Dale Carnegie Training India has been training participants in communication skills, personal skills, curriculum-based leadership skills, employee engagement, presentation skills, customer service and selling skills for over 10 years now. With their focus being on imparting managerial skills, business skills and soft skills, Pallavi Jha, Chairperson and Managing Director, Dale Carnegie Training India, says there are about 150 business competencies that are sought after by corporates, the police force, politicians, the education fraternity and others.
Emerging needs of corporates for 2015
There are a lot of graduates out there, but very few are employable, and this is the biggest concern for employers, says Jha. “While students could be technically brilliant in whatever their craft is, one also needs to develop critical thinking, communication skills, flexibility, etc. These could be the differentiator in getting a job,” she adds. At the entry level, there are a lot of jobs and an equal amount of unskilled talent, observes Jha.
Another issue that plagues business concerns, according to Jha, is employee engagement. “Organisations have to look at the job satisfaction they are providing. Individual relationship with employees is of mammoth importance. Working for someone, you need to build trust in your senior management. On the employees’ part, you need to set your people in the right direction, make them understand their job, and keep an open communication gateway, while they should develop a sense of pride in the organisation and add to the credibility of the organisation.”
Jha on five must-have skills to succeed at the work place
Presentation and public speaking skills
Clarity of thought is the first step towards developing good public speaking skills. This allows you to be concise, deliver your message with high impact and gain credibility. A good speech or presentation can get others on board, while displaying to senior management that you are serious about growth forecasts.
Interpersonal skills
This is about communication skills and people engagement skills that can build productive working relationships with colleagues and form bonds useful at all stages of your career.
Negotiating skills
Whether it’s cutting a new deal for your company, getting a client contract or convincing a high-performer to join the team, negotiating skills do the job.
Managing conflict and problem solving
Middle Managers require proficiency in this skill as they deal with “egos” both above and below their management level. They have to ensure the goals set by their seniors are achieved while getting the most out of their teams.
Leadership skills
As per the Dale Carnegie India Employee Engagement Report 2014, companies in India are facing an impending senior leadership crisis with under third (31 per cent) of employees expressing satisfaction with their top management. Key traits of a good leader are being a role model, setting a vision, motivating others, being accountable and developing future leaders in the workplace.
shilpa.vasudevan@newindianexpress.com