CORE COMPETENCIES

Introduction and Definition

A core competence is a bundle of skills and technologies that enable a company to provide
superior value to customers. A core competence is effectively a company’s specialized capability
to create unique customer value. This capability is largely embodied in the collective knowledge
of its people and the organizational procedures that shape the way employees interact. Over time,
investments made in facilities, people and knowledge that strengthen core competencies, create
sustainable sources of competitive advantage.
The ability to manage these assets may, however, be a core competence.
A core competence should:
 Provide significant and appreciable value to customers, relative to competitor offerings;
 Be difficult for competitors to imitate or procure in the market;
 Enable a company to move into new markets or to develop new technologies.
Core competencies are not product specific. They can and should be leveragable to create new
products/ services. Indeed, a core competence is truly core when it forms the basis for entry into
new product lines/ businesses. Sony’s core competence in miniaturization has enabled it to
develop a range of popular consumer products. Reliance Industries’ core competence in project
management has enabled it to complete many complicated projects that span across industries
ahead of schedule.
By understanding core competencies, a firm can identify which businesses to strengthen and
which to divest. Identification of core competencies can also lead to greater clarity on potential
entrants into the industry who may be using similar core competencies to make other products

Dimensions of Core Competencies

To sustain competitive advantage, competencies need to score well on four dimensions:
 Appropriability: The degree to which the profits earned by a competence can be
appropriated by someone other than the firm in which the profits were earned. The lower
the appropriability of the asset, the more sustainable the profits.
 Durability: How durable is the competence as a source of profit? Shortening product and
technology life cycles make most competencies less durable than they were, a decade
earlier.
  Transferability: The easier it is to transfer the core competencies and resources, the
lower the sustainability of its competitive advantage.
 Replicability: If it is possible, by appropriate investment or by purchasing a similar asset
for a competitor, to construct a nearly identical set of capabilities, the competitive
advantage is not sustainable.
 For sustainable competitive advantage, managers should invest time, effort, and
resources in developing their critical competence. The first step towards developing
critical competence is to understand that such a competence exists and realize that it
makes a difference to the competitive advantage of the firm.

Importance of Core Competencies For Business

Helps to capture the market: In their highly analytical, but also eminently readable, article,
Prahalad and Hamel compared a few well-known corporations to show how some of them were
able to build new fortunes while some others lost their markets, because of their ability or
inability to “identify, cultivate, and exploit” their core competencies.
Creating better products: They predicted that managers in the coming decades would succeed
or fail depending on their ability to leverage the core competencies of their corporations. The
critical task of managers was to develop organisations capable of infusing products with
“irresistible functionality,” or, even better, create “products that customers need but have not yet
even imagined.”
‘It’s about people’
Create more efficient workforce: Core competence is about dovetailing technology streams but
also about the organisation of work and workforce and the delivery of value. Prahalad and Hamel
pointed out that core competencies were about people:
Core competence is communication, involvement, and a deep commitment to working across
organizational boundaries.
For example, world-class research in lasers or ceramics can take place in a corporate laboratory
without, unfortunately, having an impact on any of the businesses of the company.

Create talent in the organization:The skills that make up core competence must “coalesce
around individuals whose efforts are not so narrowly focused that they cannot recognize the
opportunities for blending their functional expertise with those of others in new and interesting
ways.”
In other words, the scientist in the ceramic lab should be able to team up with talented people
across departments and units if the company is to develop a core competence.

Core products, end products

Core competencies lead to the development of what Prahalad and Hamel called “core products,”
which are not directly sold to consumers but are used to make end-user products.

Prahalad and Hamel thought of the diversified corporation (say, Honda) as a tree, with its roots
as its core competencies (know-how and ability to produce lightweight engines, in Honda’s
case).
 The trunk and major branches represent the core products (Honda’s lightweight engines).
 The smaller branches are the business units (units that manage Honda’s portable-generator
business).
 The fruits and flowers (generators) are the end products sold to customers.
Identifying and Building Core Competencies for Business

Prahalad and Hamel mentioned three tests to identify core competencies in a company:
(1) Core competencies gives potential access to a wide variety of markets—for example,
competence in optics made Canon a market leader in not only cameras but also laser printers.
(2) They contribute significantly to end-product benefits—for example, Honda’s engines initially
powered portable generators and later motorcycles and cars.
(3) They are difficult to imitate—for example, Sony’s ability to miniaturise electronics.
In order to build core competencies, a corporation should
 understand which of its abilities customers value the most
 develop an intra-organisational think tank to isolate key abilities and make a plan to
transform them into strengths across various departments
 depute key personnel (“competence carriers”) and allocate funds to building core
competencies for the organisation as a whole
 integrate technologies and coordinate diverse production skills
 opt for strategic alliances, acquisition, or licensing arrangements to strengthen core
competencies
 observe competitors active in the same market to ensure that the core competencies being
built are unique
 preserve the pursuit of developing core competencies even in the wake of organisational
changes
In order to identify core competencies and build them, it is also necessary to understand what
they are not. Core competencies are not necessarily about outspending competitors in research
spending, opting for vertical integration, cutting costs by sharing resources among a
corporation’s business units, or outsourcing non-core processes to focus on core functions.
These may help, but by themselves they are not adequate to build core competencies.
Why build core competencies?

Core competencies go into the making of corporate strategies. They are also used to
 improve a corporation’s position in its own market and also develop new markets
 integrate strategic thinking across all wings
 decide allocation of resources
 refine decisions on outsourcing, sale or disinvestment of divisions
Corporations that fail to exploit their core competencies are condemned to compete with their
rivals on the basis of their product price.
When this strategy fails, they find themselves ousted from the market. They may then start
thinking of core competencies, but that may be too late.
 UNDERSTANDING SELF
Definition - Self Awareness

One of the most important factors in building your self esteem and confidence is your self
awareness. But what exactly is it, why is it important and how can you become more self aware?
Being self aware knows: what you want in your life
 your strengths and weaknesses
 what motivates you and makes you happy
 what you want to change about yourself or about your life
 your goal how far
 how you relate to others
 you need to improve as a person
 your most important beliefs and values
 how you see yourself as a person
There are other factors that could be added. The last one above has a direct relation to your sense
of self value and self esteem.Why is self awareness important?If you want to change your life in
any way you need to know yourself before you can act. You need to know what you need to do
to head in the right direction and you can't do that until you know yourself. In addition, being
self aware will mean that you will be better able to choose a suitable career which will satisfy
you. Self awareness can enrich your life because you can then move closer to living your values
and realizing your dreams. Becoming self aware does not mean being selfish though.
Discovering the inner you will enable you to give more of yourself to others and this will benefit
your relationships as well as helping to build your self esteemand confidence as you become
truer to yourself.

How can self-awareness be important in different fields?

It provides the necessary base for having strong character, creating the ability to lead with
purpose, trust, authenticity, and openness. Self-awareness explains our successes and our failures
while giving us a clear understanding of who we are and what we need most from other people to
have a successful team.
It also gives leaders the opportunity to identify any gaps that they might have in their
management skills, and reveals the areas in which they are effective and where they might need
additional work.
Knowing these things can help leaders make discerning decisions and increase their effectiveness
in positively motivating their employees. Learning to be self-aware is not a simple process, but
doing so can improve one's leadership skills and lead to a more supportive business culture.

 Social Work
As a social worker, having self-awareness is an important part of preparing to encounter clients
in their specific situations. Much of the process of becoming an effective social worker is made
up of becoming self-aware. This can happen with encounters with professors, classmates, and
clients that work to continuously challenge us to be aware of our feelings. While this is not an
easy thing to do, it is a worthwhile achievement.
Social workers have to be aware of their own biases when they are dealing with clients so they
can make sure they are treating every client equally.

 Counseling
Self-awareness interplays with the therapeutic process of counseling. When one is able to gain a
greater understanding of themselves through the input of a therapist, it leads to self-discovery.
Counseling is a journey of self-discovery, as one observes their own thought patterns and how
they affect their mood and behavior. Observing one’s own thoughts and feelings builds self-
knowledge, and doing this with a counselor provides an objective opinion during the
observation.

 Education
Self-awareness plays a large role in education because it helps students become focused on what
they need to learn. The ability of students to think about their thinking increases with age. When
teachers work with students to teach them to reflect, monitor, and evaluate themselves, students
are able to become more self-reliant, productive, and flexible.
Students improve their ability to weigh their choices and think about their options, especially
when the correct answer is not obvious. When students have a hard time understanding a concept
or idea, they use reflective strategies to acknowledge their difficulties and try to fix them. This
also gives students tools to self-reflect and grow in their emotional and social lives.

 Nursing
Self-awareness is used as a therapeutic tool for nurse-client relationships. A nurse who is self-
aware can provide a therapeutic environment to care for their patient. Because of this, it is
recommended that nursing schools should teach students about development and self-
understanding.
It would also be beneficial for professional nurses to be able to get help and guidance to continue
the growth process throughout their careers.
Techniques of Self Awareness through Johari Window

The process of giving and receiving feedback is one of the most important concepts in training.
Through the feedback process, we see ourselves as others see us. Through feedback, other people
also learn how we see them. Feedback gives information to a person or group either by verbal or
nonverbal communication. The information you give tells others how their behavior affects you,
how you feel, and what you perceive (feedback and self-disclosure). Feedback is also a reaction
by others, usually in terms of their feelings and perceptions, telling you how your behavior
affects them (receiving feedback).

A model known as the Johari Window illustrates the process of giving and receiving feedback.
Psychologists Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham developed the window for their group process
program. Look at the model above as a communication window through which you give and
receive information about yourself and others. Look at the four panes in terms of columns and
rows. The two columns represent the self; the two rows represent the group. Column one
contains "things that I know about myself;" column two contains "things that I do not know
about myself." The information in these rows and columns moves from one pane to another as
the level of mutual trust and the exchange of feedback varies in the group. As a consequence of
this movement, the size and shape of the panes within the window will vary.

The first pane, the "Arena," contains things that I know about myself and about which the
group knows. Characterized by free and open exchanges of information between myself and
others, this behavior is public and available to everyone. The Arena increases in size as the level
of trust increases between individuals or between an individual and the group. Individuals share
more information, particularly personally relevant information.

The second pane, the "Blind Spot," contains information that I do not know about myself but
of which the group may know. As I begin to participate in the group, I am not aware of the
information I communicate to the group. The people in the group learn this information from my
verbal cues, mannerisms, the way I say things, or the style in which I relate to others. For
instance, I may not know that I always look away from a person when I talk... or that I always
clear my throat just before I say something. The group learns this from me.

Pane three, the "Facade" or "Hidden Area," contains information that I know about myself
but the group does not know. I keep these things hidden from them. I may fear that if the group
knew my feelings, perceptions, and opinions about the group or the individuals in the group, they
might reject, attack, or hurt me. As a consequence, I withhold this information. Before taking the
risk of telling the group something, I must know there are supportive elements in our group. I
want group members to judge me positively when I reveal my feelings, thoughts, and reactions. I
must reveal something of myself to find out how members will react. On the other hand, I may
keep certain information to myself so that I can manipulate or control others.

The fourth and last pane, the "Unknown," contains things that neither I nor the group knows
about me. I may never become aware of material buried far below the surface in my unconscious
area. The group and I may learn other material, though, through a feedback exchange among us.
This unknown area represents intrapersonal dynamics, early childhood memories, latent
potentialities, and unrecognized resources. The internal boundaries of this pane change
depending on the amount of feedback sought and received. Knowing all about myself is
extremely unlikely, and the unknown extension in the model represents the part of me that will
always remain unknown (the unconscious in Freudian terms).
 WHAT IS SELF IDENTITY AND HOW CAN YOU CREATE A BETTER
PERSONALITY
Who I am? A question everyone at some point will ask themselves, certainly a question many
organizations, religions and self help Guru’s have attempted to provide an answer to on your
behalf. It is an opinion that our understanding of our roles in the world and the universe, and
how to influence it has come a long way in the last decades of humanity.
It is personally choose to believe, that answers to the question “Who am I”? that come from
religious or philosophies developed in the bronze age – are not going to be that practical to
assisting you to understand and more importantly change who you are. Sure it is nice to think
that everything in the Universe was created just for you because you are special – but most of us
(if we have the ability to truthfully self reflect) know this is just not the case.
Life, People, Events and Circumstances are consistently random and unpredictable – and
certainly not designed for your best interests all the time.
In a nutshell – Who Are You?
Who you are is your Self Identity, the way you look at yourself and your relationship to the
world. Understanding this, allows you to examine who you are and more importantly create who
you want to be

Definition Self Identity

Self Identity is composed of relatively permanent self-assessments, such as personality attributes,
knowledge of one’s skills and abilities, one’s occupation and hobbies, and awareness of one’s
physical attributes.
The Self Identity is not restricted to the present. It includes past selves and future selves. Future
selves or “possible selves” represent individuals’ ideas of what they might become, what they
would like to become, and what they are afraid of becoming. They correspond to hopes, fears,
standards, goals, and threats. Possible selves may function as incentives for future behavior and
they also provide an evaluative and interpretive context for the current view of self.
 Boundary
Your boundary is a much the same as the boundary lines of a property. It is the clear and defined
border that surrounds the house with all its treasures (your Self Identity can be thought of as your
house or property). The boundary lines let others know how far the ownership of the property
goes. In a personal development sense the boundaries are more difficult to see and be aware of.
But in a nutshell your boundary is your preferences or rules you have about things like

1) What you will accept in behavior from and towards yourself

2) Your ability to say either YES and NO to events or statements.
For example.
You know someone who you enjoy being around socially but they occasionally do things that are
a matter of a small illegal crime – a result others are hurt in a small financial or emotional way.
While your together they want you to help them out with something that you know is illegal. Do
you help them because you like them even if you would not do this yourself? Are you able to be
comfortable saying No to the request

 World View
Refers to the structure or framework that a person uses to organize and define what the world is
to them. The World View should allow us to understand how the world functions and how it is
structured. The totality, everything that exists around us, including the physical universe, the
Earth, life, mind, society and culture. We ourselves are an important part of that world.
Therefore, a world view should also answer the basic question: “Who are we?
The World View is our standard of how things are or should be in the world we live in. It is a
global concept that makes up our values and morals, our rules of how we and others should act,
relate and operate within the world. To most people the world view is largely a vague set of
rules and guidelines that we have unconsciously adopted from the life experiences and influences
we have. We adopted from our friends, family religious groups, and society, seldom making an
active process of creating our own. We can create aspects of our world view though our
intellect, using either rational and conscious decisions or emotional charged ideas and concepts.
The World View is a filter which we make judgments of others and ourselves.
  Self Esteem
Refers to a person’s overall evaluation or appraisal of her or his own worth at any one point in
time. Generally speaking it is an emotional measure of how well we are living up to our world
view. Self Esteem is perhaps the single most important emotional gauge of our ability to feel
almost all other positive emotions and beliefs about ourselves. For example it affects our
measure of happiness, success, well being, confidence, assurances etc, and is made up of all of
these feelings in a combined sensation called Self Esteem.
While Self Esteem is a general state of mind, it is affected by changes in any one of the various
feelings that make it up. For example a drop in confidence will lower Self Esteem in the short
term. Prolonged Negative experience will produce a longer term reduction of Self Esteem, yet at
the same time a positive emotional experience will increase the sensation. In simple terms, when
you experience an event or situation that supports your world view your Esteem increases and
vice versa.

How Self Identity fit’s into the Character Building Model

Now, that we have a basic definition of the various components of your Character (Self Identity,
Boundaries/World View & Self Esteem); let’s see how our model fits together.
 Your Self Identity, (the core of who you are) is surrounded by your Boundary which
filters both outward and inward experience you have to the world.

 The resulting emotional experience you have from a situation, person or event is then
determined by how well you managed the experience in relation to your world view.
For Example. You have a firm rule in your world view that “If someone respects me they will
not yell at me”. In an event where someone starts to yell at you, if you have a boundary present
(a firm preference to what you say yes or no too) you will say “Please do not yell, it shows me
you have no respect for me” and the person will know what is acceptable to you, and you will
increase your self esteem because you had integrity
 If you do not have a boundary about yelling, the person will yell at you … and you will
feel according to your world view that they do not respect you and will lose Self Esteem.
In addition because you are not living up to your own standards, you feel bad and lose
more self esteem.
You might like to think of the boundary as being a container that surrounds you, It not only
protects your Self Identity, but also acts much like a gas tank to hold your Self Esteem.
Within the boundary is your measure of Self Esteem. And as we know the sense of self
esteem is a measure of how well you measure up to your world view. It is determined by
your actions and reactions to the world around you as determined by the rules that you have,
of how the world should be.
Your Self Identity constructs and is made up from your experience through the boundaries of
how well you measure up to your world view. Self Identity becomes a long lasting definition
of your character.

Where problems arise in Self Identity

Each person view of the world is unique to them, and no one has a perfect world view. In fact
most people do not have a clear or conscious understanding of what their world view is, they are
vague on their rules to live a good and productive life. This vagueness about their rules of how
to live a good and productive life is reflected in broken boundaries or a lack of preference for
who they are, what they like and what is appropriate behavior. Sometimes there is no preference
at all which creates gaps in the boundary.
  If you have Clear Boundaries
If you have a clear preference for yourself, a clear and well defined rule of your world view, that
you (and others) should live within their means and new shoes are a luxury not a necessity.
About this world view rule you have a define boundary preference, you are able to say “No” to
this request. The person may attempt to manipulate you or push your buttons by saying
something like “You know last weekend I brought you drinks, and you can’t do me this little
favor”, and you will not be effected.
You have a solid rule about this, when they push you, they feel the resistance, your firmness and
your resolve (your boundary) and while they may not like your decision, they will ‘respect’ you
for it, and know they can not get this favor out of you. You will because you have encountered a
situation that you remained true to who you are, will feel good about yourself. You will because
you followed your world view rules, fill your tank of self esteem a little more which strengthens
your Self Identity.
 If you have Vague Boundaries
If you only have a vague rule in your world view about this, you might need to think about it for
a moment. You may have the world view rule that it is OK to lend money to friends and family
to help them out because they are your friend or family and it is only right to help out people you
love. It might depend on the situation and the person asking, and perhaps if they just promise to
be more careful next time you will give them the money.
In this situation, you have doubts about yourself and who you are and what you believe, and
while you may make someone else happy by doing them a favor, you are unsure it was the right
decision to make. You may feel a little confused afterwards as to why you gave money away
you needed, or you may be happy to help a friend. Because your boundary here is vague you
have no measure to affect your self esteem and you are subject to seeking external confirmation
you did the right thing.
 If you have gaps in your Boundaries
Now let’s assume you have a gap in boundary about your world view rule, a hole when it comes
to people asking for money. The person asking is telling you they are in need, they would not
ask otherwise, and you want them to like you so you give them the money they ask for. Come
payday, they are out with their friends having a great time and they don’t even offer to pay you
back. You ask them about it and they make an excuse and promise next week. This person
knows you are weak, there is no respect for you or your needs, they can get what they want and
you offer no level of value to them because you’re so easy to manipulate.
You on the other hand feel betrayed and left out, your control of your sense of who you are and
your place in the world is conditional on someone else and what they do. You begin to suffer
because you think they ‘should’ behave a certain way and they are not. You are in a situation
where according to your world view, according to your rules about life, people should not spend
money on things they don’t need and can’t afford, but because of the gap in your boundary you
did not live up to your expectations of how you should live your life. Your sense of self esteem
drains as you spend your time and energy worrying about something that is now outside of your
control.

Controlling the Controllable Situations and Events in your Life

When you have a clearly define world view, one where your rules are known to you (and
remember not very many people have any idea of what their world view is) you can create
preferences or boundaries around yourself. Then as life experiences come around you make
decisions based on your boundaries, it increases your sense of self esteem and makes a stronger
character of who you are in your self identity. You are able to clearly define the limits of the
extent of your control.
In the case of psychological feelings, you understand that you are the only one who can make
you feel a certain way. You understand that things outside of your Self Identity, can only affect
you with there is a gap in your boundary about a world view rule.
Others may attempt to control the outcome of a situation or your feelings, but your boundary will
bounce off and protect you from any attempts to manipulate or control you. You will know how
to act to have integrity with your self identity and character. You will know what requests,
events and situations you say No or Yes too. They are unable to push your buttons and make
you respond in a way that gets them a result.
You also understand that you are only able to control who you are, and that while you can make
a good judgment on how others might behave, you are unable to determine their world view or
what boundaries they might or might not have and how they may act. You do not make the
mistake of attempting to get results by controlling another person’s World View and Self
Identity.

What is healthy self-confidence?

Self-confidence is the belief in oneself and abilities, it describes an internal state made up of
what we think and feel about ourselves. This state is changeable according to the situation we are
currently in and our responses to events going on around us. It is not unusual to feel quite
confident in some circumstances and less confident in others. It is also influenced by past events
and how we remember them; recalling a former success has a very different outcome in terms of
our confidence levels than thinking about an occasion when we failed.
Confidence and self-esteem are terms which are often used interchangeably, but although there is
over-lap perhaps there are also subtle differences. Self-confidence can refer to how we feel about
ourselves and our abilities whereas self-esteem refers directly to whether or not we appreciate
and value ourselves. We may have been discouraged from being boastful but a healthy amount of
 self-liking and self-approval is necessary if we are to have the confidence to meet life's
challenges and participate as fully as we wish to in whatever makes life enjoyable and rewarding
for us. In a sense, we could say that having healthy self-esteem leads to being self-confident.

Where does self-confidence come from?

Early experiences are influential in achieving a healthy level of self-esteem.

If we are fortunate and had relatively favourable conditions and experiences whilst we are
growing up, we are likely to develop a healthy self-esteem and become confident people.
However, if conditions and experiences are mainly negative we are more likely to experience
difficulties developing our confidence. Some of the negative messages we have received will
have been internalized and become part of what we think and feel about ourselves.
Here and now
A person lacking in self-confidence who receives a low mark for an assignment may think,
"What else could I expect? I'm stupid, this proves it, and I might as well leave." A person with
healthy self-esteem who receives a low mark may think, "I wonder where I went wrong? I'll find
out so that I can do better next time." Although this person may feel disappointed, s/he does not
feel diminished as a person, by the low mark.
If we have little self-confidence then the ‘low mark' scenario may trigger memories of similar
events in the past and then lead to a cycle of negative thinking in the form of self-critical put-
downs. This is how we intensify and perpetuate a lack confidence. When we feel low like this
our expectations about the future tend to be negative and this discourages us from really trying.
Then we experience another disappointing result and feel negative about ourselves again.
Why are confidence and self-esteem important?

Impact of low self confidence

The impact of having low confidence and self-esteem varies greatly and can range from only
impacting in one specific setting to being very restricting and debilitating. Low self-confidence
can result in:
 shyness
 communication difficulties
 social anxiety
 lack of assertiveness

What strategies could be used to improve self-confidence?

 Practicing self-acceptance
We can improve our self-confidence in a number of ways. One of the most important ways is to
become more accepting of ourselves. Look at your strengths and achievements and put a plan in
place to address areas of weakness.
We can start by noticing situations which increase our self-confidence, and those which diminish
it. By consistently taking notice of our fluctuating levels of self-confidence we may discover
important information about ourselves.
We need to practice self-acceptance, feeling OK about ourselves and others regardless of the
existing conditions. If we make mistakes, hurt or offend other people, it may be appropriate to
make amends but it need not lead to low self-confidence. In this way, we may sometimes think it
is reasonable to be critical of our behaviour and try to change it but without being critical of
ourselves. This attitude helps maintain a healthy level of self-confidence.
 Focus on your achievements
If you take time to think you will realise that you have achieved so many things in your life. It
doesn't matter what these achievements are only that they are important to you. List them and
remember what they meant to you. It doesn't matter what you think about your life at present if
you are honest with yourself you will make a long list and that will make you feel good. Every
small thing you are proud of should be added to your list. The fact that you are focusing on
positives will also help you to increase your level of self esteem.
 Making personal changes
If, as a result of monitoring your self-esteem and confidence, you decide that you want to
change, it is best to identify some specific goals. What can you change that will make you feel
better about yourself? There are two kinds of changes you may wish to focus on. The first are
changes in your life and how you live it. Ask yourself are you happy in your job? Is it satisfying?
Is there something else you'd rather do? What about your relationships or your social life? If you
would like to be more assertive for example then start working on that immediately.
Having done that, it is necessary to make sure that they are manageable; break it down into
smaller steps or identify a less ambitious change to attempt first. For example, in order to be able
to speak up in seminars, it may be easier to begin by expressing opinions more often with
friends. Becoming comfortable with this can make the next step, contributing in a seminar,
easier.
 Seeking out positive experiences and people
We can give ourselves positive experiences as a way of increasing our self-confidence. Also,
spending time with people who like us for who we are is helpful. Surround yourself with positive
influences and avoid those who are constantly being negative. Being around critical people most
of the time or withdrawing from genuine social contact can have a detrimental effect on how we
feel about ourselves and our self-confidence.
 Positive affirmations
Use positive self-talk and affirmations to reprogram your thinking. "I am a good and worthwhile
person". Way too often we are uncaring and unsupportive of ourselves. We can be very generous
and loving towards others, but sometimes we forget to be loving and kind to ourselves. Monitor
your self-talk and eliminate negative
 Rewards and support
Give yourself rewards as you practice building your self-esteem. It doesn't really matter what the
reward is as long as it is something you value. It may be a night out, a bar of chocolate, or
watching your favourite TV programme.
If you can, tell a good friend what you are doing; their encouragement and feedback on the
changes you are making could be invaluable support.
 WHAT IS SELF-IMAGE?

Self-image is how you perceive yourself. It is a number of self-impressions that have built up

over time: What are your hopes and dreams? What do you think and feel? What have you done
throughout your life and what did you want to do? These self-images can be very positive, giving
a person confidence in their thoughts and actions, or negative, making a person doubtful of their
capabilities and ideas.

Surprisingly, your self-image can be very different from how the world sees you. Some people
who outwardly seem to have it all (intelligence, looks, personal and financial success) may have
a bad self-image. Conversely, others who have had a very difficult life and multiple hardships
may also have a very positive self-image.

Some believe that a person's self-image is defined by events that affect him or her (doing well or
not in school, work, or relationships.) Others believe that a person's self-image can help shape
those events. There is probably some truth to both schools of thought: failing at something can
certainly cause one to feel bad about oneself, just as feeling good about oneself can lead to better
performance on a project. But it cannot be denied that your self-image has a very strong impact
on your happiness, and your outlook on life can affect those around you. If you project a
positive self-image, people will be more likely to see you as a positive, capable person.

However, it's important that your self-image be both positive and realistic. Having a self-image
that is unrealistic can be a drawback, whether that self-image is negative OR positive. Sometimes
having an occasional negative thought or criticism about oneself can encourage change, hard
work, growth and success. Sometimes having too positive an image of oneself can encourage
complacency, underachievement, and arrogance. Finding the balance between feeling positive
about oneself but having realistic goals is important.
 SKILL ANALYSIS

Skills are a form of currency in the working world: The more skills you have, the more valuable
you are as an employee. You'll be more attractive to more potential employers, you'll be able to
make more money, and you'll be able to do more once you land your ideal position.
Unfortunately, many workers immediately zero in on niche skill sets that are only useful for their
specific area of expertise--for example, a coder might learn techniques for dozens of
programming languages. This is good, as it makes you a better fit for those specific positions, but
there are some general skills that are far more important.

Important Skills

1. Effective Communication. No matter who you are, where you work, or what line of work
you're in, communication will be a critical factor in your ultimate success. It might involve
giving information to a client, telling your needs to a supervisor, or collaborating with your
peers. It might be mostly phone-based, mostly written, or mostly face-to-face. In today's world,
the forms of communication are practically limitless, but the baseline skills responsible for
ensuring that communication's success are fundamental. Say what you want to say concisely,
accurately, and appropriately, and try to maximize the effectiveness of your messages by
choosing the proper mediums for them.

2. Organization and Management. Organizational skills help you better handle the

responsibilities before you and ensure they are executed properly. Being organized means you'll
be more likely to get to work on time, prioritize your tasks effectively, and seek solutions to
problems before they even become problems. Management skills are also useful in any
position; for example, you'll be able to better manage your resources, time, and workload.
Without organization and management skills, even the most capable workers often fall behind or
make critical mistakes.

3. Negotiation. Negotiation, as a skill, comes from equal parts persuasion and confidence (which
I'll touch on later). It's a useful tool to have in almost any position, and having it during the job
interview process can guarantee you get the best position possible--for example, if you negotiate
strongly, you could receive a higher salary or more competitive benefits. In the context of a job,
you can use negotiation skills for obvious purposes like securing new clients or striking deals
with potential partners, but it's also useful in getting last-minute help, decreasing possible points
of resistance, and lowering total costs of operation.

4. Critical Thinking. Critical thinking is a process of problem solving that allows you to find
and address potential weaknesses or fault points in a given environment. It allows for more
creative solutions to problems, faster assessment of bad situations, and greater pattern
recognition in large systems, and its applications are practically infinite. Critical thinkers are
capable of acknowledging, analyzing, and solving problems without much--if any--outside
influence, and they're always looking for improvements to add to the system.

5. Teamwork and Delegation. While some positions rely on it more than others, you'll always
have some level of teamwork to manage in the workplace. When you first start off, that might
mean collaborating with your supervisors and a few of your peers, but in your future, it could
mean delegating work to your subordinates. Knowing how to work with others effectively and
how to play to individuals' strengths is a key skill for success in this area. The better you know
how to work in groups, the better you'll be able to collectively perform. Without teamwork skills,
you'll end up slowing the operation down.

6. Research and Analysis. Research and analysis skills come into play for nearly every
conceivable position. Marketers need to research and analyze their campaigns for possible
effectiveness. Salespeople need to research and analyze leads. Engineers need to research and
analyze potential technologies. Even personal assistants need to research and analyze various
travel plans. Being able to quickly find information, review it, and recognize key patterns is
essential for practically any job function.

7. Confidence. Confidence might seem like a trait, but it can be gained, honed, and developed
just like a skill. You can increase your confidence in some areas through sheer practice; the more
often you do something, the more confident you'll be in doing it. In other areas, confidence can
be a product of your practiced habits. For example, if you work on improving your body
language and elocution and thinking positive thoughts, you'll naturally come across as a more
confident person, and you'll feel more confident in your regular actions. Confidence leads to
greater respect, greater precision, and greater efficiency all around.
Some of these skills develop naturally over time as you gain experience in the professional
world, but for the most part, you'll need to seek them, acquire them, and hone them like you
would other skill. Dedicate yourself to improving each of these individual areas, and maximize
your chances of getting hired and succeeding in your position.