We recently asked top executives what the number one skill they want every employee working under them to be.
Here is their reaction:
John Schembari, Senior Education Officer
Growth mindset. We live in an ever-changing world. Even well-thought-out plans are often changed due to unforeseen circumstances. for example. During the pandemic, educators have had no choice but to switch to distance learning. I didn’t have time to get used to technology first. I had to dive in. To remain profitable, many businesses need to reconfigure their services and products from time to time. The most successful employees are those who are always willing to learn new things. You can often teach skills that are the core competencies needed to get the job done. But it’s not so easy to get inside someone’s head and influence their will unless you can tap into their intrinsic motivation. If you already have a growth mindset, this makes changes a little easier to implement, even the hard ones.
John Shenbari currently a K-12 teacher/school leader performance coach and former school building and district administrator. She loves painting, traveling, swinging, dancing and reading non-fiction.
John Cox, Advertising and Marketing Executive
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Curiosity is one of the things I need most from each team member. This means that you should be aware of the fact that no one knows everything and be curious to actively seek out new knowledge to add to your toolbox.
It’s especially true in my team’s work on brand development and activation, and more specifically digital marketing, that the industry, best practices, and tools used are constantly changing and evolving. That includes reading the latest books, blogs, and podcasts, and following subject matter experts on LinkedIn.
Overall, each team member should have a genuine passion for lifelong learning and constantly seek new ways to grow in their expertise and job performance.
John Cox leveraging our Google-certified skill sets in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and paid search strategy, web planning and conversion measurement, creative direction and graphic design, we have over 20 years of strong performance in advertising and marketing.
Mark Taylor, Product & Operations Executive
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Clear and concise written communication. Less is better. For example, when it comes to project status ‘decks’, my expectations are no more than 1 page (2 for 2 pushes). So:
1) On-point title: set the scene.
2) Background: One or two bullet points (so far).
3) Status: 3-5 single-sentence bullet points detailing tasks completed since the last update (bad news first, please).
4) Next Steps: 2-3 bullet points detailing important tasks to perform next (make sure these are clearly reflected in the Status section on your next update) , win your trust).
Make it a game to remove all the words from the deck until they don’t make sense.
Also, don’t confuse ruthless editing with time spent on “perfection.” The process of writing very clear prose without excess fat is a pathway to a deeper understanding of the project’s current challenges.
Mark Taylor has over 20 years of risk, technology and product management experience in global and regional financial services companies in the UK and US. He managed his team of over 40 people, addressed over 100 regulatory issues, and saved businesses over $15 million.
Steve Barriault, Global Technical Sales Management
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Strength to face adversity. See, sales and field engineering aren’t for the faint of heart. They are often exhilarating, but they are definitely difficult.
Life can throw a curveball every time you step into a new account (or an existing one). The budget I thought was on the project is gone. The client forgot to communicate one of the key factors for poor deployment in the development environment.
Oh, do you travel for work? What do you do when an airline sabotages your plans? Trust me, I’ve been through it all.
Your best sales and field engineers can handle this. When faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, they plan, execute, and when they fail (and they will!) start again. and again. and again. Until it works or the clock times out.
No experience? I can handle this with my education. Did you get it wrong sometimes? If you’ve never done it, I’d say you’re not trying hard enough.
But when things get tough, you can’t stop and get discouraged. And it has to come from you.
Steve Barrio is a multilingual pre-sales, sales and business development management expert with over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing of software and technology solutions worldwide. He built the sales infrastructure from scratch and scaled from $0 to millions through both direct sales and distributors.
Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive
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The most important skill I look for in my employees is a willingness to learn. This includes being open-minded to new ideas, sharing your thoughts and insights with colleagues, and being able to think on your feet and solve problems on the fly with a can-do attitude. These skills are essential to our employees’ personal and professional growth and contribute to the overall success of our company. A willingness to learn enables employees to adapt to new challenges, develop creative solutions to problems, and continually improve their skills and knowledge. It also helps foster a culture of innovation and improvement throughout the organization.
As an employee, a focus on your desire to learn is essential to remain relevant in your career while remaining competitive in the market. The world of business is constantly evolving, so employees need to be able to adapt and acquire new skills and knowledge to stay current and relevant in their field. Acquiring new skills also empowers employees to proactively identify and address challenges and opportunities, which can lead to greater success for both employees and the company.
Lisa Perry helps businesses build leadership brands, drive loyal customers, and realize profitability. She does this through the process of building brands that consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize and grow their brands.
Andrea Markowski, Marketing Executive
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Combining the many knowledge and skills you’ve gathered over your lifetime and applying them to your current job can make you stand out as a valuable asset.
For example, when I was in college, I learned the practical mechanisms of theater and directing. Today, as Marketing Director, I use a modified version for my strategic framework.
What should I do? Well, both the art of theater and the art of marketing have important elements in the psychology of the audience and the message her communication.
Are any marketers aware of this connection? Probably not. Is this what my employer tells me? no.
Successfully adapting a learned approach to another function brings fresh perspectives through pattern recognition and critical reasoning. The ability to connect dots from past work and life experiences to current roles brings creativity and innovation that cannot be taught. This is a skill I look for and highly recommend to my team members.
Andrea Markowski Marketing Director specializing in strategy development, digital tactics, design thinking and creative direction. She has super powers in presentations and public speaking.
Ana Smith, Talent Architect and Global Learning Strategist
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Self-awareness is a skill I want to see in every employee I work with! The main reason is that self-awareness is a careful awareness of one’s strengths, weaknesses, actions and being. Self-awareness, therefore, requires a very clear awareness of one’s own mental and emotional state.
Having a deep and meaningful self-awareness is how you react to different situations, what triggers your habitual reactions, how you relate to other people, why you feel that way about certain individuals, etc. can understand .
Self-awareness is very important and can benefit both your personal and professional life. It helps you identify how to build paths.
How do you build this skill? These are some ideas:
- Assess your own abilities – A high level of self-awareness tells you where you excel and where you can grow.
- Find a peer coach – someone you trust, respect, and are willing to support in your journey of self-awareness.
- Practice mindfulness – be aware of your surroundings without imposing personal prejudices.
- Be open to feedback – To grow, you need to listen to different perspectives.
And remember, like any skill, it’s a journey!
Anna Smith Using coaching as a ‘red thread’ to develop and co-create talent strategies and customized solutions, transforming them into impactful results and collaborations to help people and organizations maximize their potential talent. We help you reach your maximum potential.
What is the most important skill every employee who works for you should see? Join the internal conversation.
