Key Corporate Skills for Professional Development

Crawl. Walk. Run. The 3 stages of professional development.👇 -- CRAWL The goal here is to turn self-doubt into self-awareness. 1️⃣ Assessment Start by knowing your baseline. - Strengths - Skills - Opportunities - Gaps Use tools like StrengthsFinder, SWOT analysis, and reflection. 2️⃣ S.M.A.R.T. Goals Define where you're going. Then, turn your career dreams into tangible goals. S - Specific M - Measurable A - Achievable R - Relevant T - Time-Bound 3️⃣ Daily Growth Embrace the Develop Daily concept. - 15 mins / day - Targeted - Time-blocked Make consistency your ally. 4️⃣ Learning Basics Seek out foundational resources: - Courses - Books - Thought Leaders Start paying attention to your peak learning hours and formats. 5️⃣ Internal Networking - Build strong bonds with your team - Ask for introductions from your existing network - Volunteer for an internal organization or project Systematize these efforts. -- WALK The goal here is to turn knowledge into action. 1️⃣ Serious Skill Growth Drive toward proficiency, then on to mastery. 1-2 technical skills. PLUS: - Communication (Writing, Presentation, etc.) - Team Collaboration and EQ - Problem-Solving - Leadership 2️⃣ Growth Mindset Lean into challenges. Back yourself to overcome stumbles and mistakes. Study: - Carol Dweck - Angela Duckworth - James Clear 3️⃣ Mentorship Find yourself a top mentor or coach. Take advantage of: - Their outside perspective - Their years of experience - Their tactical advice Start mentoring folks who are one step behind you. 4️⃣ Learning Science Ground yourself in foundational learning principles: - Microlearning - Spaced Repetition - Active Recall Pair this with a highly-curated list of top resources. 5️⃣ Expansive Networking Get outside your bubble. - Volunteer for industry organizations - Get active and bold on LinkedIn - Join LunchClub -- RUN The goal here is to turn experience into expertise. 1️⃣ Lead Regardless of your role, start leading. - Connect - Support - Inspire Read Simon Sinek, Brene Brown, and Stephen Covey. 2️⃣ Lifelong Learning Expand your daily growth. - Curate top content - Organize and lead conversations - Structure your own unique insights 3️⃣ Share Expand your personal brand. The easiest way? - Share what you know - Share everything you know - Package it in an easy-to-digest format Consider speaking engagements and publications. 4️⃣ Cross-Functional Experience Expand your work influence across departments or organizations. - Take on larger efforts - Engage as a DEI leader - Join a board 5️⃣ Develop Others Pay forward your expertise. - Grow your internal team daily - Mentor and coach - Sponsor rising talent -- Want to talk through your 2024 goals? I'm opening up a few slots in January to connect with folks from LinkedIn. No sales pitch. Just good old-fashioned conversation. DM me if interested.

If you’ve visited my office, you’ll recall that I have a small sign that reads: “Build a Team So Strong that Nobody can Identify its Leader”. That statement inspires me in several ways, because it’s a small sign with big implications. A couple of implications that I’d like to address are (1) increasing bench strength for today and (2) succession planning for tomorrow. While, no, I don’t plan to go anywhere anytime soon (I truly love my organization and my team), it’s wise to build current capacity while also cultivating the skills that will be needed in leaders of the future. If you’re ready to build bench strength, while starting to plan for the future (no matter how distant it may be), then assess and cultivate the following 14 hard and soft skills in members of your middle management team. HARD SKILLS: 1. In-depth knowledge of healthcare industry regulations and policies. 2. Strong analytical and quantitative skills to analyze complex data and financial models. 3. Proficiency in contract management software and tools. 4. Excellent financial acumen to understand financial implications and evaluate contracting opportunities. 5. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel for data analysis and financial modeling. 6. Legal and contractual knowledge to review and interpret contract language accurately. 7. Familiarity with healthcare coding systems, such as ICD-10 and CPT, for accurate reimbursement calculations. SOFT SKILLS: 1. Strong negotiation and persuasion skills to secure favorable contract terms and conditions. 2. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships with stakeholders, including healthcare providers and insurance companies. 3. Exceptional problem-solving and critical thinking abilities to identify and resolve complex issues. 4. Time management and organizational skills to effectively prioritize and manage multiple contracts simultaneously. 5. Leadership and teamwork skills to collaborate with cross-functional teams and influence the decision-making process. 6. Adaptability and resilience in a fast-paced and dynamic healthcare environment. 7. Ethical and professional behavior in dealing with sensitive information and maintaining confidentiality. #benchstrength #successionplanning #hardskills #softskills #teamwork #professionaldevelopment #leadership #mentorship #managedcare #contracting #payerrelations HFMA South Texas Chapter HFMA Lone Star Chapter HFMA Texas Gulf Coast Chapter Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) ACHE – South East Texas Chapter American College of Healthcare Executives

You landed your job because of your technical skills. But ever wonder what keeps you in it❓👉↓ ********************* 💡Technical skills, undoubtedly, are your ticket into the competitive arena. → They’re quantifiable, teachable, and the cornerstone of any job description in fields ranging from tech to finance, healthcare, and beyond. 👉 Yet, as we pivot from entry to sustainment within our careers, the spotlight increasingly shines on an often-overlooked set of skills: SOFT SKILLS ******************* Soft skills, encompassing ✔️communication, ✔️teamwork, ✔️adaptability, ✔️problem-solving, and ✔️emotional intelligence → Are the unsung heroes. 👉→ They safeguard your position and fuel your career progression. ✅ They transform a technically proficient employee into a dynamic, versatile, and indispensable team member. Why❓ Because while technical skills may get your foot in the door, soft skills are what open the rest of the building. ‼️ They enable you to adapt to the complexities of workplace dynamics, lead with empathy, inspire innovation, and drive projects to fruition amidst challenges. ************** 👌 People who balance their technical know-how with soft skills don't just keep their jobs; they excel in them. → They're the ones everyone wants on their team. ——————————— ↓→ So, while you keep up with the latest in your field, also work on your soft skills. Your career doesn't just depend on what you know but also on how well you work with others. ******************* Remember, technical skills may open the door, but soft skills invite you to stay. #CareerAdvice #SoftSkills #Success #professionaldevelopment #careerdevelopment

I've worked with quite a few companies, and at this point, I've come to realize that most organizations want leaders who: ✅ Have the confidence to share their innovative ideas AND can give constructive and useful feedback; ✅ Know how to ask problem-solving questions AND can ensure information is communicated in a way that many can understand; ✅ Have a growth mindset AND are willing and able to receive feedback; ✅ Create functional and collaborative workspaces AND are willing and able to display empathy for peers and colleagues; ✅ Are open to and interested in other’s ideas AND help the business solve problems; ✅ Practice good communication skills AND know how to apologize ✅ Ensure a team has easy access to the tools and resources they need to be successful AND can lead teams both in-person and remote ✅ Apply emotional intelligence in the workplace AND are thoughtful about the organization's image and profits, and much more…   Leaders. Friends. Colleagues: These are ALL skills your inclusion and equity professionals activate in your organization.  Great DEI professionals are helping your leaders to approach their day-to-day work (and, in many cases, their whole lives) with tools and mindsets that are thoughtful about the differences among us and know how to handle it when they misstep. These are basic human skills.  Because our differences shape how we communicate, shop, learn, share, and connect, navigating those differences with SKILL shapes  📌 what kind of talent we attract,  📌 what kind of products we share with the marketplace, and  📌 how we interact with consumers.  Folks are on a pretty major misinformation bender when it comes to DEI – and unfortunately – that is the world we live in. But don’t let your leaders go without the skills that help them be the best leaders for your business.   And that is even if you elect to call it all “leadership development." I mean, keeping it real -  from DEI or JEDI or IDEA, everyone calls it something different anyway. So call it what you will. But what's important is that people get the learning and skills to help them shape the talent and world of tomorrow. #misinformation #DEI #leadership #JEDI #inclusiveleadership #whatsinaname #begoodhumans

In an ever-evolving corporate landscape, it's not just technical acumen that leads to success – it's the ability to communicate, collaborate, and connect on a deeply human level. Many of the world's most successful executives understand this nuance, and I want to share with you two game-changing methods to hone these essential soft skills within your team: role playing and strategically-matched group activities. 1. Role Playing: This isn't just child's play. Role-playing pushes individuals out of their comfort zones, allowing them to experiment with various communication styles, responses, and approaches. According to the Association for Talent Development (ATD), role-playing is an experiential learning method that can improve interpersonal competencies by over 42%. When team members walk in another's shoes, they not only grasp new perspectives but also sharpen their empathy and adaptability – two cornerstones of influential leadership. 2. Group Activities with Diverse Pairings: Here’s where the magic happens. Purposefully matching team members with different work styles, communication nuances, and personalities is akin to combining unique ingredients to produce a gourmet dish. A study from MIT’s Human Dynamics Laboratory revealed that teams with diverse communication styles outperformed homogenous groups by nearly 35%. By fostering dialogues and interactions between contrasting team members, we organically cultivate an environment where soft skills like patience, understanding, and conflict resolution thrive. By actively engaging in real-time experiences that challenge and stretch interpersonal dynamics, soft skills become not just theoretical concepts but lived experiences. These exercises empower individuals to transform from mere professionals into true leaders, visionaries who inspire change and motivate growth. Dive into these methods, champion them, and watch as your team evolves, becoming not just more cohesive but monumentally more influential. Let the journey to mastery begin!

What kind of leaders are we developing for today and for tomorrow? In open forums, either in person or online, with people from around the world, I’ve had the pleasure of facilitating conversations and trainings on many Leadership related topics, including Human-Centered Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Relational Skills, Storytelling, and Leading High-Performing Teams. What comes out of these discussions and reflections is that: 🌟 Leadership should not be about command and control or about growth at all cost. It's not sustainable and it is not really effective in the long term. The new generation of employees entering the workforce sees Leadership as a driver for human connection, collaboration, teamwork and shared growth, where growth is inspired in employees and not forced on them. And yet, too many brilliant professionals are promoted into leadership… 📌 But are not given the training on how to lead people through these new challenging times. 📌 Without providing them the support to be able to navigate conflict effectively. 📌 Without giving them the right tools for listening effectively, for learning to be inclusive, or to care genuinely. 👉 The result? The crisis of burnout, high turnover and disengagement we are seeing around the world. It makes sense. Organizations don’t lose top talent because employees can’t do the work. Organizations lose top talent because many employees are not feeling good in the cultures they work. And the key drivers of culture are the Leaders, but they are not getting training on how to set the right and the most effective work cultures. We need to keep in mind that Great Leadership is not a birth condition. It's not like certain people are born Great Leaders or not. Great Leadership is the result of training, practice, reflection and experience. That’s why I have dedicated years to this meaningful work of helping Leaders around the world to grow in critical skills that are essential for the workplace today and into the future, including: ❤️ Emotional Intelligence 👋 Relational Skills 🧠 Values-Based Decision-Making ☮️ Conflict Management 🏢 Cross-Sector Collaboration 👂 Effective Communication & Storytelling Whether I’m working with executives, managers, or emerging leaders, the key message remains the same: Leadership requires training, reflection and time. And when leaders are supported by their organizations with the right investments, trainings and tools, they learn, grow and increase their effectiveness. If you read this, you relate and think "this is interesting", let's connect and exchange perspectives! I am on a mission to work with organizations to support Leaders, so they can be trained to be more human, more inclusive and more effective so we can build better work cultures. #Leadership #Leaders #Development #LeadershipDevelopment #HumanCenteredLeadership #EmotionalIntelligence #Empathy #Executive #Training #Work #Workplace #Culture

🏀👔 What Basketball Can Teach Us in the Corporate World! 👔🏀 👉 Okay, I’m biased! With that out of the way, I do believe that when we learn to master the necessary skills to be successful at playing the game of basketball, those same intangibles can be transferred to the workplace and make for great employees and leaders in the corporate world 📈. Even if you have never set foot on a basketball court, we can still learn viable lessons from elite players. Let’s dive into some of the key lessons we can draw from the basketball court and apply to the boardroom: 🤝 1️. Teamwork and Collaboration: Regardless of an individual player’s talent, no one can win alone playing basketball. For great teams, the hunger to win pushes selfish agendas out and fosters teamwork and collaboration. Communication is key throughout practices and games to ensure better decision-making and problem-solving take place. United, each individual on the team becomes what they could not be alone. 🌟 2️. Leadership and Coaching: Just like a basketball team needs a strong coach to guide and motivate players, organizations require effective leaders to inspire and mentor their teams. Learning from basketball coaches, corporate leaders can cultivate a growth mindset, encourage innovation, and unleash the full potential of their employees. 💪 3️. Resilience and Perseverance: Playing the game of basketball will always come with opposition and obstacles that need to be overcome. Learning to be resilient, push past what we thought our mind and body were capable of, and staying determined are indispensable in the workplace for anyone seeking to achieve greatness. 👉 4️. Adaptability and Flexibility: A great player knows he can get past his defendant and is able to anticipate where the help defense will be coming from when he does so. Similarly, corporate world requires a degree of awareness of the environment around us so we can quickly pivot and adapt to the ever-changing market around us. 💥 5. Respect & Integrity: True basketball players know that the game needs to be approached with a level of respect and integrity and the same ethical conduct should be upheld in the corporate world. 🎯 6. Embracing Diversity: Basketball teaches individuals from various cultural, social-economic backgrounds to come together and learn how to develop relationships and play to their differences. Similarly, embracing diversity in a corporate setting fosters creativity, innovation and a broader perspective that enriches the organization’s performance. Next time you’re at a game or flipping through the channels, look at the game with more depth to see what we can learn from it and how it can apply to us in our everyday lives. #BasketballInBusiness #CorporateLessons #Teamwork #Leadership #Resilience #Communication #Diversity #FairPlay #Adaptability #GoalSetting #Inspiration #BusinessSuccess #LearningFromSports #Basketball

Have you noticed the number of articles and interviews focused on etiquette training lately? Business etiquette and people skills are closely related and neither are "common sense". People skills can be developed and companies who truly thrive understand the importance of nurturing people skills within their teams. Here's why investing in people skills training is an absolute game-changer: 1️⃣ Enhanced Communication: Effective communication is the cornerstone of success. By equipping your team with stellar people skills, you foster seamless collaboration within the team and foster stronger bonds with clients. Smooth communication channels translate to smoother workflows and happier clients! 2️⃣ Leadership Development: People skills are essential for effective leadership. Empathy, active listening, and conflict resolution are not just buzzwords; they're the key ingredients to inspiring and motivating teams. Invest in your employees' leadership potential, and watch your company soar to new heights! 3️⃣ Improved Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty: Happy customers are loyal customers. When your employees possess exceptional people skills, they create meaningful connections with clients, anticipate their needs, and provide tailored solutions. This creates lifelong clients who are willing to refer your company to their friends and colleagues. 4️⃣ Enhanced Company Culture: A thriving company culture is built on a foundation of trust, respect, and open communication. By fostering people skills among your employees, you cultivate a positive work environment where everyone feels valued and empowered. When companies are able to meet the needs of their employees, the people are more likely to stay with the company long. A strong company culture isn't just a perk—it's a competitive advantage! Investing in people skills training isn't just about ticking boxes—it's about cultivating a workforce that's equipped to tackle challenges head-on, forge meaningful connections, and drive sustainable growth. Ready to unlock your team's full potential? Let's elevate together. #PeopleSkillsTraining #BusinessEtiquette #LeadershipDevelopment #LoyalClients #CompanyCultureMatters

Strong leaders understand the role people managers play in driving organizational success. Whether it’s fostering team collaboration, guiding individual growth, or unlocking innovation, effective coaching skills are essential for managers to excel in their roles. Here are five indispensable coaching tactics that are part of the Reimagine Talent Co. people leadership development programs to elevate impact: ✋🏾 Asking questions: Encourage managers to shift from providing solutions to empowering their team members through thoughtful questioning. Open-ended inquiries foster engagement and ownership, enabling individuals to explore solutions independently. 👂🏾 Active listening: True listening goes beyond hearing words – it's about understanding, empathy, and connection. By creating a space for open dialogue and actively tuning in to their team's needs, managers can foster deeper relationships and drive impactful outcomes. 🤔 Adopting a growth mindset: Cultivating a culture of continuous learning starts with embracing a growth mindset. Managers can nurture this environment by focusing on the journey rather than the destination, encouraging experimentation, and fostering a spirit of curiosity among team members. ➡ Supporting Career Pathways: Effective managers understand the importance of aligning individual aspirations with organizational goals. By prioritizing career development discussions and offering tailored growth opportunities, managers can empower their team members to thrive and contribute meaningfully to the company's success. As one example, they can amplify cross-functional skill-building opportunities through projects and processes. 📖 Commitment to self-improvement: The journey to becoming an exceptional coach never ends. Encourage managers to prioritize their own development, whether through daily micro-learning opportunities or dedicated training programs. By leading by example and continuously honing their skills, managers can inspire growth and excellence within their teams. Let’s empower people managers to unlock their full potential and lead their teams to success by investing in development. Send me a DM to learn more about how Reimagine Talent is partnering with employers to drive people leader development. #leadershipdevelopment #peoplemanagers #coaching #peopleleadership