to put other thoughts and distractions out of your mind.

Listening carefully is an important skill which you should develop within your job role.

Politeness – Everyone appreciates politeness and you will build positive relationships by avoiding rudeness or being abrupt.

Patience – You must be patient when dealing with others and therefore they are more likely to respond positively to you. It is not always easy to be patient with people and is easier with some people than others. Patience is an important skill for a businessperson because rushed decisions are rarely the best or right ones. Good methodical planning is more likely to lead to success than planning which is rushed. Consider the consequences of your actions before you say or do something in haste – avoid acting on impulse.

Being trusted – Trust is an important element of productive relationships but this takes time to build with your colleagues. If you are fair with your colleagues, do not talk about them behind their backs and do your best to keep promises, then trust will build up between you and your colleagues.

empathising with people – This means understanding people’s problems, opinions and feelings. This can be difficult for people who are very much involved in their own lives and experiences. A sense of empathy will enable us to build trust in our working relationships. Good listening skills will enable us to become more empathetic towards other people.

Avoiding conflict – Conflict can be very destructive in a work environment so steps should be taken to avoid it and to positively resolve it. This is done by being respectful to other, respecting the differences between people and thinking carefully before we speak, being patient and empathising with others.

Accepting responsibility – We all make mistakes so we should all be prepared to accept responsibility for our mistakes and not make excuses for our shortcomings or, worse still, blame others in the organisation for our errors. This will not build positive working relationships.

Co-operating with others – Line managers will expect you to co-operate with their ideas and wishes, but you should also be co-operative with your work colleagues wherever possible.

Don’t moan – No one likes to listen to a moaner – being positive is far more likely to build your working relationships and friendships.

leadership
The process of successfully influencing the activities of a group towards the achievement of a common goal. A leader has the ability to influence others through qualities such as personal charisma, expertise, command of language, and the creation of mutual respect. As well as requiring strong Communication Skills and Personal Skills, leadership uses the background skills of mentoring, decision making, delegation and motivating others.
Networking
The ability to actively seek, identify and create effective contacts with others, and to maintain those contacts for mutual benefit. In addition to strong Communication Skills and Personal Skills, Networking uses the background skills of network building and motivating others.
Teamwork
Involves working with others in a group towards a common goal. This requires cooperating with others, being responsive to others' ideas, taking a collaborative approach to learning, and taking a responsibility for developing and achieving group goals. Teamwork uses the background skills of collaboration, mentoring, decision making and delegation.