It’s Friday, and you’re looking forward to a restful day off tomorrow after a hectic week. You’re already running behind on a client’s project, but during a wrap-up meeting, it’s revealed that the client emailed overnight and has thrown another spanner in the works. They’ve told you they’re unhappy with what’s been delivered so far and want another change. Like, now. They’re (unreasonably, in your opinion) saying that if their issue isn’t fixed by the end of the day, they’re pulling out of the contract.
You didn’t need this. Your calendar’s full, and your team is already stacked. You can feel the stress building. Time to dig deep. Luckily, you already have all the essential skills needed to make this work. Communication to manage the meeting, and explain the situation. Time management to stay on track with your workload, problem-solving to resolve this issue, teamwork to collaborate with your team and stress management to keep your cool under pressure.
Let’s rewind a little though. Last Sunday, you read that these skills form the backbone of both your personal and professional life. Having them in place would help you navigate challenges, enhance your productivity and build stronger relationships, whether leading your team or just juggling the many issues in your personal life. And you recognised that these skills weren’t as developed as they could have been. It was time to make a change.
Change began on Monday, when you decided to work on your communication skills. This is probably one of the most frequently used and important skills you have. Communication been a constant part of your daily life, but it still isn’t perfect, and you knew you could improve it.
You started by paying closer attention to how other managers in your business communicated. Saw how they navigated difficult conversations and how they adapted based on the situation. How they managed to make their point, without losing attention. So, you practised. Experimented with communication styles, asked for feedback from others, and spoke up more in meetings. Doing this all week helped it become second nature. And to take it further, you even enrolled in some communication training, specifically the course found here.
You actively listened, not just so you could respond, but so you could understand. And it made a noticeable difference. You felt more confident and capable in handling conversations, whether routine or the higher-stakes stuff.
On Tuesday, you worked on your time management skills. It’s a skill that could make or break your day. With this project, there were moments where you were overdue on the deadline, or stressing yourself out about how to fit things in. You realised that it was about working smarter, not harder. And it all started by taking this course. Just 15 minutes spent, but the amount of time you saved overall was worth it.
What came next surprised even you. You relearned the basics. You know, planning, organising, and prioritising your tasks. Not exactly difficult, but not easy either. Slowly, you started to restructure your day, so it was more efficient. Big tasks were broken down into manageable chunks, and urgent work was not allowed to derail everything else.
Early results were crystal clear – you were hitting your targets with focus and spending less time stressing about them. With better time management, you were finally staying ahead of those deadlines this week, rather than chasing them.
When Wednesday finally came around, your renewed skills were already in full swing, so you decided to improve a pair of skills that went hand in hand – problem-solving and teamwork. You used to overcomplicate things, trying to tackle every issue that came your way alone and got stressed. You noticed that the best solutions don’t generally come from a solo effort. Good spot.
So, you took a step back, and then a deep breath, before gathering your team to collaborate. Hearing their evaluations and getting fresh perspectives brought forward ideas that you simply hadn’t considered alone. There was real value in bouncing ideas around and working through problems as a group.
Solving problems suddenly didn’t seem like a headache anymore. By using teamwork, you were simplifying things and finding clarity in the chaos. And you all took this brilliant course to help sharpen this new approach, so you could tune into each other’s collective intelligence, and find better solutions.
Teamwork wasn’t just about completing tasks together. It was all about building rapport and strengthening the bond between you and your colleagues. By giving honest feedback, taking more useful eLearning courses like this, and learning from others who already had strong teamwork skills, you created deeper connections within your career.
With your schedule full, adding the final skill to your career on Thursday seemed like it could be quite stressful. Luckily, that skill was stress management, so it made sense to tackle it head-on. So, where do you start with that? Again, a short course comes to the rescue. Once you’d taken it, you came to the realisation that stress was inevitable, especially in a management job like yours. But it was also manageable.
You started implementing small changes. Things like short morning meditation, to ‘centre’ you and bring you in tune with the world around you. You started actually taking your scheduled breaks including getting outside for walks in the nature near your workplace. You put some healthy boundaries in place and learned to say ‘no’ if you couldn’t accommodate something.
The most significant change, though, was in your mindset. You started to view these challenges you were facing as opportunities for growth, rather than obstacles. And, by the end of the day, you felt more equipped to handle pressure. Rather than being immune to stress, you gave yourself the tools to manage it effectively.
Little did you know how soon you’d have to put them to the test.
Which brings us back to today, Friday. There’s still that issue that needs sorting out. You called the meeting and outlined exactly what the challenge was. Collaborated with your team to switch some non-essential work for this time-sensitive stuff. You solved the problem of overlapping projects by managing expectations with stakeholders, which showed good communication, and although the situation wasn’t ideal, you had the tools to manage your stress.
As a result, your customer is happy. Your team is happy, and you have honed those essential skills that you thought had expired. Turns out you’re pretty good at this development stuff after all. But it’s crucial to remember that to keep these skills sharp, you must practice them regularly.
So, what’s on the agenda for next week?
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