How do we gain the capability, competence and confidence to respond in a flexible, agile way to the ever changing demands of the modern workplace? Here at LawsOn Thinking we think there are five key skills which will give you the edge on your competition in your ability to react and respond first. Top of my list is something I have a real passion about - emotional resilience. By this I mean something more than the ability to stay calm and focused, to control your impulses and to persist in the face of frustration. It goes beyond, and extends into our peer support network and our organisational response. As Paton (2003) argues and I agree:

“Resilience is a capacity inherent in individuals, groups and organisations to maintain the ability to function, relate and grow in the presence of significant disturbances and challenges.”

I have worked with too many burnt out, physically and mentally developed individuals who thought that their own individual capacity would see them through to know that peer support and organisational responses are just as important. If you want to know more give us a ring and see about booking an Emotional Resilience Workshop.

Second on my list is what Barry Masan calls 'relational risk taking' and by which I mean our ability to reach and to reach out to others, to invest trust in them and to make ourselves vulnerable in in order to be able to effect change.

The third is the ability to make decisions well under stress. Stress narrows our focus and impairs raw judgement and forces us back into relying on the habits and routines that have served us well in the past. When the stakes are high, when there are competing demands, partial information, multiple stakeholders and competing requirements we tend counteractively to over focus on the positives. In this space we need to extend and increase the level of engagement and participation, focus on the quality of the dialogue and look more into the quality and elegance of the solution rather than seek the logical rational truth of a situation.

The fourth key skill is the ability to think and act systemically. A key ability is to be able to take yourself out of a situation and spend time getting a balcony view where you can see patterns and connections between things rather than just being caught up in them. This enables you to work with hidden causality and to open up the possibility of fixing the system rather than have it running you.

Finally is the ability to be able to work authoritatively and assertively in whatever rank or power position you find yourself in. To do this you need to be clear about your value, those of the organisation and your shared mission and purpose. Key to working authoritatively and assertively is being able to create win-win situations, for you, your co-workers and mangers, your stakeholders and your customers. Being authoritative involves us being aware of our professional power and using it wisely. It involves the ability to engage with others with respect, sensitivity, empathy and willingness to listen. It also requires us to be absolutely clear and willing to accept the responsibilities and commitments in our role and step into them.

These are five key skills I regularly teach my clients and customers to be able to cope confidently and competently and in an ever changing world. What are yours?

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