WEBVTT 00:00:03.500 --> 00:00:39.390 Thank you. Good morning everybody, welcome back 00:00:39.390 --> 00:00:41.049 to Food for Thought Thoughts if it were you, 00:00:41.090 --> 00:00:44.850 and I'm your host, Neogentrics. Today, we're going 00:00:44.850 --> 00:00:48.070 to cover a different topic in the same area. 00:00:48.149 --> 00:00:50.490 We're still going to cover personal skills, as 00:00:50.490 --> 00:00:53.530 there is a lot, and I mean a lot, to cover. But, 00:00:53.530 --> 00:00:56.109 today I want to take a look at an employable 00:00:56.109 --> 00:00:58.890 skill, okay? Employability is something that 00:00:58.890 --> 00:01:01.570 a lot of people need, and I don't know if it's 00:01:01.570 --> 00:01:04.650 been covered yet by me. But, I want to look at 00:01:04.650 --> 00:01:07.549 some of the skills that... you know, are necessary 00:01:07.549 --> 00:01:11.269 for us to move forward as far as trying to find 00:01:11.269 --> 00:01:17.689 our true self and personally growing to fit the 00:01:17.689 --> 00:01:24.049 current economy that we've clearly seen has changed 00:01:24.049 --> 00:01:28.769 thanks to the pandemic. So today I'm going to 00:01:28.769 --> 00:01:32.599 cover soft skills. Now, mind you. The phrase 00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:35.799 soft skills is often used by employers, particularly 00:01:35.799 --> 00:01:39.099 when they are bemoaning a shortage of suitable 00:01:39.099 --> 00:01:45.579 candidates. But it's mostly in terms of good 00:01:45.579 --> 00:01:47.659 faith, like they're hoping they'll find someone 00:01:47.659 --> 00:01:50.700 reasonable, someone who's good at what they do, 00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:55.560 you know, to take on the task. You will almost 00:01:55.560 --> 00:01:57.879 certainly have heard big employers complaining 00:01:57.879 --> 00:02:00.719 that millennials, school leavers, and university 00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:03.900 graduates, or perhaps simply young people, lack 00:02:03.900 --> 00:02:06.219 soft skills needed in today's workplace. Well, 00:02:06.340 --> 00:02:08.680 here's the question that a lot of people have 00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:11.800 asked. What exactly does that really mean, though? 00:02:11.879 --> 00:02:16.219 Like, why is this such a problem? Why should 00:02:16.219 --> 00:02:19.419 I be concerned? Why does it even matter to me? 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:23.379 And, you know, within reason, it's a fair question. 00:02:24.379 --> 00:02:26.979 Let me go ahead and dive into this today and 00:02:26.979 --> 00:02:32.479 explain why. First off, before we move forward, 00:02:32.599 --> 00:02:36.479 I want to go ahead and state that a wide range 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:38.699 of skills fall under the heading of soft skills. 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:42.659 And they're often known as transferable skills, 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:47.900 as I've said in previous episodes. These include 00:02:47.900 --> 00:02:50.139 interpersonal skills, sometimes called people 00:02:50.139 --> 00:02:52.960 skills or social skills, but they go far beyond 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:55.789 this area. Okay, and I'm going to explain the 00:02:55.789 --> 00:02:58.030 term soft skills and then describe the soft skills 00:02:58.030 --> 00:03:01.349 that are usually considered most important by 00:03:01.349 --> 00:03:24.240 employers. Let's go ahead and define a soft skill. 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:29.060 Soft skills are desirable qualities for certain 00:03:29.060 --> 00:03:31.759 forms of employment that do not depend on acquiring 00:03:31.759 --> 00:03:35.300 knowledge. They include common sense, which I 00:03:35.300 --> 00:03:37.479 feel like I need to do a podcast on separately, 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:41.099 but let's go ahead and move forward. The ability 00:03:41.099 --> 00:03:43.259 to deal with people and a positive, flexible 00:03:43.259 --> 00:03:47.879 attitude. All right. And if you're wondering 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:49.639 where I got the definition from, it was the Collins 00:03:49.639 --> 00:03:53.819 English Dictionary. The 2012 version, I do believe. 00:03:54.699 --> 00:03:58.599 Anyway, moving on. Soft skills is the term used 00:03:58.599 --> 00:04:01.740 for skills that are essentially not technical 00:04:01.740 --> 00:04:05.379 or job -related, but are still necessary to complete 00:04:05.379 --> 00:04:08.199 the task in hand. They include social skills, 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:10.819 your interpersonal skills, and a positive attitude. 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:13.860 I can't really stress that one enough. They are 00:04:13.860 --> 00:04:19.000 the skills that defined your relationships with 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:21.279 other people and how you approach life and work. 00:04:21.540 --> 00:04:24.360 Hard skills, by contrast, is a phrase used to 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:27.800 describe job -specific skills, which is, again, 00:04:28.060 --> 00:04:31.519 another topic in itself. If you'd like to hear 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:34.540 about that, let me know. But examples of hard 00:04:34.540 --> 00:04:37.360 skills include professional skills like bricklaying 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:40.079 or accounting, medical expertise such as diagnosis 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:44.509 and treatment, can be taught and whose presence 00:04:44.509 --> 00:04:50.410 is testable through exams. But ironically enough 00:04:50.410 --> 00:04:53.189 for most people, the so -called soft skills are 00:04:53.189 --> 00:04:55.069 often some of the hardest skills to develop, 00:04:55.189 --> 00:04:57.569 believe it or not. However, this doesn't mean 00:04:57.569 --> 00:05:00.629 that they can't be learned or taught, it's just 00:05:00.629 --> 00:05:05.769 that people lack the patience to do it. And a 00:05:05.769 --> 00:05:09.029 lot of people see these skills as non -necessary 00:05:09.029 --> 00:05:14.000 for some reason. I feel like I'm talking to myself, 00:05:14.279 --> 00:05:17.480 because as you already know, I don't really... 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:21.620 I'm not really a people person, so it's ironic 00:05:21.620 --> 00:05:25.220 that I'm doing a podcast on how to improve oneself 00:05:25.220 --> 00:05:28.680 and other educational facts about a person's 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:32.199 self when I myself don't really like being around 00:05:32.199 --> 00:05:34.500 people in the first place. Granted, though, being 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:36.240 around a large group of people makes me nervous. 00:05:37.459 --> 00:05:40.360 Anyway, the relevant importance of hard and soft 00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:43.430 skills... job related expertise is essential 00:05:43.430 --> 00:05:47.370 to any professional and many, many, many other 00:05:47.370 --> 00:05:49.910 careers. However, over the last 20 to 30 years 00:05:49.910 --> 00:05:52.689 or 50, depending on how old you are, understanding 00:05:52.689 --> 00:05:56.209 has grown that perhaps soft skills may ultimately 00:05:56.209 --> 00:05:59.790 be way more important in determining levels of 00:05:59.790 --> 00:06:03.470 success. Example would be the fact that I work 00:06:03.470 --> 00:06:05.910 for this company that's currently hiring people 00:06:05.910 --> 00:06:08.649 to come and, you know, you get to stay at home, 00:06:08.730 --> 00:06:11.319 you pick your own hours and work from home. It's 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:14.620 a call center agent, but you have to have the 00:06:14.620 --> 00:06:18.100 necessary qualities to be able to do this and 00:06:18.100 --> 00:06:22.360 be self -motivating. I mean, you can't ask for 00:06:22.360 --> 00:06:24.019 an easier job. You pick your own hours. You get 00:06:24.019 --> 00:06:25.720 to stay at home in front of your own computer. 00:06:25.839 --> 00:06:28.560 But, you know, essentially what I'm saying is 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:31.620 hard skills are there for a basic minimum necessity 00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:33.699 to operate that particular workplace depending 00:06:33.699 --> 00:06:37.120 on where you are. Okay, whether or not you're 00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:40.389 successful... in your career may depend on how 00:06:40.389 --> 00:06:44.009 you relate to other people at that job, and that's 00:06:44.009 --> 00:06:48.670 where soft skills comes into play. Okay? So, 00:06:48.769 --> 00:06:53.290 keep that in mind. Principles of competition. 00:06:54.050 --> 00:06:56.310 Before I close out here, let me take a short 00:06:56.310 --> 00:06:59.370 break. Think of soft skills in the light competition 00:06:59.370 --> 00:07:04.800 principle, in terms of that. Imagine... Let me 00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:06.860 see here. Imagine you're a company producing 00:07:06.860 --> 00:07:09.000 something. Let's say the light bulb. Something 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:11.980 stupid like that. You come up with a revolutionary 00:07:11.980 --> 00:07:14.759 new type of technology. Your light bulbs are 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:17.379 suddenly much better than others and your profit 00:07:17.379 --> 00:07:20.240 goes up. But, after a while, your competitors 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:23.160 get a hold of the technology. You license its 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:27.560 use, perhaps, or they develop alternatives. Suddenly, 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:30.160 light bulbs are all the same again and your profits 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:33.790 are suffering. You still need the new technology, 00:07:33.990 --> 00:07:38.689 but you also need a new competitive edge, perhaps 00:07:38.689 --> 00:07:42.569 a reputation for customer service. Hard skills 00:07:42.569 --> 00:07:45.389 are like your technology. Anyone can acquire 00:07:45.389 --> 00:07:48.089 them. You can go buy it. You can also get them 00:07:48.089 --> 00:07:51.370 through training, and they are necessary. But 00:07:51.370 --> 00:07:55.189 without them, you will not be able to operate 00:07:55.189 --> 00:07:58.459 in the workplace. Soft skills, on the other hand, 00:07:58.500 --> 00:08:00.360 are your unique selling point. They are what 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:02.279 give you your competitive edge in the workplace, 00:08:02.420 --> 00:08:04.860 perhaps even in life. Think about it. If your 00:08:04.860 --> 00:08:07.300 technology is necessary for you to get the job 00:08:07.300 --> 00:08:10.060 done, how are you supposed to broadcast, yes, 00:08:10.100 --> 00:08:13.079 I have the skills. Yes, I can do this job. Yes, 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:15.939 I can make a difference if you can't even talk 00:08:15.939 --> 00:08:41.200 to people. That's why you need soft skills. Okay, 00:08:41.320 --> 00:08:43.919 so many people have characterized soft skills 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:45.840 as those relating to emotional intelligence, 00:08:46.019 --> 00:08:49.240 which I've covered before. Which, you know, the 00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:51.580 ability to recognize and manage your own and 00:08:51.580 --> 00:08:54.440 others' emotions. However, in reality, it actually 00:08:54.440 --> 00:08:58.000 goes beyond that. And in the wider realm of how 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:01.240 you organize yourself and how you approach life, 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:03.580 the good news is that you can learn and develop 00:09:03.580 --> 00:09:07.169 soft skills as well as hard skills. The bad news 00:09:07.169 --> 00:09:10.850 is that it's often much harder to do that, and 00:09:10.850 --> 00:09:15.230 there's no easy measure of success or there's 00:09:15.230 --> 00:09:18.570 no shortcut to doing this. Like hard skills, 00:09:18.769 --> 00:09:21.570 soft skills require a lot of practice to make 00:09:21.570 --> 00:09:24.649 you, I don't know, really skilled at using them. 00:09:24.690 --> 00:09:28.629 Unlike hard skills, there are no exams to prove 00:09:28.629 --> 00:09:32.059 that you can do it. Okay, you measure your success 00:09:32.059 --> 00:09:34.039 in developing your soft skills and how well you 00:09:34.039 --> 00:09:36.600 manage relationships with the people or things 00:09:36.600 --> 00:09:40.820 around you. No idea why I said it like that. 00:09:40.899 --> 00:09:43.159 But this includes family, friends, co -workers, 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:46.159 peoples, dogs, animals, as well as customers 00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:48.440 and those who provide you with goods and services. 00:09:48.919 --> 00:09:55.899 And or services. I don't... Anyway. Okay. What 00:09:55.899 --> 00:09:58.470 are the most important soft skills? This is the 00:09:58.470 --> 00:10:02.250 question that we now must focus on. It's hard 00:10:02.250 --> 00:10:04.330 to say which soft skills are most important because, 00:10:04.409 --> 00:10:07.549 you know, it varies by situation to situation. 00:10:07.629 --> 00:10:10.409 However, the list I'm going to give you is a 00:10:10.409 --> 00:10:13.590 broad list in which most employers, you know, 00:10:13.590 --> 00:10:17.210 mean when they talk about good soft skills. And 00:10:17.210 --> 00:10:19.049 this is generally what they're looking for. They 00:10:19.049 --> 00:10:21.669 are, therefore, the skills that are most likely 00:10:21.669 --> 00:10:24.090 to enable you to build constructive working relationships 00:10:24.090 --> 00:10:27.279 with others as well as... to be a constructive 00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:29.899 and helpful employee or land you that job that 00:10:29.899 --> 00:10:31.299 you've been fighting against since the beginning 00:10:31.299 --> 00:10:36.220 of the year. Or lack thereof. Depends on the 00:10:36.220 --> 00:10:40.919 person. Okay? So, let's begin with the first 00:10:40.919 --> 00:10:44.940 one. Your communication skills. I did a podcast 00:10:44.940 --> 00:10:46.399 on this already, so I'm not going to dive in 00:10:46.399 --> 00:10:49.460 it too, too much, but your communication skills 00:10:49.460 --> 00:10:52.200 are most always high on the essential skills 00:10:52.200 --> 00:10:56.649 list in any job advertisement. People with strong 00:10:56.649 --> 00:10:58.629 communication skills can build relationships 00:10:58.629 --> 00:11:01.570 from the initial rapport building through to 00:11:01.570 --> 00:11:03.870 the long -term relationships. They can listen 00:11:03.870 --> 00:11:08.149 well and vary their communication to suit the 00:11:08.149 --> 00:11:11.529 circumstances. They can read the room. They avoid 00:11:11.529 --> 00:11:13.830 misunderstandings and generally make any workplace 00:11:13.830 --> 00:11:20.649 a better place to work and function better. Time 00:11:20.649 --> 00:11:23.029 on nothing else from all of my podcasts that 00:11:23.029 --> 00:11:27.490 I've done up to now, all 200 and something. Work 00:11:27.490 --> 00:11:32.789 on your communication skills. Okay? Second, making 00:11:32.789 --> 00:11:36.049 decisions. Being able to make decisions is valued 00:11:36.049 --> 00:11:38.889 by any and all employers for many, many different 00:11:38.889 --> 00:11:43.590 reasons and also essential to getting on in life 00:11:43.590 --> 00:11:47.289 in general. Okay? We all have to make decisions 00:11:47.289 --> 00:11:51.610 every day. what we have to breakfast, to more 00:11:51.610 --> 00:11:53.350 important decisions like whether to apply for 00:11:53.350 --> 00:11:55.570 a new job or whether you want to get married. 00:11:57.490 --> 00:12:01.250 Wow, that was dark. But anyway, sometimes the 00:12:01.250 --> 00:12:03.610 actual decision doesn't even matter. What matters 00:12:03.610 --> 00:12:07.529 is that you have made one and you've moved on. 00:12:08.409 --> 00:12:10.409 If you're still struggling on whether or not 00:12:10.409 --> 00:12:13.570 you want to... move forward in life, take this 00:12:13.570 --> 00:12:16.309 class, or decide if you want to make a cake today 00:12:16.309 --> 00:12:21.070 or tomorrow because you're just too tired, then 00:12:21.070 --> 00:12:23.450 you know where you need to start. Being able 00:12:23.450 --> 00:12:25.210 to make good decisions can also help you with 00:12:25.210 --> 00:12:27.649 problem solving, which is a lot harder to learn 00:12:27.649 --> 00:12:30.029 than making decisions because it enables you 00:12:30.029 --> 00:12:33.330 to choose between possible solutions. Problem 00:12:33.330 --> 00:12:35.730 solving is a whole other thing in itself, but 00:12:35.730 --> 00:12:39.179 if you have that skill, I'd say you're pretty 00:12:39.179 --> 00:12:41.360 good and well off. In which case, now we move 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:43.559 on to number three, which is a topic I'll come 00:12:43.559 --> 00:12:49.000 back to at a later date. Self -motivation. People 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:51.799 who are self -motivated get on by themselves. 00:12:51.960 --> 00:12:54.960 They don't need supervision. They don't need 00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:57.059 someone staring down on them. They are good at 00:12:57.059 --> 00:12:59.440 work because they are generally positive about 00:12:59.440 --> 00:13:03.059 life and can be counted on to keep going, even 00:13:03.059 --> 00:13:05.909 when times are tough. Two skills that are closely 00:13:05.909 --> 00:13:08.470 linked to self -motivation are personal resilience 00:13:08.470 --> 00:13:10.789 or the ability to bounce back when you encounter 00:13:10.789 --> 00:13:13.610 a problem, such as the adaptability to change, 00:13:13.809 --> 00:13:17.850 which is, I'm starting to learn recently, is 00:13:17.850 --> 00:13:21.669 a lot rarer of a skill to have, and I'm rather 00:13:21.669 --> 00:13:49.110 sad by that. All right. So we understand that 00:13:49.110 --> 00:13:52.309 making decisions, being motivated and having 00:13:52.309 --> 00:13:55.250 communication skills are all important. But let's 00:13:55.250 --> 00:13:56.509 talk about something a little more in depth, 00:13:56.570 --> 00:13:59.570 something that a lot of y 'all have seen on applications 00:13:59.570 --> 00:14:02.570 or they give you scenarios for. Let's talk about 00:14:02.570 --> 00:14:05.129 leadership skills. OK, something that you may 00:14:05.129 --> 00:14:09.070 not even think you are a leader. Now, mind you, 00:14:09.169 --> 00:14:11.309 a leader can be anybody from the person who stands 00:14:11.309 --> 00:14:13.429 in the back who's always observing and doesn't 00:14:13.429 --> 00:14:15.970 say anything to the person in the front who's 00:14:15.970 --> 00:14:21.269 loud that everybody can hear, okay? I'll cover 00:14:21.269 --> 00:14:24.669 leadership, I'm covering leadership skills on 00:14:24.669 --> 00:14:27.370 and off, but I have done some episodes on different 00:14:27.370 --> 00:14:29.570 types of leadership skills. Well, it's something 00:14:29.570 --> 00:14:31.649 I'll definitely touch on again later, but... 00:14:32.210 --> 00:14:34.490 Leadership skills are the skills required to 00:14:34.490 --> 00:14:37.629 take the lead when necessary. They include the 00:14:37.629 --> 00:14:39.669 ability to manage and motivate other people as 00:14:39.669 --> 00:14:43.009 well as delegating work. Like I mentioned in 00:14:43.009 --> 00:14:45.950 my last podcast, there are a set of soft skills 00:14:45.950 --> 00:14:51.090 that are, you know, that we at least expect people 00:14:51.090 --> 00:14:53.750 to develop on their own and some develop passively. 00:14:53.769 --> 00:14:55.230 Like you're not actually paying attention, they 00:14:55.230 --> 00:14:58.259 just happen. But employers... Understand that 00:14:58.259 --> 00:15:00.580 it is hard to develop skills without being able 00:15:00.580 --> 00:15:03.299 to practice them every day. So there is likely 00:15:03.299 --> 00:15:05.799 to come a point, however, when you need to step 00:15:05.799 --> 00:15:07.980 up to a leadership position for the first time. 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:10.980 So even if you don't have the skill quite yet, 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:14.100 while it is a plus, a lot of employers are willing 00:15:14.100 --> 00:15:16.500 to work with you on this one as they know opportunities 00:15:16.500 --> 00:15:19.559 to do this don't readily make themselves available. 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:23.700 Okay. There are, therefore, many leadership training 00:15:23.700 --> 00:15:25.899 courses available, though, and much has been 00:15:25.899 --> 00:15:27.539 written about how to develop your leadership 00:15:27.539 --> 00:15:31.860 skills. Okay? Now, let's move on to something 00:15:31.860 --> 00:15:34.500 that's rather actually important and, for some 00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:37.120 reason, hard for people to grasp. Your team -working 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:40.639 skills. Team -working skills are broadly those 00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:42.720 required to work effectively with other people. 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:47.120 They are, therefore, basically interpersonary 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:50.580 skills or interpersonal skills. Mike, excuse 00:15:50.580 --> 00:15:55.279 me. There are plenty of thinkings to suggest 00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:56.899 that good communication skills, particularly 00:15:56.899 --> 00:15:59.460 good listening skills, together with building 00:15:59.460 --> 00:16:01.639 rapport, go a long way to support your ability 00:16:01.639 --> 00:16:06.700 to work well in a team. However, some specific 00:16:06.700 --> 00:16:09.240 skills and areas of expertise that may be helpful 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:12.200 if you need to work closely with others, it is, 00:16:12.220 --> 00:16:15.919 for example, the ability to use something called 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:21.159 Belvin's Team Roles. To be more exact, the distinction 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:25.720 between task and process -focused skills. Okay? 00:16:27.059 --> 00:16:29.460 Essentially what I'm saying is being able to 00:16:29.460 --> 00:16:31.200 work with other people, being able to communicate, 00:16:31.399 --> 00:16:34.139 being able to listen, being able to build that 00:16:34.139 --> 00:16:36.279 type of relationship between each other to have 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:41.720 some kind of trust is a skill that a lot of employers 00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:43.559 are looking for because they need people who 00:16:43.559 --> 00:16:45.659 can work with each other and not cause a problem. 00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:49.539 That being said, They don't want to hinder any 00:16:49.539 --> 00:16:51.639 of your creativity or problem solving. So here's 00:16:51.639 --> 00:16:54.740 number six, creativity and problem solving skills. 00:16:55.080 --> 00:16:57.720 Like your leadership skills, creativity and problem 00:16:57.720 --> 00:17:00.620 solving skills are highly valued because they 00:17:00.620 --> 00:17:03.340 are hard to develop, okay? So they don't try 00:17:03.340 --> 00:17:05.339 to hinder you with these. However, they do want 00:17:05.339 --> 00:17:07.920 to keep you in line. There are many people who 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:10.420 believe that creative thinkers are born, not 00:17:10.420 --> 00:17:13.500 made, but this is certainly not true. Trust me, 00:17:13.539 --> 00:17:16.529 I'm one of them. There are certainly some people 00:17:16.529 --> 00:17:18.829 who find these skills much easier, and some who 00:17:18.829 --> 00:17:21.130 don't learn them until later, and others who 00:17:21.130 --> 00:17:23.670 it just comes naturally or they have to actually 00:17:23.670 --> 00:17:25.849 figure it out. But like other skills, you can 00:17:25.849 --> 00:17:28.769 develop it if you work on it to do so, okay? 00:17:29.470 --> 00:17:31.970 And I have a few topics that will go into, you 00:17:31.970 --> 00:17:35.210 know, building on these, but again, that's for 00:17:35.210 --> 00:17:41.109 a later date. Next, number seven, time management. 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:44.039 and the ability to work under pressure. This 00:17:44.039 --> 00:17:45.880 is definitely something that a lot of people 00:17:45.880 --> 00:17:50.660 need and they don't have. A lot of people fold 00:17:50.660 --> 00:17:52.880 under a lot of pressure, some people get mad, 00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:56.099 some people get pissed off. These two areas put 00:17:56.099 --> 00:17:58.940 together can be summed up as an ability to get 00:17:58.940 --> 00:18:00.799 the job done in the time available regardless 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:03.940 of how small. They also sometimes described as 00:18:03.940 --> 00:18:06.059 having a good work ethic in case you were wondering 00:18:06.059 --> 00:18:09.009 what that actually meant. And many would say 00:18:09.009 --> 00:18:11.009 that these two skills, which often go hand in 00:18:11.009 --> 00:18:14.130 hand, are more attitude than a skill. The precise 00:18:14.130 --> 00:18:17.089 words you use, though, probably do not matter 00:18:17.089 --> 00:18:19.609 nearly as much as working on these areas, and 00:18:19.609 --> 00:18:23.690 they are highly valued by employers, but are 00:18:23.690 --> 00:18:26.849 also useful for organizing a family or a team 00:18:26.849 --> 00:18:29.210 and making sure that the job gets done, whether 00:18:29.210 --> 00:18:53.920 you're at work or you're at home. Okay, so we've 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:57.680 covered everything from your communication to 00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:00.880 making decisions, self -motivation, your leadership 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:04.059 skills, team working skills, creativity, problem 00:19:04.059 --> 00:19:06.599 solving, time management. But I guess you're 00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:09.000 wondering the question here is, what is the last 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:11.619 one? What else could there possibly be? Well, 00:19:11.779 --> 00:19:14.599 last but not least, I kid you not, is your positive 00:19:14.599 --> 00:19:17.819 attitude. Positive thinking is the idea that 00:19:17.819 --> 00:19:20.299 you can improve your life and the lives of those 00:19:20.299 --> 00:19:22.859 around you by taking a positive attitude regardless 00:19:22.859 --> 00:19:26.839 of the circumstances. This is not in the least, 00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:30.839 in the manner of speaking, fluffy. Nobody can 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:34.539 deny that it is pleasanter to work with someone 00:19:34.539 --> 00:19:37.579 who is enthusiastic, friendly, and has a can 00:19:37.579 --> 00:19:40.640 -do attitude. It's also quite depressing to work 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:42.660 with someone who always sees the downside of 00:19:42.660 --> 00:19:45.059 everything, but... I digress. Some people like 00:19:45.059 --> 00:19:47.720 that type of thing. Employers tend to look for 00:19:47.720 --> 00:19:49.880 people who have positive attitudes because they 00:19:49.880 --> 00:19:51.819 can help everyone feel better about themselves. 00:19:52.059 --> 00:19:54.839 They achieve more. They bring up the team. They 00:19:54.839 --> 00:19:57.339 motivate everyone else, especially those who 00:19:57.339 --> 00:20:00.440 have a hard time motivating themselves. Positive 00:20:00.440 --> 00:20:03.640 attitudes go a long way next to everything else. 00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:05.420 You can have everything else on the list, but 00:20:05.420 --> 00:20:07.799 if you do not have a positive attitude, unless 00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:10.319 they're extremely desperate for people, your 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:11.940 chances of getting that job that you've dreamed 00:20:11.940 --> 00:20:15.799 of since you were 10 will drop to almost verily 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:20.920 3 .87%. And I know that seems like a very specific 00:20:20.920 --> 00:20:23.680 number, but when you consider the amount of people 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:26.140 who go into most jobs and divide that by the 00:20:26.140 --> 00:20:28.480 average people who don't get it, and then factor 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:30.559 yourself in there from that same estimate, it 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:33.259 comes out around, you know, about 3 -something 00:20:33.259 --> 00:20:37.990 percent anyway. So, just keep that in mind. But, 00:20:37.990 --> 00:20:42.049 you know, to summarize everything, this list 00:20:42.049 --> 00:20:44.930 is not exhaustive with these, okay? There are 00:20:44.930 --> 00:20:47.009 way more skills. And if you've been following 00:20:47.009 --> 00:20:49.390 my podcast up until this point, up to episode 00:20:49.390 --> 00:20:52.549 19 here in season 2, then you know that there 00:20:52.549 --> 00:20:55.029 are a huge range of soft skills in many different 00:20:55.029 --> 00:20:57.650 areas, whether interpersonal or otherwise, that 00:20:57.650 --> 00:21:00.930 you can definitely focus in on. And whether you 00:21:00.930 --> 00:21:03.930 believe it or not, drinking water is something 00:21:03.930 --> 00:21:08.920 that a lot of... employers make sure that their 00:21:08.920 --> 00:21:10.480 employees are doing because they don't need you 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:12.740 randomly passing out or dropping dead at work. 00:21:13.539 --> 00:21:17.579 Just to give an example. Any given employer or 00:21:17.579 --> 00:21:20.180 individual may place more or less emphasis on 00:21:20.180 --> 00:21:23.160 some of these or others or even add some that 00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:27.799 aren't even in this list. But hard work... To 00:21:27.799 --> 00:21:29.920 develop these skills in any kind of way will 00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:32.000 pay off, especially in your job search, regardless 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:34.839 of the job or career that you're aiming for or 00:21:34.839 --> 00:21:41.359 in life in general. Trust me on this. At any 00:21:41.359 --> 00:21:44.900 rate, I want to thank you guys for listening 00:21:44.900 --> 00:21:47.819 and staying with me for as long as you have here 00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:49.940 at Food for Thought Thoughts, if it were you. 00:21:50.640 --> 00:21:52.819 And I hope you continue to support me here on 00:21:52.819 --> 00:21:55.809 my channel. If you'd like to donate to the channel 00:21:55.809 --> 00:21:57.569 to help me move forward and continue to grow, 00:21:57.710 --> 00:22:00.930 you can do so at anchor .fm forward slash neogentrics. 00:22:01.069 --> 00:22:03.869 Or you can check out my Patreon page to help 00:22:03.869 --> 00:22:06.289 me out there. Or buy one of my books available 00:22:06.289 --> 00:22:09.250 on Amazon. Just search neogentrics with a space 00:22:09.250 --> 00:22:11.430 between the two words. So it's neo and gentrics. 00:22:11.869 --> 00:22:16.490 But I digress. Thank you for your time. Thank 00:22:16.490 --> 00:22:17.950 you for your effort. If you enjoy what you like 00:22:17.950 --> 00:22:21.130 to hear, hear. then continue to listen and look 00:22:21.130 --> 00:22:22.730 forward to the next episode. Don't forget to 00:22:22.730 --> 00:22:24.950 hit that subscribe button and I'll catch y 'all 00:22:24.950 --> 00:22:25.369 next time.