Have you heard of ‘skill stacking’?
As championed by entrepreneur Steven Bartlett (Diary of a CEO), it’s the next big thing in learning & development – helping you “become the best in your industry” supercharging clarity and confidence along the way.
Want to be known for being the go-to expert in your network? Read on.
🥞 What’s skill stacking?
It’s the act of combining a variety of skills and knowledge from various roles and life experiences to create a distinctive and impactful set of abilities that propel you forward.
The squigglier the better.
Here’s how to build your own in 3 simple steps:
- Look back at your work history.
Jot down key roles, responsibilities and the skills you honed along the way.
For example, did you become really great at presenting, training, peer support, relationship building or project management?
- Reflect on your life experiences (including any gaps in your CV).
What did you learn?
For example, experiencing a period of redundancy may have equipped you with valuable skills in resilience and effective time management.
- Think back to the hobbies & interests you had as a kid/teenager.
How did what you learned shape the person you are today?
For example, you might have been a student rep, written for your local paper or earned a black belt in karate.
The key takeaway? All experiences matter, have a huge impact, and make you who you are – a unique and extremely valuable individual – (whatever your career history).
⚡️ Added challenge: Use this technique to hype yourself by sharing your skill stack on social media.
🔎 How to use skill stacking to discover your skill gaps (without waiting for your next performance review)
- Identify your primary skill/field
First, determine the main skill or field you want to excel in. This will be the core of your skill stack.
- List out related skills
Make a list of all the skills that are complementary and beneficial to your primary skill/field. These are skills that can enhance your abilities in your core area.
- Rank your current proficiency
For each skill on your list, honestly rank your current level of proficiency from 1-10, with 10 being an expert level.
- Identify gaps
Look at the skills where you ranked yourself lower (say 1-6 out of 10). These are the gaps or areas you need to improve on.
- Make a learning plan
For the skill gaps you identified, make a plan for how you will improve and get to at least an 8/10 level. This could include taking courses, finding a mentor, practising deliberately, etc.
- Prioritise and execute
Prioritise which skill gaps to focus on first based on their importance. Then execute your learning plan for those skills through consistent practice.
- Integrate the skills
As you improve each complementary skill, make sure you are integrating and applying it in your daily life.
- Continually evolve
Periodically re-evaluate, identify new gaps, and keep honing your complementary skills over time.
The key is developing a unique combination of skills to a high level of proficiency. This well-rounded ‘skill stack’ allows you to gain an exceptional edge.
Take it to your coach
Got a big decision to make and want to bounce ideas off of a non-biased thinking partner? Or perhaps you’re finding it hard to communicate with a particularly challenging friend or colleague? More Happi provides unlimited access to high-quality, affordable 1:1 coaching to help you overcome obstacles, solve problems and get where you want to go, faster. Happi-er. Discover more here.
