These 5 Soft Skills or personal character traits will keep your productivity soaring during the COVID 19 Pandemic and challenges it has brought to the workplace. 

Work Ethic – Hold onto your desire for discipline and regiment of producing quality work regardless of the circumstances or new workplace surroundings. Self-motivation is a necessity.

Stress Management—In this current time of heightened stress, it is so important to take time for yourself and decompress. If you are at home working, it is often the scenario that you are putting in too many hours.  Look at your day and balance out.  Find an activity, or non-activity to assist with your stress relief.

Teamwork—This Soft Skill is always on the list. You cannot succeed without the support of leaders and the team you work with.  Sharing ideas, problem solving, and other benefits that allow you to do your job better.  This skill can be challenging with only virtual connections, but it is an opportunity to sharpen your abilities.   

Communication—Vital skills through your written emails, texts, social media, virtual meetings, or conversations during the non-face-to-face COVID 19 Pandemic. Being savvy in various ways to communicate affectively is key because you will be dealing with people that prefer their own way to send and receive information.  This is not new, but it is now heightened and less organized.

Adaptability—The world has been turned upside down. Change is your friend and you can handle it. Being able to manage change and adapt will propel you forward whether at home or in the office environment.  Change in the workplace is always taking place. 
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According to an article in Forbes October 2018, “Data Reveals Why The 'Soft' In 'Soft Skills' Is A Major Misnomer”, Google announced the findings from an internal study that looked across teams to determine the most innovative and productive groups within the company. They found that their best teams weren’t the ones full of top scientists. Instead, their highest performing teams were interdisciplinary groups that benefited heavily from employees who brought strong soft skills to the collaborative process. Further research revealed that important predictors of success within Google were skills like good communication, insights about others, and empathetic leadership.  Read the full article here.
It is imperative to have the Soft Skills to be productive during any day on the job, but it is even more important during these ever changing times of COVID 19, the reopening Phases and times to come.  Stay productive, Stay Soft!
For more information and support with key functions to move forward while these ever-changing times take major adjustment, we are here.  Badcock and Associates, LLC 

It is not just another lazy weekend when you are armed with all the Social Media connections at your fingertips.  On Sunday, I decided to take one of my fun deviations from the norm and visit folks around the world with the Periscope APP.  Have you done this?  It is so much fun to check in on what others are doing out there at any given moment and chat them up as they are engaging in chores, touring a city or lecturing about a rare breed of tree - who knows what you may learn.  Heads up, for you will find people doing every kind of activity - every kind.   I once checked in and found myself skiing down a treacherous mountain on the most breathtaking ski run of my life.  Due to an illness, my skiing days are over, so this was so very cool that I could experience this ride firsthand through someone else willing to share through Periscope. The fact that it was a live broadcast made it so much more intense and gave me goosebumps.

​Sunday afternoon, I opted for a tractor ride with a young man in Kansas.  He was singing Garth Brooks tunes and drinking one can of beer after another while he answered questions from girls chiming in from all over the world that seemed to be interested in his handsome features.  He handled these ladies very nicely and like a gentleman.  It was entertaining to learn how the hay was harvested while all the other fun stuff was going on.  I have to give him extra kudos for managing an enormous John Deere tractor and keeping the conversations going with all those connecting.  That is the wild extra, with Periscope, you can chime in and ask questions, just say hello, communicate with the person live on video.  Also, everyone else is involved with the chat too.

From Kansas, I went to Valencia, Spain for a tour of the Plaza Del Ayuntamiento.  This tour was narrated by a lovely person who was knowledgeable and shared the beauty of this destination well.  Focusing on the food, architecture, culture and all that creates the destination as he was walking and filming.  A fantastic end to the day as the sun set in Valencia and it was time for a glass of wine and a little nosh.  Going social around the world with Periscope!  Try it and let me know how your experience was!  Don't forget, there are a lot of strange connections to avoid out there, so look for the good ones to view.  Search for places you want to visit, or go to the world map. It is fun to investigate.  Cheers!