Skills that set you apart
Joanna Gaudoin wrote this guest article for Pensions Aspects Magazine.
In technical roles, your expertise gets you in the door. But as your career progresses, people skills are what set you apart and help you to navigate the workplace in a way that supports both individual wellbeing and organisational success. These skills not only drive performance and career progression, but also contribute to healthier work environments, where mental wellbeing, professional development, and long-term financial outcomes are more effectively integrated. This article explores some of the key required skills to unlock performance improvement for your organisation, and support individual career progression.7
The education system is set up to equip us with knowledge and information, essential learning for life. This continues into the start of working life, as you need to gain the key technical knowledge and expertise you require to carry out your role. This is particularly the case in the pensions industry where extensive in-depth knowledge is required. The industry attracts bright, knowledgeable people who are often highly analytical.
The challenge is that as well as these technical skills, you need other skills to navigate the workplace, fulfil your potential and perform for your organisation. Nobody works in isolation; all work exists due to people, so you deliver work for and with them. This means that you need to master the skills to work with others and handle different professional situations skilfully and effectively. With increased seniority, there are a greater range of stakeholders and situations to handle.
Neglecting these skills means that as an individual:
you may not progress as you would want to.
you may get promoted (due to your technical skills) but struggle to get to grips with all you need to.
As an organisation if you don’t recruit and/or develop these skills in your people you will struggle:
to maximise your performance.
to differentiate yourself in the market – sorry, many organisations are highly comparable on technical skills!
The ideal is to work on these skills at even a junior level, so they become easier to learn and become the ‘norm’. It means focusing on the ‘how’ we work, not just the ‘what’ we do – that is what makes the difference.
What does this mean in practice?
At a core level, it means considering how as an individual you come across to others, the impact you have on them. This matters whether you like it or not, as we all respond to how someone comes across to us and how they communicate with us. You need to consider as an individual how you want to come across and how you can do that well, whilst still being yourself.
It’s then important to consider the relevant professional situations you need to be able to navigate, so the skills you need for those. Below are some examples:
Navigating internal relationships effectively – you need to work with others to get things done day to day, work on longer-term projects and demonstrate your capabilities so you can progress your career – think about those who can influence your career in your organisation. People are different, and you need the skills to engage with others who are likely to have different views, ways of working and agendas.
Managing and developing people – in very few careers do people progress without needing to manage and develop others. People are always surprised at the time and skill involved. It is an essential skill to have though, as without it, a whole team can become demotivated and unproductive.
Building an external network is essential for those who one day will have a business development responsibility, because you can’t build a network when you need one. However, there are other reasons to network, including staying in touch with market trends, learning and building wider career development support.
Having difficult conversations is an area that many professionals struggle with. However, it is an important skill to have to be able to assess when a challenging conversation is necessary, and how to approach such a situation to get a positive short-term outcome and develop a more positive professional relationship in the longer term. When difficult conversations don’t happen there are numerous negative outcomes for both individuals and organisations.
Effective and productive meetings and presentations are key workplace scenarios, particularly as they often require a lot of time investment. They are both opportunities to get things done effectively and move an organisation forward whilst also giving individuals the opportunity to build their influence and their visibility.
All these skills take time and skill, but are well worth the time investment as they are skills that have an ongoing role to play in supporting improved organisational importance and individual career progression.
Beyond expertise: Building skills that set you apart - The Pensions Management Institute.
The PMI is delighted to announce it will be running a training programme, delivered by professional expert Joanna Gaudoin, covering all of these skills from September 2025. Click here for more information.