TOP TEN SMART SKILLS

According to Loredana Padurean, author of "The Job Is Easy, The People Are Not! 10 Smart Skills To Become Better People":

Here are the observations on each of those qualities, from experts who are teaching and practicing them.

Adaptability. 

“You have to build self-awareness around your comfort zones. Starting to say yes more than saying no can be a great starting point.” — Emily Preiss, senior director of admissions and career transformation at Asia School of Business

Cognitive readiness. 

“Organizational dynamics may not evolve minute by minute like in a basketball or a football game, but there are always dynamics going on, and if the ‘players’ are ready, then whenever the ball comes your way, you are ready to play.” — MIT Sloan professor Charles Fine

Emotional maturity. 

“If you’re not attuned to the environment in which you’re working, you may fall into this trap that I think some CEOs get into, which is that they’re expected to have the answers all the time, rather than set the circumstances in the company so that the answers are explored.” — MIT Sloan professor Roberto Fernandez

Followership. 

“Followership is not the opposite of leadership, but a drive to pursue the shared mission and values of an organization, a group, or a project.” — Hadija Mohd, senior lecturer at Asia School of Business

Humility. 

“You cannot do things just by yourself. You need the cooperation of others because skills and knowledge are dispersed. I have a bit of knowledge and skills, you have a bit of knowledge and skills. We need to work together and have the humility to acknowledge that.”  — Renato Lima-de-Oliveira, assistant professor of business and society at Asia School of Business

Listening. 

“Oftentimes, people think listening is a passive skill. But in reality, listening is an active skill because it requires full attention. This requires you to be present in the moment.” — Jin Sohn, ’22, MBA, Asia School of Business

Managing up. 

“You want to create an environment where people can voice their perspective, give hard feedback, or disagree with you about critical decisions. It’s about staying centered and focused on our shared goal.” — Sean Ferguson, former senior associate dean at Asia School of Business

Multiple perspectives. 

“It’s understanding and practicing and reflecting and celebrating. It’s saying, ‘Hey, that went well ... but what would I do differently next time?’” — Sangeeta Matu, deputy director of action learning at Asia School of Business

Productive inclusion. 

“Being inclusive, welcoming all sorts of unique talents — even those from marginalized communities — can help your business grow and be more unique, diverse, and special.” — Yi-Ren Wang, assistant professor of organizational behavior at Asia School of Business

Validation. 

“Validation is more than just feedback for somebody’s work. It’s about their contribution and importance to the organization, to a project, an initiative, or even a relationship. It’s both a motivating and a training tool that helps us understand what we do well.” — MIT Sloan international faculty fellow Loredana Padurean