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This Spotlight is sponsored by the Malaysian Institute of Development for Professionals (MIDP).

It is the start of the year, and you have made a resolution to move up the career ladder

In this fast-paced, competitive realm of the professional world, standing out requires more than just possessing the hard, technical skills. It is high time to think about sharpening those soft skills that you may have overlooked for a while.

The Malaysian Institute of Development for Professionals (MIDP) is an award-winning institute and leading expert on soft skills training in Malaysia, recognised by various ministries and government agencies.

Their training adopts a multidisciplinary and global approach in soft skills pedagogy, backed by peer-reviewed research on behavioural science.

According to MIDP, these three in-demand soft-skills will help elevate your career this year:

1. Persuasion

Persuasion is one of the most powerful soft skills — not just at work, but also in every aspect of life. Persuasive people are often able to influence others and tilt the scale in their favour. From swaying decision making and reducing pushback, to negotiating with stakeholders and seeking a promotion, the right persuasion strategy will increase your likelihood of getting you what you want.

People often think that persuasion is mostly about verbal communication, but this is not true. If you would like to influence someone, every aspect of your interaction and communication should be persuasive. From that first phone call, to the exchange of emails, the proposal deck submission, and the meetings — persuasion is an ongoing process of relationship-building and maintaining trust.

As a leading and award-winning institute on soft skills education, MIDP believes that the best tip in improving your persuasion skills is to learn how to curate compelling narratives specifically for the target audience. Beyond understanding the features and benefits of your products or services, you need to understand the people who might be interested in them.

Based on MIDP’s experience in training politicians and professionals from various industries, understanding this will allow you to interact with your stakeholders in a way they resonate with. Make them feel seen, and they will most likely find you relevant, relatable, and insightful.

Image via MIDP (Provided to SAYS)

2. Resilience

Another sought-after soft skill that will prove invaluable to your career elevation is the capacity to adapt and demonstrate resilience. In a world that is ever-evolving and fast-changing, knowing how to navigate uncertainty, embrace challenges positively, and bounce back from setbacks is vital.

More than hard skills, employers seek talents who are resilient to rise up the ladders. Resilient leaders are more likely to be better at problem solving. They often have what it takes to keep going and succeed, even when things change unexpectedly.

But, the million dollar question is, how do you improve your resilience?

From their 13 years of experience in soft skills development, MIDP found that the best and easiest way to achieve resilience is to constantly get open and honest feedback about yourself. This is why every training conducted by MIDP embeds multiple constructive feedback sessions to allow you to make mistakes and course-correct along the way.

Most people make the mistake of only getting feedback on their work. While this is crucial, it is equally important to get feedback on other things like your attitude at work, communication style, and work ethics.

While offering constructive feedback to your colleagues demonstrates that you care, being receptive to feedback teaches you humility. It will also help you develop positive habits that lead to building resilience, such as willingness to learn and commitment to growth.

Image via MIDP (Provided to SAYS)

3. Emotional Intelligence

Leaders — at any level — should have the keen awareness of their own emotions and know how to regulate them effectively. Beyond that, if you are seeking a promotion, you also need to demonstrate the ability to manage the emotions of others.

Many people think that leaders are those who can drive performance to reach the company goals. But that’s only half of it. Good leaders should know that their primary responsibility is to manage people. Only when their team members are happy and well-supported can they improve productivity and performance at work.

Aside from that, being emotionally intelligent helps you work well with others, build strong connections, and most importantly, know how to manage disagreements while de-escalating and resolving conflicts at the workplace.

According to MIDP, the best way to improve your emotional intelligence is simply by pausing and slowing down your reaction to others, especially when they get on your nerves.

This allows you to reflect, consider their point of view, evaluate your priorities, and come up with a strategic response, contributing to a healthier and more collaborative environment.

Employers will always value individuals who can handle the complexities of human emotions. If you have this quality, you will already stand out and be positioned as someone who is ready for advancement.

Image via MIDP (Provided to SAYS)

Ready to level up your soft skills this 2024, and be on your way to elevate your career? MIDP’s various training programmes can help!

Find out more on their website.

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