Key to Success 1
Developing Professional Knowledge and Abilities: The Key to Success
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Developing Professional Knowledge and Abilities: The Key to Success
It is important when one enters the business world fresh from school to insure the continued development of their professional knowledge and abilities. With school one learns the applications and knowledge associated with the field of their choice however it is not until they actually are incorporated into the field they have chosen that they truly begin to develop professional abilities. Some abilities that one should focus on developing within a career are oral communication, written communication and teamwork.
Oral communication is important to focus on because it is important to be able to communicate not only with ones coworkers and bosses but with clients or customers as well. “As with most personal skills oral communication cannot be taught. Instructors can only point the way. So as always, practice is essential, both to improve your skills generally and also to make the best of each individual presentation you make,” (Dept. of Chemical and Process Engineering, 1999).Within any career one must communicate their ideas and thoughts to those around them and there is a style and etiquette of communication that is expected within a business situation. This indicates a level of seriousness and personal accountability when one speaks to another about business. When entering the workforce it is important that the individual have confidence to speak in public and the ability to do so with finesse and clarity.
Written communication is just as important as oral communication and often is more difficult to actually incorporate. One must be professional and polite in all correspondence while also being firm and resolute in the decisions placed on paper. One must understand the different formats expected for different types of communication.
Teamwork is an especially important factor in success within a career. A quote of Susan Gerke from IBM Leadership Development “Conflict is inevitable in a team ... in fact, to achieve synergistic solutions, a variety of ideas and approaches are needed. These are the ingredients for conflict,” (2009). Being able to work effectively within a team and overcome that inevitable conflict shows one’s bosses that they can achieve anything they put their mind to. An especially enterprising person is capable of not only working within a team but also organizing and leading a team to accomplish a goal. Teamwork is important to the success of the individual as well as the company as a whole. Most projects cannot be completed by a single person and takes a team of individuals working together to accomplish them. Within that organization each individual is responsible to pulling their own weight and the success of the team is directly related to the individuals from which it is made up. Having the ability to communicate orally and in written format effectively will increase the chances one has of being a good team player.
All of these skills are important not only to start out a career with but to continue to develop throughout ones career. While in school one must apply the education goals they have to their long term career goals. To learn to become a better communicator in written and oral formats as well as how to work well within a team are good goals to pursue during the education process and will benefit the individual during their entire career. My personal goals during my education are to open up more opportunities for my future by obtaining my degree and applying that knowledge and the fifteen years of experience I have gained within my lifetime to the pursuing of a better career. One must realize their dreams and goals and in order to do so, honing the professional knowledge that is possible to obtain while in school is important to one’s success.
References
Dept. of Chemical and Process Engineering (1999). Communication skills - making oral presentations. Retrieved April 24th 2009. from
Gerke, S. (2009). Teamwork Quotes and Proverbs. Retrieved April 24th 2009. from