Tennessee Career Guide | 2026 21 Feature Articles allow plenty of time to arrive. Utilize the calendar feature for future deadlines. Lastly, resist the urge to waste time throughout the day. Checking social media every five minutes will eat your productiv- ity alive. If social media, and checking emails/texts are important to you, set a time during your day for that purpose. But until that time, and afterwards, resist the temptation to scour your newsfeed, wasting time that was earmarked for other tasks. Learning the skill of time management will be one the greatest keys to your personal and professional success. EBe Willing to Lead Some people say true leaders are born. While that might be true, there is equal ev- idence that leaders can be developed from even the most timid of persons. Leadership has less to do with a domineering person- ality and more to do with how we influence each other. Many of our nation’s greatest leaders were quiet by nature, but very in- fluential with their life. Begin with some- thing you are comfortable with, leading a school club or organization and grow from there. Never assume someone else is bet- ter qualified than you. Companies are not looking for bosses, they are looking for peo- ple who can achieve a goal by influenc- ing the ener- gies and efforts of others. Author John Maxwell stated, “A leader is one that knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Expand who you are by finding more and more ways to become a leader. EPractice Problem Solving Companies thrive when their staffs are ca- pable of basic problem-solving skills. Man- agers admit growing increasingly frustrated when employees come to a total standstill whenever faced with a small hurdle within their workday. Problem solving can be summed up with four easy steps; 1) identify the problem, 2) consider all options to over- come the problem, 3) weigh which option(s) will result in the best outcome, and 4) de- velop and execute the best solution. One of the greatest ways to become a problem-solver is to assure that you focus your energies in the right direction. Most people, when faced with a problem focus most of their attention and energies on ex- pressing their emotions. It is easier to get mad and complain about a problem than actually working to resolve it. When faced with a problem, force yourself to remain concentrated on finding a solution. In most cases, a problem can be resolved in the same amount of time people typically take to just complain about it. Make it a personal challenge to not become emo- tional, but to become strategic in studying and finding the best solution. There are few things more gratifying than over- coming hurdles and moving forward with confidence. ELearn How to Get Along We live in an era of nonstop ar- guing and disagreement. Virtu- ally every television program is filled with people in heated argu- ments over the simplest of topics. Cable news organizations fill their entire day hosting peo- ple angry about a specific topic, while arguing with someone with an opposing viewpoint. We are consistently trained by the society we live in to not get along with people. One of the most valuable traits you can build within yourself is the ability to sim- ply get along with others. Recognize that each person has their own opinions, habits and beliefs, and while we might not agree with them, we have the ability within us to still be courteous and caring towards them. Within your future career, you will be working in teams, departments, and committees with many other different types of people. The valuable skill of get- ting along with others will become one of your greatest assets, paying huge dividends for the rest of your professional as well as your personal life. As was stated earlier in this article, sadly there are not many classes or courses you can take to assist in developing your soft skills. Your growth in these areas will pri- marily come down to your own determi- nation and willingness for improvement. Continue to research online for more sug- gestions and ideas how to further refine your skills. Developing superior soft skills, along with your chosen career’s education or technical training, will give you the competitive edge to effectively achieve your professional and personal goals in life. Use your smartphone or laptop to improve your writing skills as well as building im- portant time management habits that will be helpful when you begin your career.
