Theory

Skill means the ability to do something well or it signifies one’s expertise in doing some job or task. There are a plethora of skills which if acquired can lead you to the stream of success. There are various skills which are required for one’s job role to perform well and ensure one’s career growth. These skills may include professional skills, managerial skills, organizational skills, team building skills, analytical skills and life skills. If one has an interest, any skill can be learned and competency on the same can be attained. Any person can sharpen the skill set, if he or she has a growth mindset, has a will power to learn, is able to yield feedback from failures and challenges, has the patience and perseverance to gain experience and has the starvation to become an expert.  People who have identified their talent needs to nourish and polish the talent though learning and experience to build a great life and career out of their talent. On the other hand we can identify those skill sets which are very much essential for a growth in our current career and life situations and start investing our time and effort in building up those skill sets.  Hence, find out the skills that can get you on top and work on them relentlessly. Once, you have acquired those skill sets, you have the greatest assets for successful returns.

Story

The job required the woodcutters to cut down 100 trees between the both of them. The first woodcutter’s strategy was to begin chopping down the trees immediately. He spent hours and hours each day chopping down the trees. The first day he managed to chop down 15 trees, the next day 10 trees, and the next day 5 trees. He began to grow fatigued, and he wondered why he was chopping down fewer and fewer trees as the days went by. The second woodcutter, instead of setting out immediately to cut down the trees, spent his time sharpening his axe. In the beginning the first woodcutter laughed at him saying, “You do know the job is to actually chop down these trees, right?” The second woodcutter paid no attention to the statement and continued to sharpen his axe. The days went on and the second woodcutter continued to sharpen his axe without cutting down a single tree in the process.

The first woodcutter became puzzled at his behavior. He thought, “ I can’t believe he is just sitting there sharpening his axe while I am doing all of the work!” He grew angry with the second woodcutter and continued to hack away at the trees mercilessly. 5 days passed and the first woodcutter had successfully cut down 50 trees. That very same day, the second woodcutter, with his sharpened axe, cut down 50 trees, in one day.

The moral of the story: Work on “sharpening” your skills before trying to “cut down” the trees in your life.

Activity

Write down three important skills, which if acquired, can give you professional success.

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Quote

“If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.” –Abraham Lincoln.

Take Away

1.  People who have identified their talent needs to nourish and polish the talent though learning and experience to build a great life and career out of their talent.

2. We can also identify those skill sets which are very much essential for a growth in our current career and life situations and start investing our time and effort in building up those skill sets.