The sprint toward the end of the year is on! But between us, are you quietly panicking, trying to figure out what will get over the finish line between now and the holidays?
Here’s some good news: You don’t need to get a case of the zoomies like your favorite toddler or puppy! Instead, you can put soft skills to work to help maximize your productivity.
After a long year, the mere mention of productivity may make you groan. But NPR reported a thought-provoking insight that may make you change your mind: “Productivity is not fundamentally about inputs. It’s really, in the end about output: How much you produce and at what quality.”
That last part highlighting quality’s role in successful projects caught my ear. So, let’s make a deal: For the next 90 days, change your mind about what productivity can be. Take the focus off over-indexing and ridiculous expectations because we all know that endless pushing only makes everyone cranky, worn out, and resentful. And let’s agree that spinning, cycling, and “Ready—Fire—Aim—Oops!” isn’t the brand you’re trying to build!
In its place, think of developing a set of competencies that will make your execution constructive, productive, and even elegant. We’ll discuss how soft skills will help you dust off your To Do list and keep your sanity in the October series, Three Ways to Use Soft Skills for Elegant Execution.
Let me tell you how one woman’s decision to change how she executes may have saved her marriage.
I couldn’t get enough of Shannon’s slide show of her Hawaii honeymoon. “The whole trip was picture perfect!” I said in awe.
“But it almost wasn’t,” Shannon said, rolling her eyes. “My husband and I exchanged some sharply worded texts after I booked the trip. There was a little radio silence after I gave him the total.”
“Too spendy?” I said nervously.
“I hoped it was simply sticker shock, but it got worse. At dinner, when I reminded him about our conversation, he admitted he hadn’t been listening. ‘Yeah, sure,’ mumbling was more like sleep-talking,” Shannon sighed. “Note to self: Don’t try to have a serious discussion with my husband who’s nodding off on the couch watching “SportsCenter!”
Writing off the case study as a newlywed’s learning curve is easy. But have you ever run into similar ready-fire-aim problems at work, or in a charity or community group? Suddenly lack of planning, consensus, and talking past each other isn’t an amusing story. Tensions can skyrocket when you return to square one after a mix-up about who agreed to what and when.
Let’s rewind spinning and bickering to elegant execution. Before you skip to the end, show the planning stage some love. Turn to soft skill How tactics like creativity and collaboration to ensure the best ideas have seen the light of day. That’s how quality decisions get made.
Here are three ways to practice quality execution:
Anxious forcing isn’t the path to quality results. If it helps to have a mental image, think of your favorite athlete. They don’t win by panicking—they stay poised from start to finish. That’s the vibe you’re going for.
Side-step old school habits and miscommunications and switch up your execution to Ready—Aim—Fire—Bullseye.
If you’re new to soft skills or want a refresher, boss up with my free 15-minute course, “Soft Skills Basics in a Flash.” You’ll learn what soft skills are, why people who understand soft skills stand out in a crowd, and practical, actionable ways to use soft skills every day. With the bonus 1-pager, “7 Ways to Pitch Your Soft Skills Superpower” in your back pocket, you’ll leave calm, self-assured, and ready to speak soft skills with anyone who asks.