What are the most effective ways to identify transferable skills for executives?

In my experience, executives often overlook the value of their soft skills, such as leadership, communication, and strategic thinking. Reflecting on past projects and their outcomes can reveal a wealth of transferable skills. I find that using frameworks like the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) can help in articulating these skills effectively. Additionally, considering the broader impact of your achievements, beyond the immediate results, can highlight skills in innovation, problem-solving, and adaptability that are highly sought after in various industries.

A quick way to find the transferrable skills is to review your accomplishments and ask yourself what made them possible. The next step is to consider other contexts in which these accomplishments could be useful. Your transferrable skill sets will be defined largely by this.

Self-discovery is key to successful coaching. Here's how to identify your strengths and achievements: a) Reflect on wins: Recall past projects, presentations, or moments you excelled. What skills did you leverage? b) Feedback friends: Ask colleagues for strengths they see in you. c) Strengths assessments: Explore tools like CliftonStrengths to gain insights. d) Achievements journal: Track accomplishments, big & small. By understanding your strengths, you and your coach can craft a powerful development plan for your leadership journey.

A shortcut to identify the transferrable skill sets is to look into your achievements and ask what enabled these achievements. Next is think where can these achievements be deployed in same or adjacent context. This will pretty much define your transferrable skill sets.

As an executive, 360-degree feedback is crucial. Make it safe for everyone to provide feedback. A good executive coach can conduct interviews for you. Be sure to explore strengths and transferable skills. And include questions to identify areas for growth. Then work with your coach to compare your self-assessment with the feedback you received. If you have trouble identifying your transferable skills... consider this: you might feel blocked because you are contemplating a change in career or position. This forces you to leave your comfort zone and leave behind your current level of achievement. Doubt and fear are natural responses - as executives, we do not like to admit it. Reflect on your inner game with your coach.

As a coachee, effective feedback is your fuel for growth. Here's how: a) Targeted Requests: Don't ask for vague feedback. Identify specific areas (communication, decision-making) where you want insights. b) Choose Wisely: Select credible sources – mentors with relevant experience or trusted colleagues. c) Openness is Key: Frame feedback as an opportunity to learn, not a judgment. Acknowledge your desire to improve. d) Active Listening: Thank the giver, paraphrase key points, and ask clarifying questions. Don't get defensive! e) Action Plan: Together with your coach, turn feedback into actionable steps to solidify progress. Remember, feedback is a gift. By actively seeking it, you unlock a powerful path to executive excellence.

There will be times when close trustworthy people around you particularly those who work closely with you can identify some transferable skills that you might have overlooked. Connect to these skills and try to remember the achievements that stemmed from them. Here you go : You have now a wider range to transferrable skill set.

Staying ahead in today's dynamic market is crucial. Here's how to leverage your coaching to become a trend-spotting leader: a) Industry Intel: Identify key publications, podcasts, or analyst reports relevant to your field. b) Data Deep Dives: Utilize tools like Google Trends or industry reports to uncover data-driven market shifts. c) Network Like a Ninja: Connect with industry experts on LinkedIn or attend industry conferences for fresh perspectives. d) Customer Close-Up: Your coach can guide you in crafting surveys or interviews to understand customer needs & preferences. e) Benchmarking Buddies: Identify companies excelling in your space. Analyze their strategies and adapt best practices.

Learning shouldn't be passive. Here's how to turn your coaching into an action-packed learning lab: a) Small Steps, Big Gains: Identify a specific skill (e.g., delegation) you want to improve. b) Craft Your Experiment: With your coach, design a mini-experiment (e.g., delegate a new task) to test a new approach. c) Track & Reflect: Monitor results, noting successes & challenges. Discuss learnings with your coach. d) Refine & Repeat: Based on your experiment, adjust your approach and repeat with a new challenge. By embracing experimentation, you actively engage in the learning process, solidifying new skills and accelerating your growth.

A few of the top transferable skills that I have seen lead to success are: 1) Communication skills 2) Strategic Thinking 3) Adaptability 4) Decision making / Financial acumen 5) Motivation / Influence 6) Building strong teams 7) Work/Life balance / emotional maturity under duress Hogan Assessments, Leadership Circle assessments, or any number of 360 quantitative and qualitative tools can help you hone in on these and many others if they are available to you.

It is also possible to enrich some skills, upgrade them and make them transferrable. Sometimes you are just one step away from doing so and it requires limited efforts and time. This can start by you identifying particular skills outside your scope , checking your inventory of skills and upgrade the ones that are the closest to the desired skills. Here you go you have now your new transferrable skill!

In my experience, executives often overlook their strongest transferable skills... Why? They are more likely to focus on their weaknesses. They often justify this with their drive to achieve and improve. But it gets in the way of acknowledging their strengths. Their strongest skills are often things they do intuitively. Emotional intelligence becomes second nature. Analytical thinking and strategic vision are automatic. Relating to and influencing others is natural etc. That is why 360-degree feedbacks identify strengths as well as development areas.