Additional Skills Necessary for Getting Things Done

We started yesterday with just the skill of Getting Things Done! We continued with a few additional skills including critical thinking, decision making, researching, organizational skills, and the ability to not take yourself too seriously. Today we will look at a couple additional skills.

The ability to communicate is the next skill to consider. This involves the ability to get your thoughts and ideas across to others. We depend upon others for their skills, the resources they bring to the table, the ability to bring these resources together and have them act upon to produce goods and services.

Communication is achieved through different means including written, spoken and graphic representation. It is channeled through electronic means, social media, speech, and writing. It takes little basic skill to pass information from one source to another but considerable skill to do it well. The way in which words are used or arranged can add significantly to the meaning of something spoken or written, graphic representations can create moods and emotions, and sounds can establish different environments.

Nonverbal communication can be as important as verbal. Body language, for example, can help us recognize other’s emotions or when they are telling the TRUTH. Related, active listening helps us to hear what is happening beyond or behind the words, reveals additional information, and provides information for asking additional questions.

Technology Skills include the ability to work in a digital world with a level of confidence and understanding, essential in a rapidly changing landscape. They include the tools, programs, and processes that we use every day like digital calendars, computer backups, and online research. Navigating computers, software, and the internet helps organize your life, increase efficiency, and provide the ability to access incredible amounts of information. AI will revolutionize business and industry as it becomes an even more mainstream tool.

Creativity can also be considered a skill when it is not a natural occurring ability and has to be developed. Unique thinking is the key to innovation, helping you look at situations differently to find novel solutions to recurring issues.?It can be developed by stretching comfort zones and challenging common thinking, asking why not or how else when given choices.

Perhaps one of the least understood skills is empathy. Different people react in different ways, and that doesn’t mean you can’t relate to them. Viewing situations from others’ perspectives helps you find solutions, overcome conflict, and manage teams effectively.?Empathy?fosters a trusting and positive vibe, even in hard situations. Empathy is the ability to understand and share a person’s feelings. If you’re an empathetic person, you can listen to what someone else has to say without judgment.

Another skill offered for consideration is adaptability. Change is one of life’s only constants, making?adaptability skills?essential — whether things go wrong or right. By nurturing a flexible mindset, you’ll cope with last-minute changes gracefully. Be open to new ideas and situations. Sometimes, they might be even better than the original plan. Adaptability means managing unexpected situations. Adaptability skills help you think on your feet, be flexible in your approach, and remain calm in the face of new challenges. And it’s not the same thing as flexibility. Flexibility is about accommodating a new circumstance, but adapting refers to an entirely new situation.?

The final skill offered is perhaps the most important. It is the ability to say “no!” For such a short word, it’s amazing how many of us have a hard time saying it. But learning how to graciously but firmly?say “no”—without padding it with excuses or white lies—is a critical life skill. “We all want to feel loved, valued and needed, and saying yes fills a lot of those basic human needs,” says Jeff Temple, PhD, a licensed psychologist and professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch. “We also all fear being rejected, left out or disappointing others.”

“Technically, ‘no’ is a whole sentence, and you don’t necessarily owe anyone an explanation,” says Temple. “But that can come across as abrupt, aggressive or cold. If you want to preserve the relationship or simply convey kindness, find a softer way to say it.” Whether you’re addressing it in person or following?email etiquette?or texting rules, here are some scripts for politely—but firmly—saying no.

• I really appreciate the offer, but I’m going to have to pass this time.
• Thank you for thinking of me, but I won’t be able to make it tomorrow.
• I’d love to come, but unfortunately, I have a prior commitment that day.
• I’m so honored that you asked me, but I’m maxed out now.

·???????? I’m sorry, but I must respectfully decline.

·???????? I’m flattered, but I have to say no this time.

·???????? I really appreciate your offer, but I’m going to have to decline.

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How do you “Get Things Done?” Share your tips and ideas in the comment section.