National Read a Book Day — How Reading Can Improve Your Power Skills
Reading is not only a fun and relaxing activity, but also a powerful way to develop your soft skills and grow professionally.
What are power skills and why are they important?
Power skills, also known as soft skills, are the interpersonal and behavioral abilities that enable you to work effectively with others, communicate clearly, solve problems, and adapt to changing situations.
Power skills are essential for any professional, regardless of the industry or role. They can help you stand out from the crowd, build trust and rapport with your colleagues and clients, and achieve your career goals. According to a recent Forbes article, possessing power skills empower you to make the best decisions for your organization and for your career, and also make you more in-demand for business and career opportunities.
So, what exactly are power skills, and how in-demand are they? Below are the top ten power skills, ranked from the most highly-sought after to those slightly less desirable.
- Strategic Thinking: The ability to think strategically is critical because it allows individuals to develop and implement long-term plans that are aligned with their goals and objectives. It enables them to anticipate potential challenges and opportunities and to make informed decisions.
- Negotiation: Negotiating effectively is important in both personal and professional contexts. It allows individuals to reach mutually beneficial agreements, resolve conflicts, and build stronger relationships with everyone they interact with.
- Persuasion is a powerful skill that can be used to influence and inspire others. It enables individuals to communicate their ideas and visions in a compelling way, gain support for their proposals, and enact positive change.
- Presentation Skills: Strong presentation skills are essential in today's world, where effective communication is key to success. The ability to deliver clear, concise, and engaging presentations can help individuals convey their message and achieve their objectives.
- Critical Thinking: Critical thinking enables individuals to analyze and evaluate information objectively, identify potential biases and assumptions, and make informed decisions based on evidence.
- Mentoring: Mentoring involves helping others to develop their skills and achieve their goals. It allows individuals to share their knowledge and experience, provide guidance and support, and build stronger relationships with their colleagues and peers.
- Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. It is an important skill that enables individuals to build stronger relationships, resolve conflicts, and lead effectively.
- Innovation: Innovation is a key driver of progress and growth in today's economy. The ability to generate new ideas, products, and services can help individuals and organizations to stay ahead of the competition and adapt to changing market conditions.
- Financial Management: Financial management skills are essential for individuals who want to make informed decisions about their finances. It involves understanding financial statements, budgeting, investing, and managing debt.
- Resilience: Resilience is the ability to adapt and recover from setbacks and challenges. It is a valuable skill that helps individuals to stay focused and motivated, even in difficult times, and to bounce back stronger than before.
How can reading help you improve your power skills?
Reading is one of the best ways to enhance your power skills by exposing you to different perspectives, ideas, and experiences. Did you know that reading can help you …
- Expand your vocabulary and improve your communication skills. Reading can introduce you to new words and expressions, as well as different styles and genres of writing. This can help you communicate more effectively and persuasively, both verbally and in writing.
- Boost your creativity and imagination. Reading can stimulate your brain and spark your curiosity, as you immerse yourself in fictional worlds or learn about new topics. This can help you generate new ideas, find innovative solutions, and think outside the box.
- Develop your emotional intelligence and empathy. Reading can help you understand and relate to different emotions, motivations, and perspectives, especially when you read fiction or memoirs. This can help you empathize with others, manage your own emotions, and handle conflicts and feedback better.
- Enhance your critical thinking and analytical skills. When reading, you may encounter situations where you need to evaluate and analyze arguments, evidence, and assumptions, as well as identify any errors in reasoning or flawed logic. This can help you think more clearly and objectively, make better decisions, and avoid errors and mistakes.
- Strengthen your leadership and collaboration skills. Reading can inspire you to learn from the examples and stories of successful leaders, as well as to adopt best practices and strategies for working with others. This can help you motivate and influence others, delegate and prioritize tasks, and foster a positive and productive team culture.
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How can you celebrate National Read a Book Day and make reading a habit?
Celebrated on Sept. 6 every year, National Read a Book Day is a great opportunity to pick up a book and enjoy the benefits of reading. Here are some book recommendations to help boost your power skills!
Access any of these Power Skill Promoters on Percipio!
How to Think Strategically: Upskilling for Impact and Practical Strategy
by Greg Githens
Negotiation Essentials: The Tools You Need to Find Common Ground and Walk Away a Winner
by Keld Jensen
The Rules of Persuasion: How the World’s Greatest Communicators Convince, Inspire, Lead—and Sometimes Deceive
by Carlos A. Alvarenga
Presentation Essentials
by Sardek Love and Anne Bruce
HBR Guide to Critical Thinking
by Harvard Business Review
Coaching & Mentoring for Dummies
by Marty Brounstein and Leo MacLeod
Emotional Intelligence at Work: A Personal Operating System for Career Success
by Penelope J. Holt and Richard M. Contino
The Creative Mindset: Mastering the Six Skills That Empower Innovation
by Jeff DeGraff and Staney DeGraff
Finance for Non-Finance Executives
by Anural Singal
Resilience: How to Cope When Everything Around You Keeps Changing
by Liggy Webb
Join the OFF THE SHELF Book Club
National Read a Book Day is a perfect occasion to celebrate the joy and power of reading. Reading is an incredibly exciting way to enrich and amplify your power skills, ultimately turbocharging your personal and professional growth! By immersing yourself in a wide range of books, you can unlock new perspectives, sharpen your critical thinking abilities, and strengthen your strategic, persuasion, and negotiation skills. With each page turn, you're opening yourself up to a world of endless possibilities. So, grab a book and start reading today!
Don’t forget to check out the power skills development readable solutions in this month’s National Read a Book Day bookshelf in OFF THE SHELF book club!