Beyond 254

Looking Forward To The Business Trip

I will be out of town on a business trip the next few days, so I will not have any new postings until I return. But one thing I will say is that I look forward to the trip. I will admit at first I was not thrilled, but I decided to stop looking at every interruption as an inconvenience. Sometimes a business trip can be good, because it takes you away from the office. Even though you are still working, I notice for me, it is a little more relaxing. Also, being away gives me a chance to catch up on my reading, since I do not have the usual distractions. It also gives me a chance to see and discover new cities. So the next time your boss tells you that you have to go out of town, embrace it and look forward to all the possibilities that you might encounter on your journey.

Why Can’t You Do Your Own Work?

Have you ever worked with someone who has time to meddle in your assignments or projects, but can’t get their own work done? I am currently going through this situation.

Last month, I sent a document to one of our director’s for her approval. In order to move forward with this project, we need her approval, but for some reason, she has not reviewed the document. Even after many requests, she has not moved forward. She does not have time to finish her work, but she has time to meddle in my projects. She has a history of being delinquent on requests. A while back, there was another document that needed her approval and it took THREE months until we received approval. The document was only seven pages! Then, what really irritated me, not long after she approved it; she started pressuring our team for status. I felt like saying, “If it did not take you three months to approve this document, this project would be a lot further along.” But, I kept my mouth shut, because I might need to use this statement in a much more pressing situation. I always say know when to choose your battles. Without her approval, we are at a standstill and everyone knows this. But no one seems to be bothered. I wonder what would happen if I held a document for three months, would everyone be so understanding.

The Importance of Soft Skills

While talking to one of my co-workers, he stated that one of the skills of a Project Manager is to nag people. A few minutes earlier, I heard someone else say the same thing about Project Management. Then it hit me, “nagging” is one of the main soft skills for this job and I despise it. In addition to looking at job requirements, we should also look at the “soft skills” that are needed.

Usually when I or anyone else search for a job, they usually look at the necessary requirements, education, experience with certain applications and/or job functions. But I think most people, including myself, fail to look at the soft skills required. Some examples of soft skills are: sociability, negotiation skills, team player, communication with fellow co-workers, etc. I think soft skills are just as or more important than the basic job tasks or hard skills. The hard skills can be learned, but soft skills are usually part of someone’s personality and usually difficult to change. I think people should ask more about the soft skills required for a particular job during the interview process.

Thinking back, I should have asked about the soft skills requirements. If I had known some of the soft skills that were needed for this job, I might not have taken it.