Skills Assessment

Communication Theory I have a number of different skills that will come in handy in my future endeavors. Skills come in a number of different categories, including work content skills, personal attributes and technological skills. Some of these I have always had, but others I have needed to develop over time. For the most part, technical skills that I have are ones that I have cultivated through training and experience. I believe that I have many of the attributes that I need to pursue the next stage of my career.

As far as technical skills, I have a lot of basic technological skills, including basic computer skills as far as office software, using the Internet and email, and mobile communications as well. In addition to the basics, I have developed a proficiency in virtual team work. This is an emerging area of work as industries are becoming more globalized and technology enables remote working.

Being a part of a virtual team is a vital skill in the modern business environment, and 44% of companies plan to increase their virtual workforce in the coming years (Podmoroff, 2014). Working in a virtual team requires knowledge of the different technologies that are used to keep people around the world in communication on projects.

In addition, there are a number of different managerial aspects to virtual work teams, and I have gained experience in these as well, something that will prepare me for communicating with different people, who each have different communication styles.

It can be challenging to communicate effectively in an online environment because the context is different and there are few opportunities for non-verbal communication, and that is why it is important that I have some experience with virtual work teams, because I have learned how to communicate effectively despite these additional barriers. I also have other communication skills, that work in a normal business environment. I naturally have strong interpersonal skills, and this allows me to be an effective leader and motivator.

I can communicate complex instructions in a way that allows everybody to understand as well. I would say that I have a high level of emotional intelligence, something that is typically a trait of a good leader (Reid, 2008). Another type of communication skill that I have is with respect to leadership and organization.

During my time in the military, I was able to take a leadership role in a number of situations, and I developed a reputation as someone who could be counted on in difficult situations, someone who not only could perform but who could coax positive performance out of the other people on the team as well. So for me, I have also taken the time to research leadership, to study it, and to build my leadership traits.

I have taken leadership skills inventories and tried to work on the things that I am not good at, because I feel that as I progress into a leadership role outside of the military that this knowledge and experience I am gaining is only going to help me. In addition to leadership, I have proven to be an adept organizer. Part of managing things is to understand what resources you have at your disposal and what job needs to be done.

In the military, you don't always have the optimal situation at hand, and you might have to improvise. Being able to do this quickly and effectively is one of the key managerial skills that I have developed over the course of my military career, because you really do have to be adaptable to all different types of circumstances, and quite frankly performance is the most important thing.

Not having the right people or the right materials is not going to cut it in the military, so as a leader you are forced to be highly creative, innovative, and always focused on finding ways to get the job done whether you have everything you need or whether you have nothing. From my experience, it is not hard to succeed when you have everything at your fingertips, but only the truly great leaders succeed when they have a lot of adversity and no real hope of success.

That is the leader I aspire to be and I feel like the organizational and motivational skills I have developed take me close to that objective. Lastly, I have a number of personal skills that will also make me a more effective manager. I have proven adept in particular at listening and counselling. I make a good sounding board for people who need that.

This makes me well-suited to something like social work, to be certain, but I can apply this skill in the business world as well, should I choose. Managers that are attuned to what their workers are feeling and to what their needs are end up being the most effective managers because they can help people to meet their needs to a degree that other managers cannot.