Take These Steps to Begin Improving Yourself by Marc LeVine

“Soft skills get little respect but they will make or break your career”?– Peggy Klaus, author

Much is said about the need to develop soft skills to be more effective working with others.?But little is shared about how one goes about developing them.?This is important to know. The primary reason CEO's continue to stress soft skills education is because they see that so many of their current employees and recent job candidates lack them. Many business leaders believe their businesses might do better if the people working for them were better trained in soft skills that help make a difference in all areas of business operations.

So how do you go about enhancing your soft skills??Here are some solid tips:

1. Understand and Accept that No One is Ever Complete

Be willing to search yourself and conduct the necessary introspection and external inquiry into soft skills areas in need of improvement. Nothing can be accomplished until we admit to ourselves and some others that we there is always room to learn and improve.?Learning is a lifelong journey and improvement only comes from hard work.

2. Commit to Improving Yourself

One can talk about the need for personal improvement until he/she is blue in the face, but the improvement will not come until there is a solid commitment to taking the necessary actions to improve. It takes hard work. Time, money, and devotion are always required to be a successful learner. Recognizing needs is always the first step to improvement but following through on promises made to yourself and others is key. Make the effort.

3. Analyze and Prioritize

Assess your strengths and areas for improvement to determine where you may be falling short. Do some soul searching to identify areas you know you can be better at. Revisit past performance appraisals and discussions with your managers to identify areas of recent concern. ?Ask trusted friends and mentors what they recommend you focus on to improve yourself. Once you have a substantial list, order them in a way in which you can address the most pressing ones to begin with.?For example, customer services may rank higher than presentation skills, for the moment.

4. Stop Talking and Really Listen

Learn by hearing and understanding other points of view that may point out areas for improvement and suggestions on how to improve in those areas.

5. ?Put Yourself on the Hotseat.

Experience is a great teacher. Test your soft skills by challenging them outside of your comfort zone.?Deliberately, place yourself in uncomfortable situations in which you will be pressured to learn to grow. You will succeed in demanding situations by perfecting those soft skills that apply to each episode, whether it be your listening skills, showing greater empathy or whatever.

6. Regularly Critique Your Results

After each situation and or encounter ask yourself how you did.?Are you satisfied with the way you performed? What were the reactions of others??Did you get in the way of your own achievement... or facilitate it? What can you still improve on to do better?

7. Avail Yourself of New E-Learning Opportunities

We used to have to go to the library to find books on various topics.?Today, we can not only find great books online, but also locate excellent training there too. Much of it is either free or low cost.?A great deal of it is geared to the needs of “micro-learners,” meaning that within a very short time you may know all you need to know about a subject of interest.?Check out the courses and instruction videos on platforms such as LinkedIn Learning, Open Sesame, Udemy, EdX, YouTube and others. You will be amazed how helpful they are.

The best time to begin personal development is now.?Do not wait, procrastinate, or ruminate.?It will only further inhibit your growth and delay your progress. Get started today!? Looking for a new job??Visit?www.themosystems.com/careers

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The Author

Listen to Marc's latest interview on The AutomationBlog Podcast with Shawn Tierney.

Marc LeVine?is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021. His prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ