Don’t get me wrong. Being in any kind of technical, rule-centric field, from STEM industries to finance roles, is a fantastic accomplishment. However, while being great at your technical job is something to be proud of, it’s not enough to get you as far as you may want to go. In fact, it may not even be enough to get the boss’s attention. There’s one little thing that more and more technically minded workers are finding that they need in order to succeed. It’s people skills.
Even if you don’t work with the public, and you only ever interact with your fellow technical workers and others within your company, these social skills are vital to your career success. As cultural fit becomes a higher priority for hiring teams, it’s highly likely that they want you, as either a new hire or as a longstanding member of the office workforce, to blend into what is a sociable, productive and almost familial office environment. In addition, assessments have shown that it’s not the inability to perform technical jobs that causes certain individuals to lose their jobs in the industry — it’s their inability to relate to their coworkers.
A report from the Center for Public Resources shows that 90 percent of those surveyed who were fired from their jobs, were fired due to poor attitudes and poor interpersonal relationships. It was hardly ever the inability to not do their job well.
Social skills
So, what kind of social skills are crucial to you as a technically specialised worker, to ensure your career advancement and your job security?
Firstly, you just need to be sociable. People like other people who show a general interest in them and their activities. Many offices stress now more than ever a team mentality, and it’s hard to get on the team when you’re reclusive and barely leave your cubicle. Leadership is also more important than ever before.
Above and beyond every other desire, however, is the need for individuals in the workplace to be engaging. They need to excite their coworkers and draw them in to projects and goals, to not only reach corporate successes, but also personal successes. Those who become executives, who rise above the rest, are those who are able to combine great work, with a great ability to connect with others. They can capture hearts and minds, while producing top-quality content or work.
Takeaway
Becoming an engaging coworker, regardless of your industry or job title, is what ENGAGE
is all about, ENGAGE: A Practical Guide to Understanding, Influencing and Connecting with People. If you would like to know ‘The Proven Biggest Predictor of Success’, read here.
Learn not only the whys behind becoming an engaging leader in your workplace, but also the hows. Discover simple and easy tricks for developing the right mindset, networking with the right people and even just carrying yourself and making small talk appropriately. Learn how we run our programme, with this Vlog.
Described as a book for highly intelligent men and women who have exceptional technical abilities at their jobs, this could be exactly what you’ve been looking for, in order to take your career (and your life) to the next level. To get a FREE sample of the book, click here.