Brimming with punchy, practical ideas to improve your day-to-day effectiveness, Chris Watson’s Upskill: 21 keys to professional growth is the definitive guide to developing the adaptive skills essential for success at work.

In Upskill, adaptive skills specialist Chris Watson delivers a dynamic snapshot of easy-to-access development possibilities – providing you with:

• 840 user-friendly tools and techniques reflecting the latest thinking on how to extend capability, boost professional growth and take charge of your career.
• A rich resource of reliable solutions, grouped around the twenty-one adaptive skills most valued by today’s employers – including creativity, collaboration and communication.
• An abundance of proven approaches, topical insights, time-saving apps and inspirational videos, as well as helpful signposts to relevant quotes, books and other resources.

Each chapter focuses on one of the twenty-one skills, and begins with examples of how the individual skills – which can be practised and refined throughout a career, and have all been shown to be associated with greater operational agility – may be observed in the work environment. This brief introduction is then followed by forty practical ideas to develop the performance of people. Although there is no formal hierarchy to the list of suggestions, all of the ideas have been categorised into three inter-related clusters for ease of use – encompassing ideas for personal development, for delivering results and for long-term gain.

Within each of the three clusters, all of the ideas for professional growth have been laid out in terms of how they can help you respond and adjust to the requirements of your role and the ever-changing world of work:

• Some of the suggestions are tools – apps, templates, downloads and inventories – which can be picked up and used/introduced straightaway.
• Some of the suggestions are techniques – methods, approaches and procedures – for you to try out, investigate and explore.
• The final set of suggestions indicate where to look for further inspiration – including films,podcasts, related research and a wide range of suggested reading materials.

The majority of the hints, tips and techniques can be actioned without having to access any external support or invest in any additional outlay, and are as useful for new starters in an organisation as they are for experienced managers.

Suitable for anyone who is committed to developing themselves and their colleagues, but may not have the time, the resources, the budget or the inspiration to know where to start.

Chapters include:

Key 1: Ability to Influence

Key 2: Commercial Thinking

Key 3: Commitment to Change and Adaptation

Key 4: Constructive Communication

Key 5: Creativity and Innovation

Key 6: Direction and Purpose

Key 7: Effective Planning and Organisation

Key 8: Enthusiasm for Customer Service

Key 9: Focus on Developing Others

Key 10: Interpersonal Awareness and Diplomacy

Key 11: Intuitive Thought

Key 12: Motivation to Succeed

Key 13: Ownership of Self-Development

Key 14: People Management and Leadership Potential

Key 15: Positive Decisions

Key 16: Professional Ethics and Social Responsibility

Key 17: Resilience and Emotional Control

Key 18: Results through Action

Key 19: Specialist Knowledge and Ability

Key 20: Teamwork and Collaboration

Key 21: Use of Information and Data

Click here to view the feature on The World of Learning’s blog.

Listen to Chris’ podcast with The Extraordinary Business Book Club here.