6 Skills You Need To Succeed

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While we all aspire to climb to the top of our respective professions, from time to time we come up against a glass ceiling, a barrier which slows down our climb to the top. Whether you are being consistently overlooked in favour of someone else who is a bit more productive, or perhaps there is just some intangible quality that allows other people to get ahead of you, it can be immensely frustrating to be denied a job you know you could excel in.

With this in mind, we decided to consider six skills that you can take with you as you scale the career ladder, equipping you with the essential tools you need to succeed. It is worth noting that all of these skills are transferable and have as much relevance in your personal life as they do in your professional life.

Just as importantly, these are all skills that can be learned, so no one should feel that they are at a disadvantage with any of these. Work on them and you will reap the rewards accordingly.

Prepare to shatter that glass ceiling — the career ladder will suddenly seem a much easier climb than it did before.



1 - Speaking skills

2 - Confidence in decision making

3 - Accountability

Whether you are hustling for a promotion when you bump into a CEO in an elevator or making an important speech at an international conference, the ability to speak with a wide variety of people is an absolute essential. Good eye contact, a varied vocabulary and the ability to tailor your language to suit your audience are all essential characteristics of an artful speaker. Being a good speaker will give you presence and make you memorable to those who are listening. Practice talking with anyone and everyone you meet, look for a debating society or a Toastmasters group. The rewards are worth it. Being more adept in social situations and being better equipped to network successfully will help you forge working relationships that could be very advantageous to you in the future. It will also be useful to you for performing best man duties.Nothing says mediocrity like indecision. A good leader is decisive and will always back themselves up when making the correct decision. If you want to be considered leadership material, you have to possess these characteristics. If you are paralysed by the fear of getting it wrong you will end up doing nothing, which is worse than trying something and failing. A lot of high-fliers are prepared to take risks knowing that a mistake can be corrected. Learn to evaluate different decisions for their pros and cons, and make decisions that will take you closer to completing a given task. The key is to make sure that your decisions are well thought-out and reasoned. Be confident in your judgment and back yourself to get things right. Don’t just play it safe every time — you will blend into the wallpaper and no one will notice you. Putting yourself on the line will earn you respect, and if your decisions turn out to be right, you can expect to be rewarded for your efforts.Another major part of being successful is accepting responsibility, both for successes and failures. If you want other people to respect you, acknowledge your errors rather than trying to blame someone else for your shortcomings. Everyone makes mistakes, but the real test is how you react to that. Putting yourself in the firing line is the mark of a man who wants to achieve great things and is prepared to be scrutinized. It is a sign of confidence and self-belief, and is a key ingredient among men who want to be successful. Being able to admit you have made a mistake is also a sign of humility and can garner respect from your employees. A useful way to hold yourself accountable is to scrutinise your to-do lists, see what you accomplished and what you did not. Look at ways you can improve your performance and take appropriate steps to correct mistakes yourself.

Three more skills you need to succeed after the jump...