By Kim Hegeman
There has been a lot of discussion about leadership changes, upskilling, and reskilling spurred on by the pandemic and the retirement of the Baby Boomers. With these needs being very common in many organizations, professional development is evolving from completing a course to a lifelong journey to learn and grow.
As the workplace continues to change and businesses continue to innovate, new skills will be added to the list of what you need to progress and succeed in your profession. Even if you aren’t in an industry where new skills continue to emerge, the workplace and the workforce continue to change. Upskilling and reskilling will always be important in your professional development.
We are always learning. With professional development, we can take that learning and apply it to our current roles or the roles we hope to hold in the future.
Here are five professional skills that with a little extra focus and development (see the related CPED programs provided for each skill) can help enhance your career.
1. Communication
Communication can be a big stumbling block in organizations. Managers who don’t communicate well with employees can be the root of several problems. Organizations that don’t communicate vision, goals, and values clearly can find themselves falling short of expectations.
Communication skills are key, whether it involves you communicating one-on-one with a team member or employee, or communicating a larger goal to a group.
CPED programs to help develop communication skills:
2. Problem solving/decision making
It shouldn’t come as a shock that problem solving is a key skill for professionals, especially those in executive positions. Problem solving skills can be used in nearly every aspect of business from issues between employees to mistakes that must be fixed immediately.
CPED programs to help develop problem solving skills:
3. Planning
Up there with problem solving is being able to plan and stay organized. Planning is a skill that might not always come naturally, especially if you are making the transition from individual contributor to manager.
CPED programs to help develop planning skills:
4. Leadership/Management
This is where CPED sees most professionals looking to grow. Some people naturally feel more comfortable in leadership roles. While that comfort level definitely helps, it doesn’t mean there’s no room for growth and improvement. If you’re in a leadership role, continuing to develop your management skills is essential.
CPED programs to help develop leadership skills:
- CPED has a large portfolio of programs in the management and leadership topic area.
5. Flexibility/adaptability
One lesson learned in the last few years is you have to be flexible and adapt. This is not always an easy skill. Many employees are demanding flexibility from their organizations, and in turn organizations will demand flexibility in their managers.
CPED programs to help develop flexibility skills:
The list of professional skills needed to enhance your career expands far beyond just these five, and new skills will continue to be added. If you’re ready to work on your professional upskilling or reskilling, CPED has several programs designed to meet your needs.
If you’re looking to help your organization with upskilling, reskilling, and more set up a Discovery Session and one of our Solutions Advisors will work with you to identify what those needs are and the best customized solutions that will fit those needs.