(English) Employment at Difficult Times Requires Sharpening of Skills

To be at the front line for employment and career advancement when unemployment is rising, you need to sharpen your skills – the ability to deliver specific, measurable and time bound results.

Now let me define Top Skill:

Top Skill lies at the intersection of knowledge, experience and strong desire (the turning flame within yourself).

From the three skill drivers, the most misunderstood one is experience. Most people relate experience to number of years working, whereas experience is directly proportional to intensity with which one practices the knowledge acquired and this in turn relates to job satisfaction that ignites the burning flame within.

A short note also on “Strong Desire”: This is related to job satisfaction. That is, selecting a job that you like and makes you happy practicing every day. It is actually the most important of the 3 skill drivers. You may be given top education and training, and you may have been exposed close to the best of jobs to acquire experience. However, if you do not have this burning flame motivating you to excel, you can perhaps become a good professional but never one of the best.

Yiannakis Mouzouris
Senior Business Consultant / Trainer
Conicon Ltd