Have you ever pondered the recipe for achieving career success and advancement? How can you elevate your salary and position within your industry and the job market? While it may seem that highly successful individuals attribute their accomplishments to factors like connections, social status, or elite education, the reality is that only a fraction of people fit into this category. Attaining career satisfaction and success is achievable at any point in your professional journey, and it's possible to significantly enhance your income without relying on these privileged advantages.
Renowned professionals in various fields have proven that soft skills also referred to as power skills, are crucial for unlocking career opportunities. While all soft skills play a role in success, three key ones have been highlighted by prominent business leaders, influencers, and industry pioneers as instrumental in their achievements:
1. Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
One fascinating example of emotional intelligence at work in the workplace, from a leadership and management perspective, is that displayed by the rather controversial billionaire business mogul Elon Musk, who, in 2017, was reported by Electrek to have emailed his employees:
"No words can express how much I care about your safety and well-being. It breaks my heart when someone is injured building cars and trying their best to make Tesla successful. Going forward, I’ve asked that every injury be reported directly to me, without exception. I’m meeting with the safety team every week and would like to meet every injured person as soon as they are well so that I can understand from them exactly what we need to do to make it better."
Musk here demonstrated what it means to actually show that you care about your employees, through your actions and taking responsibility. He also displayed a growth mindset, by seeking to personally figure out what was going wrong so that he could implement the right changes.
At another time, Musk wrote that "everyone will have equal access to parking, eating the same tables, and there will be no management offices. I am convinced that managers should work at the forefront, in the same work environment as the entire team. Even though I run the company myself, I still do not have my own office and often moved my workplace to the most challenging area in the factory and slept on the factory floor when there was a real crisis. Managers should always take care of their team before they take care of themselves—the supervisor is there to serve his team—not the other way round."
From these internal communications, Musk's approach embodies what it is to have EQ—understanding and managing one's own emotions, and being sensitive to the needs and emotions of others. This quality will make you more likable and approachable and increase your career opportunities.
2. Communication Skills
One of the most essential skills you need to get noticed as an exceptional pro in your field of work—thus boosting your salary—is that of communication. When you can relate well to others, can deliver insights clearly and concisely, actively listen and take on feedback, and maintain transparency in your communication style, these actions go a long way towards building trust and furthering your career.
Joel Gascoigne, co-founder and CEO at Buffer, is well-known for his transparent approach towards leading his team, right from the very beginning. He maintained openness in communication and experimented with allowing all employees to be able to view email threads and company financial data, in addition to maintaining salary transparency.
Transparency in communication is a trademark of exceptional leadership and can open multiple doors for you to land a promotion, within your current employer and externally as well.
3. Focus
The average worker gets distracted 60 times in a workday and loses over 23 minutes of focus on average, for each distraction, according to Zippia. How do you measure up? Do you maintain strict focus, not only in your work day but for achieving your professional goals? Goal-oriented individuals are driven and self-motivated, and perform exceptionally well in various roles, such as in sales for example, in which this directly translates to making more money through commission.
Learning the power of focus in setting priorities and achieving one's goals is what enables you to be resilient despite facing challenges. This core quality is what set Canva founder and CEO Melanie Perkins, apart from the rest. After facing hundreds of rejections before securing her first investment and being in the minority 2% of VC-backed women founders, Canva eventually was born and grew to become one of the most profitable unicorn start-ups.
How willing are you to put in the discipline, tenacity, and focus to achieve remarkable results in your career? By focusing on developing your EQ, improving your communication skills, and sharpening your focus, you can accomplish the unthinkable and dramatically increase your value in the job and industry market—leading to pay raises, promotions, and more business opportunities.