Plan and organise
It’s important to know how to identify and complete the steps needed to carry out a task. You need the capacity to self-organise and implement tasks, and to plan and manage your workload. This often requires being able to map ahead and know and identify possible obstacles.
Your workload is the amount of work assigned to or expected from you in a specified time period. For instance, if you’re a postal worker you may be expected to deliver mail to a certain number of streets in a day.
Identify and solve problems
How you deal with problems is a big part of being successful at work. Problems can be simple or complex, sudden and surprising or ongoing. You should be able to:
- anticipate or identify problems
- take steps to solve problems
- reflect on the outcomes.
Problems may have more than one solution and it’s important to develop the skills to pick the most effective one.
You can do this through:
- problem-solving using the rules and processes of your workplace
- trial and error by experimenting until you find the solution that works best
- intuition by drawing from past experience
Create and innovate
Employers are looking for someone who can create and innovate. This means being able to challenge perceptions of how things are and how they might be, and to recognise potential opportunities. You develop skills to generate new ideas to solve new kinds of problems.
How to innovate
- Innovation involves developing and proposing a new idea to tackle a challenge at work. You should develop the skills to innovate to successfully contribute to your work.
- Use lateral thinking (“thinking outside the box”) to explore multiple possibilities and to challenge your initial thoughts and come up with innovative ideas.
- Use analytical techniques to develop practical solutions. These often involve detailed analysis and a logical process of prioritising different options against a set of criteria.
- Use your judgement to decide whether a new idea will work or not based on past experience.
Work in a digital world
To work in a digital world, you’ll have to connect with other people using digital systems and use digital technologies to help you do specific tasks. These technologies and systems are always changing so it’s important to be aware of the latest innovations.
