Critical thinking is an inherent part of professional life and a key to making sound decisions and coming up with effective solutions to every problem. It is rightfully said that “if problem solving is the car that gets your business to its goals, critical thinking skills are the gas” (“How to make better decisions,” n.d.). I believe that without using critical thinking a professional can make significant mistakes that will cost him and his company money and reputation. For me, this set of skills is always particularly helpful when I need to get rid of my biases, emotional influence and stereotypes to be able to think clearly and in a logical manner, and I try to use this approach on a daily basis. This skills helps me see the big picture clearer, understand who, what and how will be affected by a decision and evaluate possible alternatives in a more logical and sound manner. An example of how I have applied this approach was when I was a part-time waiter during the freshman year. A client refused to pay for his half-empty cup of coffee because it was not good, and I could not find a manager to solve the problem. I analyzed the situation and arrived at a conclusion that similar situations have happened before, and that I did not need to reinvent the wheel. For this reason, I approached a much more experienced full-time employee for advice. I found out that this was a regular and non-problematic client. I understood that the company’s reputation may suffer, so I made a decision to offer him a free cup of coffee instead of the one he sent back, and later reported about this situation to the manager. In this situation I have applied the problem-solving method by defining the problem, looking for alternative solutions and their cons and pros, finally finding the solution and evaluating the outcome (Chaffee, 2012, p. 104). It turned out that my solution worked perfectly in that situation.
Another important element to professionalism is the maintenance of personal and professional etiquette based on strong values. The first most important etiquette element that I use is respect to others, which I would like to enjoy in return. For me, this means not only communicating with people equally regardless of their position, but also refraining from any gossiping. For me, this practice can harm not only my reputation, but also other people’s personal and professional well-being, and I would never want to be in the position of the object of gossips. It goes without saying that this element also implies politeness, attention and the necessary amount of humbleness. My second most important element of etiquette is being organized at work. This means that I make sure to arrive at work on time, meet the deadlines and organize my work space to make it neat, tidy and representative of my organized professional life. Finally, the third element is to maintain professional communication, which means that all phone calls and e-mails I receive are returned on time and are written or said in a professional and friendly manner. People may often forget to proofread their messages and e-mails or make them sound finished and look neat (“Skills – Workplace etiquette,” n.d.). I have done similar mistakes previously in my career, but after my supervisor has pointed out my communication mistakes during the performance review, I have been working on improving my attention and written communication, which were my weaknesses as I realized that the mistakes were bad for my reputation.
Talking about communication, the other communication skills that I have been working on intensely to make them my strengths are active listening, empathy and effective expression of my ideas. Active listening has been helping me ever since I started working as a waiter, as I quickly learned that both clients and co-workers appreciated being heard and shown signs that they are heard and understood. Without this skill I would never be able to talk with the clients effectively and understand their true needs and concerns, which is crucial to the development of good customer service. The second strength is empath that is needed to feel other people’s emotions and mood, an asset that is as important for attracting and keeping clients, as it is for maintaining good relationships with co-workers. The third strength is to be able to express my thoughts in a comprehensive manner. Often, a creative applicant full of ideas may not get the job because of being unable to share them effectively (Fritz, n.d.). Being able to express own ideas in a concise and concrete manner is vital if a professional wants to get recognized and valued for his thoughts, opinions and ideas and, consequently, get a promotion. My weaknesses, which I am working on right now, include misunderstanding of my audience, non-precise communication and sometimes too relaxed communication. The first weakness may appear when I try to explain my ideas to people, who are not familiar with the topic, and then I stop using professional terms unknown to the general public. The second weakness occurs when I forget to communicate important details, including the precise deadline, mistakenly believing that others understand what I mean. This is a common communication mistake that makes messages too vague and ineffective. The last weakness is my inappropriate friendliness, when I think that talking casually can be an ice-breaker, when instead I need to talk professionally and be serious and concentrated, instead of relaxed. At the same time, this weakness often helps me find common language with the clients and co-workers, and then it becomes my strength.
The next soft skill I have developed as a professional is the ability to meet the deadlines and stay focused on my short-term and long-term goals. In order to stay on-time and on-task, I keep reminders about my tasks in several places, including my offline and online planner and calendars. At the same, I use various mobile applications and occasionally alarm to make sure I am on-time. They help me spend the needed amount of time on each task and track the deadlines. At the same time, I establish my own deadlines and divide major tasks into the small ones, so that I can finish them one by one and feel less stressed. To manage my professional goals, I have clearly established them and made a plan divided into small steps. About every two months I evaluate my progress and make changes. Another useful strategy is to express own professional goals to a supervisor, an employer and important people in life, as this step helps keep oneself focused and accountable before people, who are considered significant by such person.
References
Chaffee, J. (2012). Thinking critically (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
Fritz, R. (n.d.). Strength & weakness in workplace communication. Retrieved January 11, 2016, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/strength-weakness-workplace-communication-10946.html
How to make better decisions and solve problems faster. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2016, from http://www.discoverbusiness.us/problem-solving/#2
Skills - Workplace Etiquette. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2016, from https://www.careereducation.columbia.edu/resources/tipsheets/skills-business-etiquette
