How to break free from a career rut

How to break free from a career rut (Photo: iStock)

Hi Chris,

I’m a bit of a techie at work and I’m good at what I do. But I can’t seem to get promoted! What am I doing wrong?

Techie

Chris says, 

Hi Techie!

There’s a big change happening in the working world. Wherever you look, technical skills are no longer enough. If you want to get ahead, you also need good social skills. Things like empathy, communication, persuasion, flexibility and working with others.

Even in the most high-tech industries, it’s the people who combine technical and social skills who are most in demand. For example, computer scientists who are also good at working on group projects.

Google once researched which of its employees made the best managers. They thought it was all about technical competence. But it wasn’t. It was the people who made time for one-to-one meetings, helped people work through problems and took an interest in their lives.

So if you want to get promoted or be considered for the best jobs, it’s important to complement your technical skills with brilliant social skills. Somehow these are rarely emphasised in professional development courses.

Which means you’ll have to work on them yourself! Start by reading about effective communication techniques and practising them in every interaction. Look for ways to improve your creativity, collaboration and judgement.

Get involved in some group activities in your spare time, such as sports, music and drama, as these are all excellent ways to improve your social skills.

And be optimistic! Because it’s women who are making the most of this change in the workplace. Women are naturally inclined to develop good social skills because everything in a girl’s upbringing helps her develop better emotional intelligence. But boys don’t. Instead, they’re encouraged to be tough and keep their emotions to themselves.

So from now on, always look for opportunities to develop your social skills. At work and elsewhere. Choose hobbies and activities that build your social intelligence. Work on your social skills with your family and friends.

And soon you’ll get the jobs you want.

All the best,

Chris