Edward Sorensen: Business Skills In the Workplace
I think this expanded understanding of how organizations operate has really helped me generalize my learning experiences at Santa Clara University. It’s deceptively easy to compartmentalize the content I learn in class into small boxes and fail to see the forest for the trees, in this case, with the forest representing the applicability of business skills outside of business. Fortunately, lived experience complements classroom learning, and the perspective shift associated with my newfound exposure to the nonprofit, government, and community organization sectors has helped me break out of this mental trap.
I think the most helpful skills I’ve cultivated through my position at SVCN are writing and communication. Much of the work I do is in the form of writing, whether that be for policy newsletters or standardizing internal protocols. I expect to write often in whatever role I take on upon graduation and find being able to gain experience writing in nonacademic settings especially valuable. While communication is adjacent to writing and good writers are good communicators, the communication skill I’m referring to here is more about remaining on the same page with my coworkers as we collaboratively work towards our organizational goals. It’s easy to let emails and Slack messages slip by unanswered, but I’ve found that organizational culture and team reciprocity is predicated by smooth and easy communication between parties. Being forced to take some responsibility and get comfortable shooting back a quick message updating my supervisor on my progress is a skill I didn’t realize I’d need but I’m glad I’ve developed.