There are certain skills that are applicable to an almost infinite amount of different kinds of work. These include, for example, multitasking, self discipline, entrepreneurship, precision, timing as well as soft skills such as the ability to work in teams, leadership and motivation. Read a random CV and you’ll find more examples of this kind of skill.
I would like to describe another skill, similar to the ones already mentioned, but — according to me — much more interesting. As the title suggests, the skill consists of visualizing the effects and consequences of one’s own ability. Less strictly speaking, it is the ability to accurately foresee how the end customer will perceive the product one has created.
Examples are great — let’s give an interface designer this skill. His ability to create gorgeous graphics would probably remain the same, but his instinctive feel for his craftmanship would perfectly tune his designs to match what the customer expects. Hello, Jonathan Ive.
How about a politician? A noble message and a great plan is never enough for a political success — in a democracy populism is more or less always necessary. So, the most successful is the one who can sense the reactions his own words would cause to the public mind, and dress his message in just the right words. Hello, Barack Obama.
It’s perfectly controlling the puppet that is oneself. It’s full knowledge of what input gives what output.
Writers! A great writer can create the most vivid and living sceneries with the only aid of well-chosen words. But it’s not only up to the choice of words (if it was, the writer using the most adjectives would be the best) — it’s what not to include, it’s the order of words, the metaphores, the reader’s own knowledge etc. It’s perfect control of how to use the language to trigger desired feelings in others. The guy stating that “the pen is mightier than the sword” probably knew what he was talking about.
Consultants. CEOs. Comedians. Architects. Software Engineers. The list can be made long. The only clear common denominator among the people sharing this skill is a well-developed emotional intelligence.
The knowledge of the self, one’s own developed ability and the sensibility for the aggregate of the crowd’s mind makes it a characteristic of really interesting people.
It can, of course, be self-taught and mastered — something that is greatly aided by identifying what elements of one’s work that require great skill and is judged by another person’s perception. Then just KPI it, and add it to your daily personal development routine.
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September 7th, 2009
by Ehsan
You could say a good writer is like a programmer. If a programmer sets up his variables and code flow illogically it will result in bugs and crashed. The algorithms and logic of the code must be in wisely chosen to have good functioning piece of software.
The same is for a writer as you said. If he choses his words wisely and orders them logically it will have an impact – otherwise it will only be boresome! :)