Transferable Skills

Today, I had the opportunity to speak to a professional group and selected Transferable Skills as my topic.  These skills are valuable regardless of whether you’re still working, retired, volunteering, or leading community activities. They represent who you are and are the most powerful skills you can have.  Transferable skills are those you own.  They are yours, and you take them with you wherever you go.

Technical skills are essential, but I told the group today that you can’t underestimate the power of clear communication, listening, self-control, a positive attitude, empathy, resolving conflict, depersonalizing situations, and, importantly, having a sense of humor.  You can include many others, but they all belong in the interpersonal, leadership & management, self-management, and self-exploration categories.  And these are the skills that hiring managers and even friends, neighbors, and others look for.   It is human nature to want to be around positive people and bring positive energy into the room.  A little drama may be okay, but eventually, we will move on and shun people who “bring us down.”  

Your life is one of continuous development.  Each day should be filled with learning and self-knowledge because our development is never-ending until we can no longer do it.  I try to read something daily or try out a new hobby or recipe.  I stretch my comfort zone a little more each day to stay in a state of continuous expansion.  I explore my strengths and try to find those things that I know I do best.  And once you decide where your path should go, you must act because a decision without action is just a decision.  The energy of the action moves you on to other opportunities. 

I still have so many things I want to accomplish, and I maintain a “bucket” list.  I may not get to them all, but those transferrable skills I have nurtured over the years will help me knock out a big chunk of stuff on the list.  That will be the action part: “My only limit is me!”