Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Industry leaders are people the public look up to, and it’s not just because they are successful, but also of their ability to hold everything together when it is clear that their proverbial plates are always full.
Balance and a determination to succeed are just some of the traits embodied by these individuals. But keeping at the top of your game requires much more than that – it needs a specific set of skills to remain successful, and these skills are not only limited to them.
Be organized
Executives handle things and issues on a more intense level, and proper time management is key to keeping things running smoothly.
Myrza Sison, editorial director for Summit Media Philippines, said, “I always try to look for the most efficient way to do things and am constantly finding ways to save time.”
Compartmentalize
A lesson to learn from highly successful people is to know when not to take things personally. A disagreement in a meeting should not translate to how you treat each other outside of work.
Learning to get along – especially with people you do not always agree with – is important in keeping things running smoothly.
Learn to prioritize
It’s not enough to know what issues are important, it’s also critical to know what to handle first. Not everything can be red-flagged.
Sison said, “Break down the ‘elephant’ into bite-sized tasks, then find the most efficient and productive ways to get them done and on time.”
Take time off
Making time for yourself is crucial to success. Carving out time to take care of things that happen outside the boardroom ensures a greater perspective and balances personal and professional time.
Related: 5 ways you can deal with stress
Take on positive solutions
The art of negotiation is something executives are familiar with, and in a successful negotiation, you focus on the things you gain instead of the ones you have to let go of.
Being positive about the decisions you have to make — even the difficult ones — initiates a shift in thinking and allows you to move forward.
Emphatize
Great managers and executives know that an organization will not be productive unless its employees are valued.
Monetary compensation is just one way of showing this appreciation, but another — and sometimes more important — manifestation is understanding how people act and react to office stressors.
Applying necessary changes to diffuse tensions in the workplace is a skill executives hone over the years.
Build a strategy
Planning is crucial to an executive’s success.
In dealing with difficult employees, for example, Sison had this to say: “In the end managers need to have a bottom line, which is to choose to put your foot down when the liabilities (emotional and mental strain and drain) outweigh the benefits (great output but at what cost?) But in the meantime, some very objective and constant evaluation measures need to be in place so the difficult employee is given concrete feedback about how to improve.”
Listen
Listening does not only mean learning from people around you, but it also means being aware of what’s going on.
Attentively listening to employees and co-workers means knowing who is responsible for certain tasks, and understanding what resources have to be used to get the job done.
Make health a priority
Keeping healthy allows for the ability to take challenges head on and is also therapeutic.
According to Myrza Sison: “My regular (and compulsory) morning workouts are really therapeutic for any stress I need to work off during the week. I get very uneasy and frustrated when I am unable to work out. Having a loving and supportive partner to come home to at the end of every long and difficult day also truly takes my cares away. I do need to work on slowing down and avoiding being so high-strung and Type A and recognize the potential dangers this kind of stress can do to my health and well-being.”
Value creativity
Finding a way through a difficult situation means considering options that are not necessarily classic solutions. Successful executives are trailblazers and innovators, and they are able to recognize the same trait in the people they work with.
Recognizing, harnessing, and optimizing this skill means a shared responsibility and appreciation for the company they work for.
