Narrelle Matthey Executive Assistant to the President & CEO GE Money Bridging The Gap Between Technical Business Knowledge & Soft Skills

Definition – Business Skills Business skills are “hard” skills, acquired through on- the-job training, university, or some other type of formalised program Examples: business process improvement, business relationship management, business intelligence, business analysis, business development, finance, project management, negotiation, contract management and risk assessment

Definition – Soft Skills Important, but much less definable Difficult to assess because they are subjective – who is to say whether someone is an effective communicator or leader? Examples: personal, social, communication, and self- management behaviours, being self-aware, trustworthy, conscientious, adaptable, empathetic, confident, integrity, organisation awareness, likeable, influential, risk-taker, problem solver, time management, leader, attitude, initiative

How do we get these skills

Agenda Never underestimating “the way things are done around here” Getting to grips with Culture, History and Tradition Keeping with the times, reading shifts in culture & preparing yourself for change

Operating rhythm Experienced Been doing this for years Know how it works Been there done that All companies are the same

Words of wisdom Do not trust in the gossips, they will seek you out Someone will want to be your new “best friend” Ultimately every boss and company are very different Never assume So where do you get the right information from?

Research Read the company’s annual report Internet Google search by company and names Ask questions and listen to the responses Tune in to your “6 th ” sense and intuition to know who to trust Speak to the Head of Human Resources Take your time

Agenda Never underestimating “the way things are done around here” Getting to grips with Culture, History and Tradition Keeping with the times, reading shifts in culture & preparing yourself for change

Definition - Culture People are determined as a “cultural fit” - they “feel” right Values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, attitudes, and behaviours shared by a group of people - it surrounds you at work all the time Behaviour that results when a group arrives at a set of rules, unspoken and unwritten for working together

Culture Examples of inflexible behaviour:

History Research the company’s “story” What principles do they have? What causes do they support? What is their value proposition? Be flexible and receptive to different ideas

However - don’t rely on history “There will never be a black President of the United States of America”

Tradition Gives purpose and ownership and shows how to behave Value proposition is the “bible” - it tells what a company stands for and wants to achieve Know what the company is known for and how you can align to that

6 th sense Note: There will always be power plays Intuition takes you behind the scenes Experience shelters you from getting caught up in it

Wisdom Once you understand how an operation / company works, then you become an invaluable employee and can see unfolding events before they occur – but this takes time and experience Today all the rules have changed, the laws of business are being re-written

Agenda Never underestimating “the way things are done around here” Getting to grips with Culture, History and Tradition Keeping with the times, reading shifts in culture & preparing yourself for change

SKILLS 1. Attention to detail 2. Communication skills 3. Anticipation 4. Good written & verbal communication 5. Sense of urgency 6. Time management 7. Organisation 8. Diary management 9. Prioritisation 10. Advanced technical skills ie. Outlook, PowerPoint ATTRIBUTES 1. Trustworthy 2. Positive “can do” attitude 3. Proactive 4. Professional 5. Approachability 6. Confident 7. Diplomacy 8. Discretion 9. Energetic 10. Willingness to learn What we can do - feel good about yourself

Have we got these skills

And finally…

We’ve come a long way and have places to go

Narrelle Matthey Executive Assistant to the President & CEO GE Money Bridging The Gap Between Technical Business Knowledge & Soft Skills