Self-management skills address how one perceives himself and others, manages his personal habits and emotions and reacts to adverse situations. Only when one builds inner excellence can have a strong mental and emotional foundation to succeed in one’s career.
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Growth Mindset – Looking at any situation, especially difficult situations, as an opportunity for one to learn, grow and change for the better. Focusing one’s attention on improving oneself instead of changing others or blaming anyone.
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Self-Awareness – Knowing and understanding what drives anger, motivates, embarrasses, frustrates and inspires you. Being able to observe yourself objectively in a difficult situation and understand how your perceptions of yourself, others and the situation are driving your actions.
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Emotion Regulation – Being able to manage your emotions, especially negative ones, at work (e.g. anger, frustration, embarrassment) so you can think clearly and objectively and act accordingly.
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Self-Confidence – Believing in yourself and your ability to accomplish anything. Knowing that all you need is within you now. “Those who believe in themselves have access to unlimited power” – wisdom from Kung Fu Panda.
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Stress Management – Being able to stay healthy, calm and balanced in any challenging situations. Knowing how to reduce your stress level will increase your productivity, prepare you for new challenges and supports your physical and emotional health, all of which you need for a fulfilling, successful career.
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Resilience – Being able to bounce back after a disappointment or set back, big or small and continue to move onward and upward.
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Skills to Forgive and Forget – Being able to forgive yourself for making a mistake, forgive others that wronged you and move on without “mental or emotional baggage.” Freeing your mind from the past so you can focus 100% of your mental energy on your near and tong-term career goals.
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Persistence and Perseverance – Being able to maintain the same energy and dedication in your effort to learn, do and achieve in your career despite difficulties, failures and oppositions.
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Patience – Being able to step back in a seemingly rushed or crisis situation, so you can think clearly and take action that fulfills your long-term goals.
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Perceptiveness – Giving attention to the unspoken cues and developing cognitive or emotional empathy of other people’s situation and perspective. Often times, we are too busy thinking about ourselves and what we are saying, we leave little room to watch and understand others’ actions and intentions. If you misinterpret other’s intention or don’t try to put yourself in their shoes, you can easily encounter difficulties dealing with people and not even know why.
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Savvy in Handling Office Politics – Being able to understand and proactively deal with the unspoken nuances of office/space and people dynamics so you can protect yourself from unfairness as well as further your career. Office politics is a fact of life. If you don’t choose to play, it can play you.
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Influence/Persuasion Skills – Being able to influence perspectives or decision making but still have the people you influence think they made up their own minds.
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Negotiation Skills – Being able to understand the other side’s motivations and leverage and reach a win-win resolution that you find favourably, satisfies both sides and maintains relationships for future interactions.
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Networking Skills – Being able to be interesting and interested in business conversations that motivate people to want to be in your network. The bigger and stronger the network you have, the more easily you can get things done (e.g., find a job, get advice, find business partners, find customers, etc.).