You’ve Got the Power!: Firing Up Power Skills in the Workplace

Welcome to the highly competitive professional arena where the landscape and skills needed for success are constantly evolving. Sure, technical skills are important; however, to stand out in this fast-paced and dynamic environment, a professional must possess a solid set of power skills.

The Evolution of Power Skills

So, what are power skills and how did they evolve? 

Power skills are crucial for creating a positive work environment and improving the employee experience. They are essential skills for leaders to foster a harmonious and productive work culture. Thus, fostering power skills can inspire, motivate, retain employees, and be the driving force behind a company's success.

Communication, teamwork, and critical thinking skills have grown in importance as the workforce has shifted toward knowledge-based jobs. Technology has made working remotely easier, as well. This evolving nature of work trickled into the development of power skills over time to include technical skills such as coding and data analysis, as well as personal skills such as adaptability and emotional intelligence. And thus, power skills have become increasingly important in personal and professional development in recent years.

Power Skills in the Modern Workplace

Success in the modern workplace requires power skills that have become essential for the growth and development of professionals and organizations regardless of industry. The power within these skills is often considered the “secret sauce” that makes an individual a well-rounded and effective team member. They are especially crucial to success in customer service, sales, and talent management.

Some power skills examples¹ are:

1. Communication: This skill is all about expressing yourself with flair and finesse. Whether written or verbal, strong communication skills are crucial for building relationships, influencing others, and ensuring your message is heard loud and clear.
2. Emotional Intelligence: This skill refers to the capability of sensing, understanding, and navigating the ups and downs of workplace dynamics graciously. Think of it as your superpower to understand and manage not only your emotions but also the emotions of others, which fosters a healthy, positive, and productive work environment.
3. Collaboration: Working well with others is like casting a spell of cooperation, leading to amazing results. By collaborating effectively, you and your team can pool your knowledge, skills, and experience to achieve outcomes beyond what you could accomplish alone.
4. Critical Thinking: It’s time to channel your inner detective! This skill involves evaluating information, considering different perspectives, and making informed decisions based on the available evidence. Critical thinking is vital for solving problems, making decisions, and coming up with creative solutions.
5. Creativity: If you’re looking to add a touch of magic to your work, creativity is the answer. This skill involves generating new and innovative ideas to solve problems and challenges. It’s essential for sparking innovation and adapting to change with ease.
6. Adaptability: Like a chameleon, adaptability allows you to adjust to new situations, environments, and challenges. This skill is essential in today’s rapidly changing workplace, where responding quickly and effectively is a must.

How to Foster Power Skills in the Workplace?

Given it is common for individuals to experience multiple careers throughout their lifetime, these interpersonal skills empower them to adjust and adapt to new roles and industries and advance their careers. Thus, according to Carol Dweck in her book Mindset: The Psychology of Success, organizations can promote a “supportive, inclusive, and productive workplace culture” by developing employees' power skills.

Encourage open communication.

• Communication is the basis of any successful workplace. Encourage personnel to share their ideas and thoughts openly and constructively. Allow for comments and make it a habit to listen and respond to employees actively.

Promote collaboration.

• In a modern, fast-paced, and complex work environment, collaboration is essential. Encourage employees to collaborate and shape relationships that promote teamwork and cooperation. Allow them to collaborate on projects, share knowledge and skills, and support each other.

Develop leadership skills.

• Leadership is an essential skill that empowers employees to guide and inspire others. Allow employees to hone their leadership abilities by having them lead projects and assigning them managerial responsibilities for a specific area of the business. To ensure success, provide feedback and coach employees regularly to help them while developing their leadership skills.

Emphasize emotional intelligence.

• Regular feedback is an important part of fostering a growth mindset. Employers can assist employees in recognizing their strengths and areas for improvement by providing regular feedback, both positive and constructive. Encouraging employees to ask for and seek feedback from others can help them grow and develop. Furthermore, encourage employees to constantly improve and develop their skills by providing learning and development opportunities. Just as with developing emotional intelligence, provide regular training and coaching to ensure employees have the resources they need to advance their careers. Seeking out training and development opportunities is part of the talent management life cycle to develop employees’ power skills. Various companies also get help from consulting firms that offer workshops and training programs to improve employee engagement and training.

Power skills are the secret weapons that can elevate work performance to new heights. By developing and honing these skills, an individual becomes more effective, productive, successful, and sought after in the workplace. Moreover, employers highly value power skills, thus, incorporating them into daily work routines is another way to achieve success.

Overall, building a strong, successful workforce requires a mix of skills. Employees need hard skills to excel on the technical side of work responsibilities, and power skills to build relationships and navigate social situations. So why not make work more exciting by unleashing those power skills? Whether starting your career or looking to advance in their current role, investing time and effort into power skills is sure to bring about magical results.

• 1^The Importance of Soft Skills