In the current business environment, technical skills get old VERY quickly. However, companies are seeking professionals with some non-technical skills that would be worthwhile developing. Here are some of them.
Non-technical skills are in fact personal characteristics and cognitive abilities that can be developed and improved. They are related to an individual’s behaviours and way of thinking and being. According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends Report 2019, more than half of corporate leaders say that these skills are more important than technical abilities.
A business analyst has to work to develop these four key skills, even though they sometimes seem to go against the flow of certain reflexes…
Establish productive relationships with stakeholders
As a business analyst, you will be called upon to work with collaborators both on the technical side and on the business team. You have to be able to build trust between you and these team members, and often take the lead to fill in the gaps in understanding on both sides.
Practice self-management
A business analyst’s success is measured by his proactivity and autonomy, among other things. You have to set and meet deadlines and commitments by knowing how to delegate, inspire and manage challenges.
Have a thick skin
The analyst’s work is to put forward ideas and propose solutions, two activities that sometimes attract praise and often criticism. So you have to be able to distinguish the criticisms about your work from those that target you personally.
Navigate ambiguity easily
This might not be natural for a business analyst who has to illuminate and clarify processes and group discussions to avoid mistakes. But it’s a task he will have to do, especially in the early stages of a project, when new information is constantly emerging. The analyst must take these new sources into account in the project.
These non-technical skills are more difficult to measure than technical skills. That’s why they have to be developed ahead of time, because it is often in the action that they will be truly put to the test…