Have you ever done any renovations?
We had a tiler come around yesterday for a quote and got to talking about colour schemes and options to make our new bathroom look fabulous. We were confused, indecisive and a bit all over the place about what types, designs and themes we might consider, until Michael (the tiler) offered us some advice. “Don’t pick anything that will date.” He suggested. “Go with nice clean white simple tiles, you can always change your towels, plants etc to give yourself a new look. Terracotta was big in the 90’s, now...errghh!” he said face wrinkling in disgust.
It got me thinking, how often are we drawn into the latest ‘fancy’ style or pattern? The current fashion is ‘sparkly’, catches our attention andis the envy of others at the time, but it gets outdated. True currency on the other hand is like gold, it rarely loses its value and lustre. Many workplace systems and processes are fancy today. They look shiny, everyone wants it, but sure enough they date quickly, and the cost of an overhaul is considerable. Just like choosing basic (classic) white tiles for a bathroom, it is important to develop our basic skills at work, the skills that don’t have a use-by date.
These basic skills aren’t our technical skills either...technical skills change constantly! New software programs, understanding of legislative requirements etc; these technical skills (whilst essential) often become outdated and need constant refreshing. Our basic skills at work are our Human Skills. The reality is that whatever industry you workin, every business is a human business.
Consider these three Human Skills:
1. How do you build, maintain and repair trust?
2. Are you able to express your emotions to the right people, in the right way, at the right time?3. Can you identify what motivates yourself and others?
How we interact with other human beings is the one constant skill needed in every business and in every job. Invest time, effort and energy into building the basics of your Human Skills.
Warm regards,
Darren & Alison
Thursday, August 20, 2009
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