While I continue improving my technical skills as an IT professional and work to keep up with the latest and greatest technology, I realize that my responsibilities now require that I develop more nontechnical skills as well. These nontechnical skills help me plan more strategically and consider how I can get involved in areas such as marketing and sales.

In working with the many talented individuals who fill other roles on my team, I need to incorporate nontechnical skills such as content management, recruitment and training. Our company also deals with a wide range of industries, so I need to understand each of these industries in order to fully assist them.

All of these skills are necessary for my work, even though they are outside of the IT space. Nontechnical skills may not seem like priorities, but they’re just as important to the success of your business as technical skills. Here are nontechnical skills that many IT professionals like me need to focus on in 2018.

Writing And Grammar

IT professionals are now tasked with developing technical and nontechnical content. Grammatically correct writing is essential to making this content logical and engaging. Improving my writing has allowed me to contribute to various sites and blogs that enhance my thought leadership. This, in turn, has helped my organization gain more attention. These skills become even more valuable when you’re able to write using language that other people can understand instead of relying on technical jargon. My strong writing skills have allowed me to improve the emails and other online communications I have with my team, including things as simple as messaging through Slack.

I’ve used sites like Udemy that offer a wide range of business writing courses. These online courses allow me to improve my writing in my free time and in between my other responsibilities. While there is a cost involved, it’s affordable when compared with going to a university or other seminar. Additionally, I’ve installed Grammarly in my web browser as an extension that points out mistakes and provides suggestions as I write, which has also contributed to improvements in my writing.

Time Management

Managing your time more effectively is a real skill and one that gives you a real competitive advantage. When I start working on a technical issue, it’s easy for me to get lost in it and end up completely off schedule. Everything else I intended to get done just gets put off until the next day. Before I know it, I’ve fallen behind on other key tasks.