What Are Conceptual Skills And How To Develop Them At Work?
Every individual has certain, specific, abilities. Some of them are highly valued by companies when hiring, since people with these skills are capable of tackling challenging scenarios in a creative and innovative environment.
In this article we will explain what conceptual skills are and what types exist, so that you can identify if you have them or, if not, learn to develop them.
What Are Conceptual Skills
Conceptual skills can be defined as abstract skills, which are more difficult to quantify than other types of skills. They are related to creative and open thinking, and allow the subject who possesses them to solve complex problems effectively based on a complete analysis and understanding.
For this reason, it is a type of skill that is especially sought after in people with positions of responsibility within the company. These people often have a unique vision and are able to find opportunities that would otherwise go unnoticed. Thus, they become pieces of strategic importance, especially for companies seeking expansion or growth.
In addition to conceptual skills, a person may possess:
- Human skills. They are all those that are related to the ability to interact with other people.
- Technical skills. They are those that are based on knowledge of a work area.
What Types Of Conceptual Skills Exist?
Any skill that helps you think creatively and understand complex ideas could be considered conceptual. Here you can find some examples of abstract skills:
Ability To Analyze Situations
Whether it's problems or not. Analysis from a creative perspective is essential to understand the situation and propose improvements. Through this skill, the objectives of a company or a department are analyzed, and it is checked if they are being achieved and if the methods used lead to said results.
Ability To Express Oneself
It can also be defined as communication skill . Just as important as having ideas is knowing how to transmit them to the team in the appropriate way. Have sensitivity to say things and make yourself understood by others. Also to listen to what others have to tell you and offer good answers.
Ability To Think Differently
People who think differently are often considered creative. This creative thinking is essential to stand out in certain positions in a company, because only through a different approach is it possible to reach solutions that make a difference or new opportunities for the business.
Ability To Lead Teams
A person with conceptual skills usually makes a good leader . He has the ability to manage teams and motivate people. Furthermore, he is capable of internalizing the company's objectives as his own and transmitting them to the team so that everyone internalizes them in the same way.
Ability To Take Responsibility
There is no big or small challenge for people with conceptual skills. They are prepared to take on responsibilities within the company and are decisive when unexpected problems arise. They are capable of making decisions on their own, decisions that are almost always the right ones.
Ability To Take Risks
An interesting conceptual skill is the ability to take risks. Initially, it may involve too much uncertainty for the company, but in reality it implies the ability to innovate with new approaches. Find new paths to follow to meet your goals and even set new and more ambitious ones.
A risk taker is usually visionary and confident enough to know that their decisions will have good results. He is also a good leader and has the ability to motivate others to take risks together.
Tips To Develop Conceptual Skills
There are many people who have innate conceptual abilities. However, it is necessary to work on them and develop them so that they really make a difference. If you want to develop or improve your conceptual skills, don't miss out on the points below, and follow all these tips.
Pay Attention To The Environment
Observing the world around you will help you learn about it and how people behave in each situation. Experience is always useful, also when developing conceptual skills, so it is advisable that you base yourself on both your own experiences and those of the people around you. Try to mix with an environment in an active way, because everything you see, hear and feel influences in some way to have a more abstract thought.
Always Keep Learning
You never finish learning. You should keep an open mind to get more information whenever possible. Continue training in your field and in general things, because knowledge is one of the greatest qualities of people, and it will also help you think differently. Look for courses, read books and take advantage of the infinite access to information we have today. Generally, the most educated people are also the most open-minded.
Get Involved in The Processes
Getting involved means doing everything possible to understand how companies work, how they act when faced with problems or unforeseen events, and studying the solutions they apply. Even when it is not a problem related to you or your job, it is important that you get involved in the process and that you learn to identify these difficulties when they appear, that you take note of their development and resolution.
Connect With More People
You can also learn a lot from the people who are close to you and their points of view. Connect as much as you can with your colleagues, with those who are in very different positions from yours, with your superiors and with those who hold a lower rank.
All of them will give you their own vision of the company and how they approach the objectives to be met, which will help you achieve a more global vision of the company. In addition, this point can help you develop other types of human and communication skills.
Take Advantage Of Opportunities
Opportunities always appear around you that you can take advantage of, for example, training opportunities offered by the company, to volunteer in certain activities, to talk to people with more experience, etc. In short, situations that will enrich your mind and give you new perspectives on your work and your life in general. It's up to you to take advantage of them to develop your conceptual skills.
Simplify Problems
There will come a point when you are able to automatically think abstractly when faced with a problem. However, to get to that point you must train this type of thinking, for example, seeking the simplicity of the problems: to solve a big problem, you have to start by solving the smaller parts of which it is composed. It is something like climbing the steps of a ladder, from the lowest and simplest, to the highest and most complex.
Have A Proactive Attitude
Never wait for things to appear by themselves or for someone to offer you an opportunity, because that will make you stagnate. Your attitude will be your greatest ally when developing your conceptual skills. Stay in constant movement and desire to learn, show concern, be curious and look for a way to satisfy that curiosity. Being proactive is key to getting your mind to expand.
Never Stay With The First Idea
The development of a more creative type of thinking occurs when we never stop at the first idea that comes to mind. Even if it seems to you that that first idea offers the perfect solution to a problem, you must force your mind to look for other solutions to the situation from other angles.
Once you have several options to work on, you will be able to choose which idea best suits your needs, and in the process you will have achieved an important benefit for your abstract abilities.
You may have mastered several of these skills or have discovered that you need to develop them. Never be afraid to demonstrate them in the development of work, especially if you are in the job search process. These types of skills are in high demand by certain companies and for certain positions, so make an effort to make the selection technicians understand that you can bring an innovative vision to the company, and that you have the ability to think differently from others. .
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