In work, as in life, we learn from trial and error: I was having Problem A, so I implemented Solution A, and it didn’t work. Then I tried Solution B and it did. Next time I’ll know to use Solution B first thing.

And that’s how it goes, over and over again, throughout your career. Forty years or so go by and, finally, you’ve got it all figured out. You retire with the proverbial gold watch and a head full of valuable knowledge.

Wouldn’t it have been nice to have that information at the beginning of your career instead?

I’ve worked with thousands of employees at every level during my career. But my work with CEOs, in particular, made it clear that high-level leaders value certain skills in the people who work for them—and those skills may not be what you’d expect.

The issues most people struggle with have little to do with their ability to do the work. It’s all the things that happen around the work. It’s how good we are at keeping projects moving. It’s whether we make life easier for our co-workers or more difficult. It’s how well we can read and respond to customers’ unspoken needs.

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