The Business of You: The Seven Skills You'll Need For Success

by Kenneth J. Weiss
July 15, 2005

Read any pop business book or magazine article and you'll find long lists of gotta-have-it skills for success in the business world. The lists are pretty much the same: dynamic communication, great presentation abilities, team leadership, consensus building, flexibility, adaptability and so on, and so on. And so what? It doesn't matter if you actually have these skills when everyone around you espouses to have them, too. By all means, get good at these, but don't stop there.

If you want to beat the pants off the Docker-jockeys of the world and make the Suits take notice, you'll need to exercise seven skills every day.

Analytics
A hunch can get you promoted or fired. Data can prevent the pink slip. Get good - really good - at blending subject matter expertise with analytic skills. You can say it: "Excel is my friend." Get over your mathophobia and start crunching numbers. Every decision can be better, and every problem will find a solution if you are comfortable with analyzing data.

IT Acumen
Do corporate requirements drive IT solutions, or do IT advancements create corporate possibilities? You need to be able to look at this reality from both perspectives. Many companies are mired in indecision because IT and other departments can not create a clear picture together.

Cultural Sensitivity
You have to be PC, yes. But you also have to be comfortable dealing with people of different ethnicities. Check the stats. The business world is becoming more multicultural everyday. You must be able to courteously work through challenging accents, differing terminology and unfamiliar business habits.

Customer Experience Management
Some companies continue to pile on the value-adds. Other companies are furiously unbundling everything. Some are linking acquisition and retention. Whatever the Strategy-O'-The-Day happens to be, there will always be customers. Customer Experience Management is the new way of getting a better handle on the thoughts and actions of customers. It's definitely a discipline worth understanding.

Digital Content Manipulation
Knowing Microsoft Office is not enough anymore. Can you grab a sound bite from a conversation, retouch a tradeshow photo, edit a fishbone diagram and create a simple infographic? Aesthetics are expected, and good pieces of communication (with your name on them) can be circulated around a company for months.

Managing Remote Employees
Offshoring, outsourcing, job sharing and work-from-home arrangements are making remote employees commonplace. How do you know if they are getting their work done? Have you set the proper expectations for availability? Does it matter if they run an errand during the work day? Are they talking to the competition on a different line? Remote employees create a new set of challenges and a new opportunity to stand out.

Brand Strategy
What's the difference between Bottled Water A and Bottled Water B? About 2 bucks. Good brand strategy can conjure premium prices and defend your market share. Nothing will make you more valuable than the ability to add to the bottom line with good brand decisions instead of heavy investments.

Now, go get really good at these before everyone else does. When you're done, let me know and I'll send you the next seven.