Article by Sanja
Meta skills are classes of behaviors, more than competency based skills. In this fast changing environment, when we are easily distracted by outer stimuli, it is important to develop meta skills, as well as hard and soft skills.
There are three groups of meta skills:
- Self-management – management of present moment, of our attitudes and behavior;
- Social intelligence – ability to connect to the world (our community, society, world);
- Innovation – creativity, critical thinking and (co)creation.
Why is it important to develop meta skills? By their nature, they are cognitive, transversal skills and can be transferred to different roles, tasks, jobs and duties we have. They can also be transferred to different industries, which allows us to be more present, focused and ready to answer most of the challenges we are facing in our lives and careers.
Pillars of change are attitude and behavior. Skills are the bridge between knowledge and work performance. It is not possible to gain all the knowledge at once, and it takes time and patience to gain it and than test it in real situations. Also, knowledge is not finite, we develop and grow and learn and broaden our knowledge base which, in the long term, helps us strengthen and own our skills. We can also look at skills as an added value to our contribution to the community or working environment.
By developing meta skills we are able to take a step back, look at a broader picture and question our attitudes towards ourselves, our relationship towards others, before we step into the field of personal and professional growth, i.e. we have to understand the connection between the quantity and quality of knowledge and skills we are about to attain and present to our community.
First, we need to understand why we are here, in a certain moment of time, surrounded by certain people. What draws us near some people and circumstances. This is a matter of realizing where we stand in relation to others and how we can contribute to your community with our unique skills and knowledge. Once we realize our starting point, we can activate our resources and start planning, designing and implementing steps needed to achieve our goals.
Module 0. – Reasoning is an introductory module, designed to help practitioners to take a step back, zoom out, ground themselves in their strengths and from that perspective, start zooming in and developing their ideas and projects that have broader impact in the community.
Why do we start this course with thinking and learning about reasoning?
It is important to recognize and build our capacities to lead, to envision the future, to acknowledge “As is” state and try to find creative solutions to current and future challenges. Before we can start learning new skills, we have to understand the reason behind our stories, the story of our local area and our connection to it. Also, we need to look into ourselves and see what behaviors, attitudes, skills, and knowledge we already have and where there are opportunities to learn and grow.
Why do we need reasoning skills?
In our everyday life we are faced, challenged, and confronted with making decisions, choosing what the best options are, how to resolve a situation or issue, and so on. Simply put, we are analyzing, evaluating, making synthesis of what is available to us at a certain moment. When we are professionals or leaders, we also employ our capacities for abstract thinking, creative thinking, turning data into information and problem-solving.
Reasoning helps us to adapt, to be more resilient, to avoid the trap of cognitive dissonance, to understand the roles we have in our own lives and in the lives of our community. It also helps us to better understand ourselves, our patterns of behaviors, help us to be resilient to change, to look closer at our attitudes and reactions to other people and circumstances around us. And eventually, it helps us to reduce noise, see a wider picture, to zoom out and zoom in and understand the systems and our connection to them.
Reasoning connects dots from the past, helps us to solve immediate issues and envision the future.
Most importantly, reasoning helps us to unlearn old patterns and learn and accept new concepts, knowledge, and skills.
In Module 0. – Reasoning, we tried to go a bit deeper into the notion of Leader and Leadership.
Our idea was to look closer at the role of the leader and understand it as a two-way communication path: understanding team members – their capacities and skills level, giving guidance and advice, motivating and inspiring. Before all of that, the leader aligns his/her personal values with values and shared goals between his or her team members.
Future leader is aware of:
Himself/herself – he/she finds strength in themselves, understands how to use resources effectively and efficiently, solves problems creatively, is self-guided and has self-esteem.
Others – positively and without bias values others.
Community – zooms in, values connections he/she has with his/her community.
Wider and more complex systems – zooms out and has capacity to envision future and understands how present (actions) impacts future.
How can we develop leadership skills?
First, we can look at our ability to set goals and see to what extent we are dedicated to achieving them. We can also look at how well organized we are, do we know how to prioritize tasks and duties, and how clearly we communicate values, mission, and vision of our idea/project.
Also, it is very important to be aware of people around us, to listen to them and understand their weaknesses and acknowledge their strengths.