A skill is an ability that may be acquired by a person. Skills are often unknown until they are learned, except for when learning a related skill. Acquiring skills is something you should strive to do all throughout life. When you build skills, you open your mind to new things and you exercise your brain in new ways. Learning to acquire new skills is a skill in itself.
In business, understanding all of the skills required to run a company is incredibly important. If there is a skill-gap, projects and deadlines may be missed or you may end up with sub-par work product. If the skill-gap is critical, your business may even fail. Cross-training staff in a variety of skills is a great way to stop the skill-gap. You should also stay with the times and always strive to learn bigger and better ways to get the job done. Staying complacent is a sure way to stay behind in business and never get ahead.
Play
Play is one of the most natural ways to enhance and acquire new skills. Some skills may be pure instinct, while others are learned. The right and left brain work together as skills begin to develop. Some people acquire skills by physically doing the skill and others learn skills by thinking about the skills in their head. Either technique is a valid way to learn and acquire a skill.
Listening
The mind is ready to integrate knowledge by listening to a story. Listening to stories and music can be a way to integrate a new skill.
Apprenticeship
If you are looking to take on a new skill and profession, the expertise you need is usually taught by a professional. Working with someone on a daily basis is one of the best ways to become fully-trained in the profession. A master must pass on their skills and expertise to an apprentice to ensure the business continues to operate at a high quality. Their name and reputation are at stake and that is why they take the apprenticeship so seriously.
Classes
Learning one-on-one with a skilled master seems like a great idea, but it can be hard to find someone to dedicate that amount of time to one individual. That is how vocational programs became a popular option. Teachers can show an entire class of individuals how to perform a task and learn a skill in a group setting. The teacher is a master in their field and they can impart their knowledge to others in a meaningful way. There are several teachers that could show different techniques and as the field grows and new skills are developed, they can be incorporated into the curriculum.
External Help
Often times, you need an expert to come in and train the entire team. This is one of the best ways to get your team trained on a specific task all at once. The expert is paid for their time, but their knowledge is critical to the team.
