Recently, during one of my mentor-ship sessions my mentor talked about key differentiators that can make one standout for his/her next promotion. I found it very useful and thought it would be a great article (with my thoughts) to start the week off with for my readers.

Standout Skills

1) Presentation - It is an asset that one needs to master (it's an on-going process). How effectively you can communicate your message to different set of audiences can be a huge differentiators between you and your colleagues. I found the benefits of this skill when I was working on a important project for my team and had to acquire funding and support across the board. With the guidance from my mentors, I was able to effectively tailor the content for the audience (5 different groups from co-workers to senior management). I got a lot of positive feedback and support because the content kept the audience interested. For example- Financial details was key for the senior management however technical detail and interface was key to the co-workers.

2)Balance- Like anything in life, one needs to have a right balance between Aggressiveness-Professionalism-Politeness and Recognition (Recognizing others). Misalignment in any one of the legs of this Balance table will tip you in the negative direction. Most people lack in recognizing other when they help you, this is an important leg of the table. This shows that you have humility, strong network and people are motivated to do work for you.

3) Big Picture- Not only one needs to understand the big picture themselves but also share it with the group. In today's era our teams are very dynamic and diverse, it is important that we explain the 'Big picture' in simple terms for everyone to understand. This shows that you care about others and you are are inspiring them to follow your or companies vision. Best way to achieve this is to link it to each individual - make a 30 seconds verbal presentation about- What is in it for the person, why should they care and what they have to do?

4) Be in the Present- Live your life, thoughts and enjoyment. This is the biggest trap among the 4 standout skills. Technology is a boom and a curse. It definitely connects us all around the globe but has hampered our social skills. Most of us including me text or reply emails when they are talking to people, in a meeting or in a group discussion. This shows the management and others that we are not team players and we don't care about things. One should live in the present and not worry about past and future extensively. Life is full of valleys (failures) and hills (success), one needs to accept and enjoy both. When you are in the valley phase who develop character which over period of time becomes your wisdom. Mastering this skill can put you in a different bucket than your peers.