The Most Underrated Traits and Soft Skills That Will Help You Stand Out
Six Things That Are Directly In Your Control To Help You Stand Out
Are you wondering how you can build your personal brand and become successful?
You don’t need all the credentials, a sob story, or everything to go right for you. It’s actually the complete opposite.
Everyone has the ability to be great. But very few are willing to do what is necessary to get there.
Typically we only focus on technical skills and education. Go to grad school, get your masters, or get the alphabet after your name to really impress people…
But it’s really the intangible qualities that make people stand out. People often overlook these “soft skills”.
In my opinion, the bar is so low nowadays. A lot of people are lazy looking for handouts. Or they only focus on accumulating accolades that may impress on paper.
However, if you can continue to make progress on these six skills, which are directly in your control, you will separate yourself from the majority and become someone who people gravitate towards:
Being Prompt - Show up on time or get there early. If a call starts at 1pm, call them at 1pm. Sure, maybe a meeting runs long or something comes up. But be respectful of everyone’s time. Sometimes I used to think if I answer an email too quickly, they’ll believe I’m not busy. That’s bullshit. When someone wants to step up or talk, step up with them and get after it. Now.
Organized - I do have an accounting background so forgive me for loving processes and structure. If there is a task that is repeatable, I will go to great lengths to figure out how to systematize that process. Organize and clearly label important documents, create folders within your email, throw away junk. When your time becomes scarce, we need to operate more efficiently and quickly.
Easy to work with - “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
Don’t be small minded and gossip. Bring energy to your team, go the extra mile, and be flexible. Don’t become a ‘yes man’ but be willing to make sacrifices.
Reliable - Become someone who shows up every single day, even when they don’t feel like it. You want to be someone that others can count on to consistently.
People can say a lot of things in interviews to get a job. But can you walk the walk? Those that can be relied upon are presented more opportunities. They gain respect and admiration from their peers and customers even if they aren’t the best of the best.
Remember - half the battle is just showing up.
Resilience - There was a recent clip of Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, that is a must watch. Resilience as a business owner is everything.
We are trained that failing is a bad thing. No one ever wants to look bad or be embarrassed.
You need to suffer. You need to fail. Take your high expectations and shred them.
Every day something is bound to go wrong. Will you let that derail you?
Finishing - Everyone can make a plan. That’s the easy part. But do you actually implement, execute, and finish? This is something I need to work on. You may have a lot on your plate, your mind is racing with thoughts and ideas. But you find yourself just jumping from one task to another without actually finishing one of them.
Prioritize, make daily progress, and finish the job.
A lot of this may seem obvious to you. But I can confidently say the majority of people lack these basic skills.
Continue to work on your personal development. You won’t be good at everything and often times you’ll have no idea what is going on at your job.
But those that don’t quit, continue work hard, are eager to learn, have the courage to say “I don’t know”, and stay with it; those are the people who reap all the benefits
Barbara Corcoran recently joined Tim Ferris on his podcast.
At the end, she reminded us, “you are a lot more capable than you think you are.”
Don’t underestimate yourself. Continue to put yourself out there, try new things, become comfortable being uncomfortable.
If you are able to stick around, you will be surprised at how far you can go…
Disclosure: This material is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.