Some lessons you might need to learn in 2019

Social skills are very important in life and in the workplace. Having and building social skills can help you decide what works and what is not working.

It can also help you decide what is investing in you and what is draining you and assist you in making right decisions for your career success.

Credit: https://mycipc.com

The above illustration can be interpreted in two different ways:

·         You can see the system as an unfair system and spend some six months moaning and groaning about a company that has done you wrong.

·         You can learn your lessons and enroll to develop the skills needed to succeed in the 21^st century.

Evaluation: Karen did not have social skills.

What are the skills you need to succeed in the 21^st century?

Social skills are your personal attributes that enable a person to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people in order to accomplish set goals.

Some of the social skills needed to surmount the challenges in the 21^st century are:

·         People skills

·         Social skills

·         Communication skills

·         Character or personality traits

·         Attitudes

·         Career attributes

·         Social intelligence

·         Emotional intelligence quotients

Three social skills which when developed will radically change your perception and outlook towards life are: self-awareness, communication skills, or emotional intelligence.

Self-awareness:

Self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to recognize oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals.

You demonstrate self-awareness by keeping an open mind, knowing your strengths and weaknesses. Proper self-awareness lets you remain focused and set the necessary boundaries and following your intuition all while practicing self-discipline. It is your beliefs, motivation and emotions. This helps you in understanding other people, their perception of you, your attitude and response to them.

People with EQ are more likely to build on feedback and become more self-aware. This takes a combination of a high level of ambition and humility to act on one's development plan and persist in the pursuit of higher performance even when it means going against one's nature, and replacing ingrained toxic habits with more effective behavioral tendencies.

Communication skills:

Communication is one of the most important skills that you need to succeed in the workplace. It is speaking, listening, writing and reading effectively.

·        Emotional Intelligence:

Emotional intelligence is a type of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use the information to guide one's thinking and actions (Salovey & Mayer, 1990).

The World Economic Forum estimates that 65% of children entering primary school today will end of working in jobs that do not exist today. The major jobs today that are considered useful by the millennial generation and others did not exist ten years ago.

How to Increase Your Emotional Intelligence

·         Reflect on your own emotions

·         Take a time out and reflect on your use of emotions

·         Ask your colleagues or business partners for perspective

·         Be observant.

·         Use "the pause"

·         Discover the "why"

·         When criticized, don't take offense.

·         Practice makes perfect

What are three best tips to increase your social skills?

Tip 1: Practice your Non-Verbal Cues

When you communicate with others, take note of the non-verbal communication such as smiling and eye contact.

The amount of attention you give the person you are speaking to determine your appeal. By giving positive cues of eye contact and a warm smile, you are making them feel important and listened to.

Tip 2: Ask Good Questions

Think of smart questions that make the other person talk at length. Use the 80/20 rule. Speak up at least 20% of the time; ensure you are doing the talking. This helps you find something in common with the person you are making small talk with. You might have gone to the same college or they might have been to your favorite place in the world. Find something in common with your companion.

Tip 3: Trigger emotional responses

Our brains are fashioned to make things stress-free and effectual for us, so just like we fall into the practice of brushing our hair again in front of the hall mirror, or falling into bed after lengthy meetings at work, we have similar strategies for dealing with our social patterns.

Don’t say an unenthusiastic ‘fine’ when you are asked how you are doing. Be lively. Say you are having the week of your life. Use bright language, and be present. Red automatically makes me feel lively and happy about everything. Wear bright colors.