Thesis on "Business Skills and Tactics"

Thesis 15 pages (5051 words) Sources: 8 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Business Skills and Tactics

In order to be successful in the business world one must have a broad range of up-to-date business skills. Project management, marketing and sales training are all traditional areas of skill development. Business writing, conflict management, negotiation and stress management are some of the many important soft skills or non-traditional skills that a person needs to be successful in today's marketplace (Online Business Courses, 2009). As more businesses become internationalized and cultural diversity becomes the norm, it will be imperative for businesses to make sure leaders, managers and employees are skilled in both traditional and nontraditional business skills in order to have a competitive advantage. This paper will review some of the literature that has been written surrounding this topic.

One may ace their metaphysics finals, but can they work on a team? Can they resolve complex problems? Can they communicate clearly in print and in person? These are just some of the skills that employers are increasingly demanding in today's workforce. According to Syracuse University public-affairs professor Bill Coplin, among the skills that will help keep workers marketable in the near-term are self-motivation, time management, strong oral and written communication, relationship building, salesmanship, problem solving, information evaluation, and leadership. In the future, there will be even more emphasis placed on skills that cannot be automated. These are what are known as hyper-human skills. These include caring, judgment, intuition, ethics, inspiration, friendliness, and imagination (Skills for Today and Tomorrow, 2004).

The most successful people in business all have certain attributes in common. Several personal qualities are important for success. These include a thirst for continuous education, personal drive and motivation, strong goals and ambition, clear vision, and always a great deal of passion. According to business school leaders, it is thought that there are certain business skills that are needed if one wants to get ahead in the business world. The first such skill is that of communication. Communications skills can take on many forms all of which are very important for success. Most people in the business world spend a lot of time communicating in writing. While the inter-office memo and the fax have been around forever, a good deal of a persons day can be spent dealing with their inbox. Reports, white papers, proposals and resumes are among some of the top things that one will need to master (21 Business Skills Needed to Succeed, 2009).

Social Networking skills are also seen as being very important. Not everyone is a social butterfly and many people struggle with making small talk. This is a very important skill to learn though, as it is often true that it is more about who you know than what you know. Speaking skills are also very important, as public speaking ranks high among the world's most popular fears. It might feel more comfortable working from the safety of a desk but at some point there is going to be a presentation to do. It is better to have some experience in public speaking than to get caught having to perform unprepared when it really counts (21 Business Skills Needed to Succeed, 2009).

In the view of business school leaders sales skills are not always what one might think that they are. People may not think that they need to sell, but everyone sells something everyday. In normal everyday life people sell by persuading other people to see their side of something. Persuasion skills can also be a very useful tool to have. Negotiation skills are also thought to be critical in doing business. A lot of the skills in the business world are all the same but you always find those certain people who have been in business for a while can drive a hard bargain. Being able to negotiate is critical and if one does not have these skills they will lose out each and every time.

Planning skills are thought to be crucial to being able to stay in the game. Strategic planning is valuable as a business that reels from one crisis to the next is not going to stay around very long. Having leaders that possess the ability to lay down strong strategic plans is vitally important. Project management is the new trend that works to make the life of the leaders and the team less stressful. Things get done on time and on budget when these skills are utilized. Financial planning is seen as one of the top reasons why businesses go under. Bad financial planning always spells doom. If all of the cash flows in the wrong direction there won't be a business for very long. Someone within the organization needs a firm grip on the numbers which makes this a very important skill to have. Risk management planning should also be done in order to assure success. If a person can imagine a risk then they can plan for it from the beginning and set up a plan to mitigate it long before it ever occurs (21 Business Skills Needed to Succeed, 2009).

Logistics planning is seen as important as every business has inputs and outputs. So having people in the right jobs with what they need when they need it to get their work done is important. Productivity skills are important in order to keep the flow of every day business moving. Time management helps to reduce stress and increases a person's respect. Being where you need to be on time is very important to having things run smoothly, especially for management level people. Meeting management is also important in order to respect other peoples time. Planning meetings that are productive and successful is an important skill to have. Most people hate to spend time in meetings. Unfortunately they are a common part of most people business day. So making the most of them is best that one can hope for (21 Business Skills Needed to Succeed, 2009).

Having good leadership skills is important so that one can get people to follow them and get things accomplished. If no one listens to anything that you say then an effective leader you are not. Also having effective systems brings about consistency and efficiency while reducing costs. Learning how to create and implement both human and automated systems can go a long way to being more productive and competitive. Personal productivity is a necessary skill for leaders as one can't lead other people until they work out how to get the best out of themselves. Part of being a good leader is leading by example, so knowing one's self is a very important step towards making this happen (21 Business Skills Needed to Succeed, 2009).

Creativity allows for changes to be made and processes to be improved within an organization. Many people disregard their creative side feeling that it is better to be all about the logic. In fact some of the most successful business people are also the most imaginative and creative. It is often said that if you can imagine it you can create it, and if you create it then you can make it work. People are often surprised how few mad inventors there really are, most products are invented in a marketing office while people are trying to solve the problems that they are faced with everyday (21 Business Skills Needed to Succeed, 2009).

Problem Solving is seen as a big part of surviving in the business world. One needs to know how to solve problems quickly and effectively. Employees' that are good at keeping their head in a crisis while fighting fires is a worthwhile asset to any business. People who have these skills are often sought after in the business world. People who can brainstorm great ideas will often be one step ahead of everyone else. Thinking on your feet is a great skill to master in the business world (21 Business Skills Needed to Succeed, 2009)

Traditional Business Skills and Tactics

Traditional business skills have been defined in many ways. They are usually referred to as the technical skills or knowledge competencies a person must master before it is possible to use them (Litecky, 2004). They tend to be very specific and teachable abilities. Technical skills deal with the ability to perform specialized tasks that are often acquired through education or experience. These are typically skills that are very teachable and are often learned by rote learning strategies.

In the views of Davis and Berdrow (2008), in order for a company to be successful it must be based on an approach that involves many of the traditional functional skills that have been around the organization forever, along with many new skills that are just hitting the business world today. Unfortunately, most business school curricula are based on the older traditional organizational structure that dominated businesses throughout most of the twentieth century. This structure typically consisted of vertically organized functions or silos, such as production, marketing, and finance, with each silo operating independently of the others. Similarly,… READ MORE

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