Using Soft Skills to Create a Substainable Career Strategy

Thought of the day: "I thought I already knew what I needed to do - however after talking to the fishing guide - I realized that I needed to make minor changes. And after making them, I started catching more fish with less effort."

More fish, less stress.

What is this - it's Change Management.

Career Strategy: What's your plan?
Function Plan: Layout of outcome.

Skills: Skill set transfer
How am I going to get there?

Financial Plan: Achieve goals
Financial Planner: Success principal

A Plan: A plan is your career investment.

Compound interest effect:
- Education
- Training
- Networking
- Courses
- Appropriate amount of investment

Managing by Momentum
Ex. GM vs. HONDA

GM: listen to momentum; go with wants and expectations
HONDA: one direction and stayed focus

* Momentum: in the flow without stopping to really pay attention. *

"Better Career is a Better Life"
Managing your choices.

Strategies vs. Plan

Strategies: goes with changes; formulate a plan but accept changes; people-skills / pay attention
Plan: static; timelines

Vision

Where do you want to be?
What do they look like?
Where are they?
Who are they?
** Ask these questions with a view on people who are already "there" (vision). **

Benchmarking

What will I do / What did they do?
What are the steps to take / What steps did they take?
Elements that lead to their outcomes...

Secret Lure: Is it "the" thing needed?

"Be who you are, not what somebody else is."
This means: know who you are; know what you represent; play your strengths.

FORMULA vs. FRAMEWORK

FORMULA: recreate the same thing (me too types); what is changed? (nothing...); I have to be ____________; I have to leave __________; etc.

FRAMEWORK: what is it they've "got" that we don't?; flexibility to change; seeing the "Big Picture"; strengths; sense of "Plan"; where have I been successful?; is there a pattern?; etc.

Ask yourself:
"Is that what you should do? OR Is that a "me too" response?"
** Review your Benchmarks **

Know Thyself: only 20% know their strengths.
Learn about you.
Learn about your strengths.
Learn about your patterns / as it relates to who I am.
** These are your personal offerings. **

Branding / Marketing [of yourself]

- Capacity
- Strengths
- Manage your visibility
- Know your values
** These are your internal and external brandings. **

VALUE: I have "it" so I should get it, right?
Not anymore. This view point is "old school".

"Most wealthy people have a financial plan."

See your career strategy / plan the same way.
Best Practices.

Training: Gives you time to think; develops your value(s); get visibility.

Remember: "Your Network is your Net-worth."

"It's not about who you know... but more about, who knows you."

Hard Skills: MBA; PHD; Technical Elements of a profession; sector specific

Ex. MD = gets you to be a doctor.
PROMOTION ASSUMPTIONS

Soft Skills: Gets you to become the CEO of the Hospital

- What extent are they a team-player?
- Behaviour
- Relationship-centric
- Task-centric
- How do you manage your time?
- How do you manage your tasks?
- How do you manage your relationships?

Communication Skills: How do you communicate with people?

Implementing: Do you carry things through?

Project Management is difficult; it requires a lot of SOFT SKILLS; and conflict resolution.

STUDY: Project Management effectiveness (14% Hard Skills) / (86% Soft Skills)

Challenge: Do "we" buy-in to that? (the Soft Skills)

"Less work just more knowledge and applying it properly."

What can I learn from it / from others?

Mental Health = Mental Toughness

"The new norm is crisis."

What is your ability to manage change?
What is your ability to manage change within yourself?

Response Results = Performance

"Got to think outside the Box but somewhat is the Box too."

I'm not just a Project Manager...
I'm not just a ....

What has been working for you?
What are you?
Re-imaging yourself...

Example: Apple (MacIntosh)
They re-imaged themselves; The re-invented themselves; marketed that they are now different; and engaged a new audience.

Example: RIM & Apple
They don't sell, they help people buy.

The companies used a pitch with the end-result in mind.
They're getting the customer to buy the outcome.
They're not in it to sell the product but believe that the product is there to solve a problem so they're there to help the customer find it and buy it.

Training & Coaching: "Be the Guide"
Take the knowledge and turn it into wisdom.

Training & Coaching is a conversation.

"People need to gain the motivation to ask - the generation of need."

Bottom Line:

"Know what you know & Know what you don't know."

www.careerjoy.com