The Throne of Skills - Development of an Individual

16/05/2019

This is the first of eight posts relating the discovery of seven drivers of personal development, written by Mr Emanuele Castellani (CEO Cegos Italy & Board Member Cegos Asia Pacific) - an avid fan of the drama series which inspired him to create "The Throne of Skills'.The Business Transformation is a reflection and result of Social Transformation - a business progresses and evolves with the individuals in its company. On their own, the individuals evolve as well as a result of changes in the society.A variety of factors could account for an individual's poor performance at work. Of which, skill sets is a factor that can be rectified and therefore needs to be constantly updated. However, in this day and age - the individual is under increasing pressure to perform, yet have little time to upskill.As I see there are more than one area of interventions necessary to support up-skilling, I had this interesting idea of relating famous characters from the 'Game of Thrones' with drivers of competence. This is because in dominant characters, we often see examples of virtues and precious qualities.

The Throne of Competence drivers

Change Management: it is essential to be able to adapt quickly in order to seize the many opportunities that will arise. (Character: Sansa Stark)
Collaboration and Team Performance: the importance of teamwork has been underlined for years, highlighting the importance of synergies. Today, it has become more important than ever to seek effectiveness by avoiding dispersion. (Character: Jon Snow)
Self Empowerment: the performance of an individual is only limited by one's potential. However, we need to avoid excessive emphasis on performance as a source of self-esteem. (Character: Arya Stark)
Priority Management: "time thieves" multiply and the risks of managing their own resources (especially time) result in inefficiency. For this reason, it is essential to be fully aware of the priorities and to direct resources for the right actions. (Character: Cersei Lannister)
Smart Communication: it is always easier and more frequent to find yourself communicating in one-to-many modes. On one hand, there is an opportunity, and on the other - a need; so how to use the most appropriate method for the means and contents?(Character: Daenerys Targaryen)
Negotiation: this term is no longer just a synonym of commercial negotiation, but more and more of an interpersonal relationship. Whether it is the managerial, relational or commercial sphere - it is urgent to know how to manage relationships with a clear end in mind. (Character: Tyrion Lannister)
Developing the Digital Culture: when it comes to digital tools, familiarity can be developed over time but when it comes to digital culture - how can one truly embrace it in order to overcome the feeling of inadequacy? (Character: Bran Stark)

Some of the characters mentioned above manifest in a rather outlined manner in terms of application of their respective skills.I am intrigued and amazed on the fact that for a series set in the Middle Ages, it could become the starting point for a theme that's linked to the concept of Business Transformation in the current day. It is worth noting, that the series is based on the immutable principles of existence, dominance and ultimately - survival. Perhaps this is due to the great global success, where people search for what is 'in their nature'.

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