There’s a cost to conducting business, and planning for that cost can be complex. Cash flow exacerbates the issue, since work you perform in June might not be paid for until August. If you have to wait two months for payment, how are you going to pay your employees and suppliers? Fortunately, a business budget can help.

You’ve probably at least heard of the Enron Corporation. If you’ve forgotten why, it’s because the company was implicated in one of the biggest corporate scandals ever. Ultimately, its shady accounting practices led to its complete collapse right before the turn of the millennium, and many of the company’s employees lost all of their savings when the stock price plummeted and the company declared bankruptcy. Today, Enron serves as a powerful lesson of what happens when businesses put profit ahead of ethical behavior.

Unfortunately for those who make them, blunders in business etiquette can be quite memorable. Maybe your coworker consumed a little too much alcohol at the company holiday party, or you took an intern out to lunch and they didn’t think twice about ordering the most expensive thing on the menu. Poor etiquette might not necessarily get you fired, but it can quickly give you the wrong kind of reputation.

Whether you’re attending a dinner with a recruiter or your boss is taking the team out for an evening, meals can be a fun way to meet people and conduct business outside an office setting. However, the unfamiliar setting means that it can also be easy to let your guard down and make the wrong impression without intending to.

You may have heard stories of competitive internal cultures at companies like Amazon and Netflix, and many of them are probably true. Amazon, in particular, has received criticism for a culture it labeled “Purposeful Darwinism,” in which only the strong survive. Despite the criticism, however, companies like Amazon and Netflix continue to grow, and both have seen stock prices soar over the past decade.

According to research from Glassdoor, the average corporate job opening draws a stack of 250 resumes. Between four and six candidates will get brought in for an interview, and just one will get the job. For the most desirable companies out there, that pile of resumes could be much higher. That’s why it’s important to devote time and energy into creating a standout resume.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), around 25% of all jobs require customer service skills. When you consider only the occupations with the most workers, that number rises dramatically to 70%. Delivering quality customer service requires you to combine a number of other skills. It’s not easy, which means it’s a rare ability that’s valued across industries.

Throughout your career, you’ll need to make deals on a regular basis. Whether you’re negotiating a new contract with a client or negotiating a raise with your manager, deals are struck every day that can shape the future for years to come.

Ever spent more than 20 minutes trying to decide what to have for dinner? It’s such a trifling decision, but everyone can relate to the seemingly existential angst it causes. Now imagine facing a decision that’s truly difficult.

According to research by Giving USA, 2018 charitable donations in the U.S. exceeded $427 billion. As any fundraiser knows, however, getting a slice of that substantial pie can be more difficult than it sounds. Lots of worthy organizations are competing for a limited amount of charitable giving, and earning your share means honing your fundraising skills and stepping into the arena.

Congratulations! Your resume stood out from the stack and you’ve been called in for an interview. Research from Glassdoor indicates that stack was an average of 250 resumes deep, and only 4-6 individuals are getting the nod for the next step. You’re closer than ever, but you’ll need to make a great impression to win the job offer.

Whether you’re striking a deal with a partner organization, writing up a sales contract, or just deciding which member of your team will come in on a Saturday, employers know you’ll need to negotiate with other people on a regular basis. Some of those negotiations are small potatoes, but some can also be extremely lucrative. That’s why it’s a good idea to take every negotiation seriously and try and walk away from each deal with your best interests secured.

We’ve all been there. You’re at a holiday party, and you make eye contact with someone across the room. They smile and start walking over, but you’re in crisis mode. You’re painfully aware you’ve met them before, but you can’t for the life of you remember their name. Forgetting names is incredibly common (and can be incredibly awkward), so you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself about it.

Every business starts out as an idea, and the really good ideas grow from successful companies into even more successful corporations. Of course, size is not without side effects, and one of them is the formation of processes that dictate how a role is performed. Unfortunately, processes and the accompanying bureaucracy can often stifle innovation and progress, sabotaging the success of the companies that rely on them. The better way? A results-oriented approach.

When you imagine a salesperson, what’s the first image that comes to mind? For many people, it’s a greasy, dishonest person standing on a used car lot and pressuring people into buying junk cars at outrageous prices. Reality looks much different, and every job out there involves some degree of sales. Even if you aren’t selling a product, you’ll need to sell your managers on your competence or sell you coworkers on your ideas.

Throughout your career, you’ll need to sell other people on your experience and abilities. Although the job interview is a great opportunity for you to utilize this skill, it’s far from the only one. Whether you’re looking to transition into a new role in your company, vying for a promotion, or asking for additional compensation, it’s up to you to sell yourself and convince decision-makers that you’ve got what it takes to produce.

Scroll up to the top of your favorite brand’s website and you’ll likely see a common link: “Our Story.” Don’t they want website visitors to make a purchase? Why bother with some unimportant background info? Well, it turns out that the right background info can be one of the most enticing ways to get customers to fall in love with your brand. After all, everyone loves a good story.

In 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone at Macworld San Francisco. His charisma as a speaker and the impact of the product mean the event is often regarded as one of the best business presentations ever. Through years of practice, he had clearly gained confidence on stage, and he was able to take his presentations to the next level and have a much greater impact on audiences.

Research from the Radicati Group indicates that the average office worker receives 121 emails every day, meaning inboxes are becoming more cluttered than ever before. Chances are, many of those emails didn’t need to be sent, and the crowded inbox underscores the importance of choosing the right medium to communicate with managers and coworkers.

According to a survey from Interact, 69% of managers are uncomfortable communicating with employees. It’s a troubling statistic considering clear communication is a hallmark of an efficient workplace. Clear communication ensures that the right work is done at the right time, and it reduces the chance of conflict by keeping coworkers on the same page.

According to some studies, as much as 70% of our communication happens non-verbally, through eye contact, gestures, posture, and facial expressions. It’s an incredible figure that shows just how good we are at reading other peoples’ intentions before they’ve even said a word.

Have you ever been so engrossed in a conversation that time seemed to fly by and leave you wondering where the night went? It doesn’t happen very often, but what if there was a way it could happen more? We all know someone who’s easy to talk to, and while it’s easy to label that skill as charisma or a “gift,” the truth is that anyone can learn to have better conversations.

Communication is vital in the workplace, but most people tend to focus on the talking aspect of communication over the listening. A study that examined a large medical system shows that decision might be misguided. Findings by Robert Kramer in a study at George Washington University indicated that listening skills accounted for a shocking 40% of the variance in leadership in the organization. In other words, effective listeners rose to the top far more often than those without these fundamental skills.

It turns out there’s more to communication than saying what you mean and meaning what you say. In fact, research shows that between 60% and 90% of communication is actually nonverbal. Even when someone is adamantly saying one thing, cues such as their body language can be a dead giveaway that their words don’t accurately reflect how they truly feel.

According to LinkedIn’s latest Global Talent Trends Report, persuasion is the second-most sought after soft skill by employers.

Your mouth is dry, your hands are shaking, and your heart is pounding. Plenty of things can cause us to react this way, from heights to the thought of drowning to spiders and other creepy crawlies. The most common, however, is public speaking.

If you’ve ever had trouble communicating with a parent, friend, or significant other, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that people don’t always mean what they say. In fact, a now-famous study by UCLA professor Albert Mehrabian found that 55% of communication revolves around something else entirely—body language.

Humans are social creatures, and we’ve been communicating through stories for thousands of years. Still, you’ve probably noticed that some people are better at it than others. Everyone has that friend who can captivate an audience even when a subject should be mundane, and one (or more) whose every tale is long, meandering and boring—even when they have the raw materials necessary to make something memorable.

Verbal communication sounds like an easy skill to master, especially when you consider that you start learning it at just one to three months old. Nevertheless, poor verbal communication plagues offices everywhere, and it’s responsible for an incredible number of workplace conflicts.

Verbal self-defense is the art of identifying subtle verbal attacks against you, whether they’re intentional or not, and then bringing them out into the open where you can deflect them. It’s something everyone should strive to learn because it helps protect you when people try to insult you in a passive-aggressive way that makes it difficult to respond. Considering the Workplace Bullying Institute found that 27% of American workers are bullied, the chances are good that you’ve encountered these people before and you’ll come across them again.

Let’s face it—we’re visual creatures. As nice as it is to curl up with a good book or listen to a captivating podcast, humans can process an image or scene in just one-tenth of a second. That means that images are by far the fastest way to communicate a message (60,000 times faster than text, in fact).

Tired of putting up with an inefficient process at work? Complaints have a tendency to fall on deaf ears, but there’s another way to get your voice heard: writing a proposal. Proposals show company leadership that you’re serious about your idea. Instead of simply complaining to anyone who will listen, you’ve put in the time and done the research to come up with a better way of doing things.

Whether you’re communicating the success of an initiative at work, offering feedback to leadership about a new policy, or conveying the results of a campaign to a client, report writing is commonplace in the business world.

Data from the College Board shows that 80% of corporations look carefully at a candidate’s writing skills during the hiring process, and it makes sense why. Whether it’s an email to a coworker, a proposal for your manager, or a contract for a new client, writing is an integral part of many jobs today. While many people know how to write, few know how to do it well, which means that nurturing this skill makes you a valuable addition to many companies.

Barclays LifeSkills reports that 60% of employers believe adaptability is more important than it was a decade ago. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering the pace of change in business today. As Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” These days, billion-dollar companies rise and fall seemingly overnight, and entire industries can be disrupted by a single, powerful idea. With the world changing so quickly, it’s not hard to see why adaptability is important.

When you think of a skill, what comes to mind? It might be the ability to throw a ball on target, cook a fancy meal, or code a piece of software. Chances are, creating art won’t be high on your list, especially if you’re one of the many people who claims to have no innate artistic ability. Ultimately, however, studies show that anyone can learn to become a better artist, and the process can improve many aspects of your life including your work.

According to a 2019 survey from LinkedIn, employers rank Creativity as the most highly sought after soft skill. In fact, after cloud computing, it’s the second most in-demand skill in the world. Because cloud computing is a very specific hard skill that applies to a small portion of the workforce and creativity can conceivably apply to every employee in the world, LinkedIn writers make a strong case for the latter as the most important skill today. Period.

If you’re familiar with the BBC crime drama Sherlock, you know that the modern rendition of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s dogged detective misses absolutely nothing. While his ability to infer things based on the observations he makes tends to defy reality, there’s no denying that critical observation is a skill that holds real power. Employers agree, and even as big data becomes ubiquitous, they’re looking to hire people who can interpret such data using critical observation.

In essence, Critical Thinking is the ability to make better decisions based on a thorough analysis of information. According to the World Economic Forum, it will be second on the list of the most sought-after skills in 2020. That means the best time to start training this skill is yesterday, particularly if you want to be an attractive candidate for positions at the most desirable companies.

If you’ve ever held an Apple product, you probably recognized the great design. If you’ve visited a website that hasn’t been updated since the 90’s, you also have an innate ability to spot bad design—and yet, pinpointing exactly what constitutes good and bad design is surprisingly difficult.

According to a report put together by Dell Technologies in conjunction with the Institute For The Future (IFTF), an astounding 85% of the jobs that will be around in 2030 have yet to be invented. It’s a sobering thought—particularly for the millions of college students who are currently trying to decide on a field of study. How can you prepare for a job if you don’t yet know what it is? Whether you’re in college or you have decades of work experience under your belt, one thing is certain: a desire to learn can help ensure you stay relevant in the face of tumultuous occupational changes.

The formulation of the process known as the scientific method began in the 17th century, but the term itself was only brought into mainstream use in the 20th. Essentially, the scientific method centers around the testing of an unproven idea, known as a hypothesis, and the means of testing is called an experiment. Hypothesis testing is useful in a wide variety of jobs, and knowing how to properly conduct an experiment will empower you to improve decision-making no matter where you work.

Google is famous for its 20% rule, which encourages employees to dedicate one-fifth of their time to promising side projects. With so many new ideas in development at any one time, it’s no wonder the tech giant has become an incredible innovation hub. But why is innovation increasingly important in today’s workplace? Simply put, the digital world has enabled evolution at a breakneck pace. Need proof? In 1958, the average time a company listing lasted on the S&P 500 index was 61 years. By 1980, that duration had been more than halved to 25 years. In 2011, it was reduced to 18 years. In other words, companies are rising and then being replaced at a rate that’s never been seen before.

While we like to think we all make decisions based on sound logic, most people are heavily influenced by emotion in the decision-making process. It’s the reason Star Trek’s Mr. Spock character was such an anomaly—his lack of emotion allowed him to weigh a particular course of action on the odds of a successful outcome alone. Unless you’re part Vulcan, you’ll never be able to set aside your emotions quite like Spock, but you can learn to rely more on logical thinking by following these steps.

Out of all the skills that a job applicant could have, research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) indicates that employers rank “Problem solving” the third most important. It’s not hard to see why. Problem solving is a near universal job requirement, whether we’re talking about a high school student looking for a summer gig or a CEO at a Fortune 500 company. Of course, the nature and scope of the problems can vary widely, but the principle is the same: things won’t always go as planned, and when you come up against an obstacle, you’ll need to figure out how to go around, over, or through it.

You don’t have to be Bill Nye the Science Guy to benefit from strong research skills. In fact, you don’t have to be a scientist at all. Many occupations require employees to be able to conduct research and report their findings, whether those employees are proposing a new manufacturing process or advocating for a four-day workweek. If you haven’t conducted research since your 9th-grade biology lab, relax.

Whether you’re working at a massive corporation or a scrappy startup, employers around the globe are prizing resourceful employees who know how to do the best with what they have. Why is resourcefulness so important? It’s simple. No one has all the answers, but resourceful people are the ones who know how to find them in any situation.

Self-assessments can be an excellent tool for helping you learn and grow in your position, and some employers even require them on a regular basis. That doesn’t mean they’re easy, however, and many employees opt to breeze through them without ever giving them the thought they require.

You might remember a time when Taco Bell’s slogan was “Think Outside the Bun.” The tagline was, of course, a play on the idea of thinking outside the box, which in this case meant looking past all the other fast food joints selling hotdogs, hamburgers, and roast beef sandwiches. While the taco giant has since moved on to another slogan, thinking outside the box is a timeless skill that employers everywhere are looking for.

Browse around the internet long enough and you might stumble across a report that’s been making the rounds. It’s a collaborative effort from Dell Technologies and the Institute for the Future, and it includes one particularly attention-grabbing statistic: “Around 85% of the jobs that today’s learners will be doing in 2030 haven’t been invented yet.” How can you prepare for your next job if you don’t even know what it might be?

Troubleshooting is a term that’s often applied to jobs in the information technology field that involve computers and coding, but the skill can be applied to almost any industry. Mechanics working on vehicles are constantly troubleshooting, as are doctors working with patients. No matter what position you hold, employers will value your ability to troubleshoot and get to the root of any problem.

Values education is the process of instilling certain values in your employees, and it’s what turns a large corporation into a family and a group of coworkers into a cohesive team. Common values include integrity, accountability, and trust, but it’s up to you and your employees to agree on the values that will drive your company day in and day out.

In December 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment remained at just 3.5%—its lowest level since 1969. That’s tough news for employers, who face stiff competition to hire the talent they need, but it offers a great outlook for job hunters. Instead of waiting for the perfect candidate with years of experience, employers are more apt to hire someone who demonstrates intelligence and a willingness to learn on the job.

No matter your industry or occupation, a basic working knowledge of accounting will allow you to make better financial decisions and improve outcomes in the long run. That’s why this skill is a great way to impress your managers and stand out from the rest of your peers. In addition, if you have dreams of striking out on your own and starting a business, you’ll need some accounting chops to measure profitability and potentially win the attention of investors.

According to a 2018 survey from Northwestern Mutual, less than a quarter of Americans are debt-free. Under the right circumstances, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. When used responsibly, debt can be a productive financial tool that allows you to purchase something over time that you wouldn’t be able to afford outright, such as a home. However, taking on too much debt or the wrong kind of debt (credit card debt, for example) can make your life very difficult.

According to a survey from CareerBuilder, less than one-third of employees in the U.S. use a budget. That’s bad news because budgeting is what allows you to accomplish goals with your money, whether it’s paying off debt or saving for retirement. How can you create a balanced budget and accomplish your financial goals?

You probably don’t spend much time thinking about your credit—until you need it. When you walk into a car dealership or you’re applying for a mortgage for your first home, your credit report all of a sudden becomes extremely relevant. If you have a history of excessive borrowing or late payments, your lenders won’t like what they see, and a bad score could end up costing you thousands of dollars.

According to a report from the Federal Reserve Board, 40% of Americans don’t have enough cash on hand to cover a $400 unexpected expense. It’s an alarming statistic, and one that illustrates the poor financial decisions that many people are making on a daily basis.

Only five states in the U.S. require high school students to receive some sort of financial education. Venture outside of these states and the number of students that take financial courses drops to just 8.6%, according to visual capitalist. If you made it through your school years without learning foundational finance skills, it’s important to catch up quickly.

According to research from cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, 33% of Americans have fallen victim to identity theft. That’s an alarming figure on it’s own, but it’s also twice the global average. If you’re an American, you’re a target for identity thieves everywhere.

When Amazon had its Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 1997, it was an online book retailer with around 250 employees and 80,000 website visits per day, and buying one share of the company cost $18. At the time of this writing, those shares are worth $1,895—more than 100 times the original amount. Thanks to three stock splits along the way, an investment of just $500 at the IPO price would get you 324 current shares worth an astounding $568,620.

If you’ve got your financial ducks in a row, there’s a good chance someone in your life will come along asking for money. Because it’s usually a close friend or family member, it’s easy to feel pressured to say yes. Unfortunately, a survey from Bankrate.com indicates that the outcome is negative almost 50% of the time, with 37% of lenders reporting they lost the money and 21% indicating they lost the friend.

According to a 2019 survey from Northwestern Mutual, just 10% of Americans are confident that they’ll be financially ready to retire some day. It’s a somber statistic, but one that bears mentioning. After all, no one wants to have to put in long hours for the rest of their life.

According to a 2019 study from NerdWallet, the average household in American is coping with $6,849 in credit card debt. While the sheer quantity of student loans tend to dominate headlines, credit card debt is frequently more crippling, thanks to annual interest rates that can be four times higher than the rates that accompany student loans.

According to a survey from Northwestern Mutual, 87% of Americans reported that financial health was the biggest influencer of their happiness and confidence. The implications of this survey are clear—neglect your financial health and your overall well-being will suffer tremendously as a result.

While the philanthropists making headlines are almost exclusively billionaires like Bill and Melinda Gates, the individuals making the least money are actually the ones who give the most. According to an article written in The Atlantic, Americans in the bottom 20% of the income pyramid donate around 3.2% of their income, while those in the top 20% contribute just 1.3%.

As our lives become increasingly digital, our data is more and more valuable. Mobile banking passwords, online tax returns, and your login for your corporate network are all valuable targets for thieves looking to turn a profit. Hackers may make up the majority of headlines, but cybercriminals aren’t all to blame—the Ponemon Institute reports that human error caused 24% of data breaches in 2019.

According to an alarming study from CareerBuilder, 78% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, and almost 30% have saved less than $1,000. That’s bad news now, but it will be even worse when these individuals approach retirement age. Unless you want to work forever, it’s critical to start setting aside money now.

If you want to achieve your personal financial goals, you have to have goals in the first place. Research from Charles Schwab shows that just 25% of Americans have a written financial plan. The good news is that those who do also make smarter decisions about saving and investing. In order to create a financial strategy for your life, you need to start by laying out your goals.

In 2019, the average college student graduated with $31,172 of debt, and student loan debt nationwide has reached an unprecedented $1.52 trillion. It typically takes between 10 and 30 years for borrowers to pay off this debt, and the longer it takes, the more it will cost.

A survey from leadership development consultancy Zenger/Folkman offered a surprising finding about negative feedback. While no one wants to give it, 92% of respondents felt it was an effective way to improve performance when delivered in an appropriate manner. What’s more, three times as many people preferred to receive negative feedback than positive.

When you think about the most likable people in your life, who stands out? For most of us, it’s not the most attractive, intelligent, or social individuals who come to mind. Instead, it’s the people who are the most authentic. According to research published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, however, authenticity isn’t just an important ingredient for likeability. In the workplace, employees who feel like they can be their authentic selves are more engaged, more satisfied with their jobs, and higher-performing than their peers who feel as though they have to hide who they really are.

With unemployment at record lows and a job market that makes hiring difficult, employers are pulling out all the stops in an effort to improve retention rates and keep employees from seeking opportunities elsewhere. While typical strategies include financial bonuses, training opportunities, and paid time off, many organizations are overlooking a major factor that keeps employees coming to work: the relationships. According to a survey from Globoforce, there’s a strong correlation between the number of friends an employee has in the workplace and his or her overall job satisfaction. That makes a lot of sense considering the possibility that you spend more time with your coworkers than your family.

Around three-quarters of employers say that collaboration is a “very important” skill for an employee to have, and it’s not hard to see why. Even with the growing number of remote or work from home positions available, most employees work as part of a larger unit. Indeed, strong collaboration skills can become even more important when a team is spread out all over the world.

Have you ever been on a “team” where employees competed aggressively against one another? This phenomenon often occurs in sales positions where the employees that earn the most revenue receive bonuses or other additional compensation. Typically, it makes for an unwelcoming workplace with a high rate of turnover, which is why most employers would rather hire individuals who know how to cooperate.

Difficult situations happen in the workplace. They can be produced by the stress of the job or strained relationships with people you see day in and day out, or they might just be normal events that blindside you and leave you scrambling to respond.

Dealing with office politics can feel like a frustrating requirement of your job, but it’s also a necessary one. Office politics will come into play in any work environment with two or more employees, and a study from Bridge by Instructure, Inc. found that 53% of workers report embracing office politics to get ahead.

The subject of disability awareness is receiving more attention than ever, but there’s still a long way to go. 2017 research by the U.S. Department of Labor illustrates that only 18.7% of disabled people over the age of 16 are employed, versus the 65.7% of people without a disability.

Promoting workplace diversity isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s good for business. A study by the McKinsey consultancy found that companies that ranked in the top 25% for racial/ethnic diversity were 35% more likely to have better than average financial returns in their industry. In addition, companies in the U.S. saw a 0.8% increase in earnings for every 10% increase in racial/ethnic diversity of leadership. While that bump might sound small, it can add up to huge sums over time.

If you had to guess which organizations prioritized a touchy-feely sounding quality like emotional intelligence most highly, the U.S. military probably wouldn’t be at the top of the list. Nevertheless, after noticing that U.S. Air Force recruiters with a high emotional intelligence were three times as likely to be successful, the Secretary of Defense mandated that all branches screen recruiters for the trait.

According to a Harvard Business Review study, companies with a culture of empathy perform 20% better than their competitors without it. Not surprisingly, hiring managers have noticed, and empathy has become a sought after skill in the professional world.

According to the National Business Research Institute, employee job satisfaction increases by an astounding 50% when employees have a best friend at work. Establishing these bonds doesn’t always come naturally for everyone, but with a little work, anyone can start reaping the benefits of quality relationships with their coworkers.

In an increasingly global workplace, intercultural competence is absolutely vital. If your team is comprised of only people in the same city all working onsite, you still might have team members from different countries of origin. Even if your team is somewhat homogenous, the rise of eCommerce and globalization of supply chains means you’ll probably interact internationally at least occasionally if not regularly.

In a poll conducted by Workforce Solutions Group, upwards of 60% of employers reported that job applicants lacked interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills describe the way you interact with other people, and this “skill” encompasses a wide variety of aptitudes, from communication and empathy to leadership and teamwork.

To some people, the idea of networking comes with baggage ranging from awkward dinner parties to boring professional development events, but the stats don’t lie. LinkedIn research shows that 70% of all new hires in 2016 had a personal connection with the company that hired them, and 80% of professionals agree that networking is vital to their career success.

A well-developed sense of self-awareness helps us relate better to the people around us, communicate more effectively, and succeed more in the workplace. And yet, while 95% of us think we have it, psychologist Tasha Eurich estimates in her book Insight that just 10-15% of us really do.

Social skills are vitally important in the workplace whether you’re a part of a large, multifaceted team or you’re a solopreneur running your own business. Even if you work by yourself, you’ll have to deal with clients and customers on a regular basis, so it’s a good idea to spend time deliberately developing your social skills to make the most of these interactions.

They say that teamwork makes the dream work, and research indicates that most employers agree. Around 75% of employers report that teamwork is a “very important” skill for their employees to have, which means most positions you apply for will be specifically looking to hire a team player.

Referrals move mountains, and they’re the single biggest source of new hires according to SilkRoad. Why? Because they’re built on relationships. Strategic relationships aren’t just important at work—they’re the cornerstone of a successful career. The right relationships can help you land your dream job, acquire knowledge from more experienced mentors, connect with investors and talented employees, and generally slingshot you far ahead of the competition.

According to CPP’s Global Human Capital Report, employees spend an average of 2.8 hours per week resolving conflicts—and those hours add up fast. It’s no surprise, then, that employers are looking to hire team members who can resolve conflict effectively and keep the train on the tracks. Conflict is inevitable in human relationships, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Without a host of different opinions and healthy disagreements, innovation and progress would be stifled. The problem happens when conflict is allowed to spiral out of control and interrupt the vital functions of employees. CPP puts the economic cost of workplace conflicts at $359 billion per year for the U.S. alone.

Conflict is everywhere in popular culture. Harry Potter vs. Voldemort, Captain Ahab vs. Moby Dick, and Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader—all conflicts that set the stage for spectacular resolutions. Unfortunately, conflict also regularly makes its way into the workplace, where the outcome can feel more like a box office bust. On the other hand, when it is handled correctly, conflict can be a productive tool that drives continuous improvement.

Leadership frequently demands decisive action, so it’s no surprise that research by behavioral statistician Joseph Folkman has demonstrated a strong positive correlation between a leader’s potential and their decisiveness. If you’ve historically struggled to weigh available information and turn it into quick, decisive action, don’t be discouraged.

It doesn’t matter if you’re Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, or Bill Gates—there are only 24 hours in each day, and nothing can change that fact. That’s why the best leaders rely on one skill to make the most of their precious time: delegation. If you’re thinking that telling people to do something for you is about as easy as it gets, you’re sorely mistaken. In fact, for managers, business owners, and passionate entrepreneurs, relinquishing control and letting someone else handle a facet of their business is one of the most difficult skills to acquire. Unfortunately, there’s a difference between “doing” and “leading,” and if you spend all your time on the former, you’ll have none left for the latter.

The best leaders don’t just tell their employees what to do. Instead, they help employees agree on objectives and goals in a way that encourages participation and inspires ownership. This process is known as facilitation, and it can help teams accomplish far more than they would if they were always told what to do.

According to stats from Officevibe, 96% of employees report that they want regular feedback. That should be good news, because feedback – whether positive or negative – boosts engagement, increases performance, and even improves employee retention rate, which is critical in today’s tight job market. The problem is that more than 70% of employees aren’t getting the communication they need.

As a manager, it can be difficult to give critical feedback. The thing is, employees crave it, and Officevibe research indicates that 83% appreciate feedback whether it’s positive or negative. The catch is that it has to be delivered in the right way.

History books are filled with inspirational figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Abraham Lincoln, but that doesn’t mean inspiration is reserved for world-changing figures. In fact, you’ve probably had a teacher, coach, or mentor who inspired you to put forth your best effort. The truth, backed up by research from Harvard Business Review, is that inspiration is something you can learn—and once you do, you can inspire people in the same way those individuals inspired you.

So many leaders appear larger than life, from spiritual figures like Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama to business moguls like Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett. The truth is that these individuals are just people who have been honing their leadership skills for years to get where they are today.

The workplace can be tumultuous. Layoffs or personnel changes can cause upheaval, clients can end relationships without warning, and investors can get cold feet and pull vital funding when you least expect it. These are all difficult situations to experience, but if you want to lead effectively, it’s vital to learn to manage your emotions.

After working hard and proving your worth in your position, you get promoted to manager. It’s an exciting opportunity, but it can also present a difficult situation. You’re now expected to lead your former peers, some of whom might also have been vying for the managerial position.

Look to some of the greatest historical figures, from political giants to tech visionaries to business moguls, and you’ll find a mentor who helped them reach their full potential. The late Steve Jobs was a critical mentor for Mark Zuckerberg. Bill Gates still receives priceless mentorship from Warren Buffett. Actress Elizabeth Taylor was mentored by the legendary Audrey Hepburn. The mentor’s role is to offer guidance, inspiration, and support whenever possible.

Gallup’s 2018 research on employee engagement showed a workforce that was 34% engaged. If you think that figure sounds low, the unfortunate reality is that it’s the highest engagement has been since Gallup first began measuring the statistic in 2000. At the same time, 13% of workers are “actively disengaged,” meaning they are completely miserable at work. Improving engagement is critical because it’s so closely tied to business success. Organizations with engagement levels in the top 25% are 21% more profitable than those in the bottom 25%—a huge margin that can make the difference between a stunning success and a company that spirals out of business.

Relatability is an incredibly important leadership trait, but it’s also somewhat misunderstood. Lots of people think being a relatable manager means buddying up to employees at work or trying to get people to like you more. On the contrary, being relatable is about being yourself and nothing more.

It might not be included in your job description, but managers are occasionally required to play the role of mediators, stepping in to resolve conflicts that inevitably arise when people work closely together. According to one psychologist’s estimate, workplace “drama” consumes an average of 2.5 hours per employee per day! That means that honing this skill now can pay off big time.

Of all the tactics you should rely on to lead people effectively, setting a good example is one of the most important. That’s at least in part because you’re always leading by example, whether you intend to or not. Do you show up 10 minutes early to the office or 10 minutes late? Do you go the extra mile to make sure clients have what they need or do you do the minimum and complain about their demands?

With unemployment in the U.S. at record lows, employers are finding it more and more difficult to locate and hire the talent they need. That’s why the most effective organizations are going a different route and coaching their existing employees to new heights. Great coaching improves the individual performance of employees, but it also helps create a more cohesive team that can accomplish any goal. As Coach Dean Smith told Michael Jordan in his freshman year at UNC, “If you can’t pass, you can’t play.”

Unemployment is at its lowest level in decades, which is great news for talented workers. Companies are struggling to fill vacant positions, and the competition for talent is fierce. As the other businesses in your industry try to out-bid one another by offering bigger salaries and better benefits, it’s important for you to stay focused on your talent management strategy to ensure that your best employees aren’t getting poached.

Individual job descriptions, team objectives, and even a company’s entire purpose can change overnight. When Netflix was started in 1997, the company was all about mailing DVDs to rental customers. After a decade of success, the company made a sudden switch to streaming. It was a pivotal moment, and one that would eventually put more established and inflexible giants like Blockbuster out of business. The lesson? Change is coming, and you can either embrace it or be bowled over.

Gossip is a broad term, capable of describing both harmless chit-chat at work and the spreading of malicious rumors with an intent to insult or attack someone. Researchers who study the subject simply define it as discussing people who aren’t present, and evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar believes that it’s a key mechanism for spreading information throughout our networks.

Even the best strategy is doomed to failure if you don’t plan out how it will be implemented. In fact, a 2016 Bridges survey on Strategy Implementation found that well-formulated strategies still manage to fail 67% of the time. While that statistic sounds discouraging, it just means that an organization should pay as much attention to the implementation as it pays to the development of the strategy itself.

Your team can accomplish far more than any individual, but it’s up to you to keep them on track and operating smoothly. It’s no secret that the stakes are high. Research from McKinsey shows that 97% of both employees and executives think a lack of alignment can sabotage project outcomes.

When you reach a certain point in your career, you’ll be responsible for managing a team. It’s an exciting prospect, but having lots of individuals looking to you for guidance can also be intimidating. A high-performing team will earn you plenty of praise from company leaders, but you can also expect the blame if your team that falls short of its objective. The good news is that anyone can learn to become a better manager, and those management abilities will be valuable throughout your career.

At some point, every manager will have to have a difficult conversation. An under-performing employee might have to be let go, or an individual that was hoping for a promotion might not get the role. These conversations aren’t fun, but they’re an unavoidable part of a leadership position.

According to a survey from IWG, 70% of global professionals work remotely at least once per week, and 53% telecommute for more than half of their working hours. Thanks to benefits for both employee and employer, such as reduced stress and improved productivity, it’s likely that the trend toward remote work will only continue.

Meetings are a polarizing part of corporate culture, with some leaders advocating frequent meetings to keep teams aligned while others decry group gatherings as a waste of time and money. Tesla CEO Elon Musk even advised employees to get up and walk out of meetings that they didn’t think were relevant.

Brainstorming is far from a new idea. In fact, the term was first used by an advertising executive named Alex Osborn in his 1942 book “How to Think Up.” Over the years it has maintained its relevance, and it’s still a common practice in many of the most successful organizations today.

Project management is simply about accomplishing a goal within certain constraints. Those constraints often revolve around time and money, which means deadlines and budgets feature prominently in project management. As teams get larger and goals become loftier, project management can become extremely complex, which means employers are willing to pay a premium for the skill—$90,000 a year for an entry-level project manager in the U.S. Even if project manager isn’t in your job title, however, honing this skill is an important way to boost your resume and improve your effectiveness.

In the last decade, sexual harassment has finally begun to get some of the attention it deserves, largely in response to the awareness created by the #MeToo movement. The work is far from over, however, and a poll from Quinnipiac University indicates that 60% of American women experience harassment. Of those respondents, almost 70% reported that the threatening behavior occurred at work, making it the single biggest source of harassment.

At some point in your career, if you’ve proved your skills and demonstrated leadership potential, you’ll likely become a supervisor. While the term makes it sound like your only job is to monitor what the rest of the team is doing, there’s actually quite a bit more to it.

As one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Tom Brady gets plenty of credit. Still, every Super Bowl he’s won has been a team effort, and everyone from head coach Bill Belichick to the waterboy keeping the team hydrated on the sidelines has contributed to the effort. The point is, even the most exceptional individuals can accomplish only a fraction of what a strong team is capable of.

Thanks to longer life spans and better health outcomes, combined with the costly recession in 2008, many people are choosing to continue working well past the traditional retirement age of 65. As a result, workplaces are more diverse than ever before, and many now contain employees from five different generations working side by side.

According to employer branding firm Universum, there’s one skill companies think their workforce is missing more than any other. So, is it teamwork? Critical thinking? Nope. It’s confidence. Wait—confidence is a skill? It sure is, and it’s one of the top three that employers are hiring for.

Common courtesy isn’t as common as you might think, and it can feel downright rare when your coworkers would rather be anywhere else besides work. Still, showing courtesy is a sign of maturity and respect, and it’s much easier to get through a workday when you can expect the same out of your entire team.

Gallup’s 2018 poll on employee engagement indicated that 34% of employees felt engaged. The number was an increase over years prior and a promising sign, but that figure still leaves a majority of workers reporting that they’re “not engaged.” With 53% of workers in this category, it’s no wonder employers are valuing dedication so highly.

What do you think employers are looking for in an ideal candidate? Incredible talent? A wealth of experience? A winning personality? All these factors are important, but they’re no good without one other key component: dependability. Skeptical? A 2018 survey from Jobvite found that 28% of new hires quit within just 90 days. What’s the point of hiring employees with those other traits if they don’t stick around long enough for you to use them?

You probably know at least a few people in your life who seem to have boundless energy. Whether at the office or outside it, these individuals accomplish what you might have initially thought was impossible, and after a brief moment of celebration they’ve already moved on to the next challenge.

Would you rather have an employee with 15 years of experience and no desire to be at work or one with zero experience and incredible enthusiasm? Most employers, particularly in such a tight labor market, would choose the latter. You can teach an enthusiastic employee almost anything, while the 13% of employees who Gallup describes as “actively disengaged” will drag your entire workforce down with them.

In today’s tight labor market, employers don’t expect you to have all the job experience they would like. They do, however, expect you to be willing to learn, and that means you need to be able to follow all kinds of directions. Whether you’re building an airplane or designing a computer program, the ability to take instructions will elevate your career to new heights.

Believe it or not, there are company leaders out there who view friendships at work as obstacles to productivity. In their defense, they probably haven’t seen the Gallup research indicating otherwise. In fact, Gallup findings demonstrate a strong positive correlation between performance at work and friendships, and women who have a best friend on the job are more than twice as likely to say they’re engaged as the women who lack a best friend. Other benefits include 36% fewer safety incidents and an incredible 12% increase in profit.

According to a survey of employers conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 87% of respondents report that integrity is among the most important qualities an entry-level job candidate can possess. That’s not surprising, since the decisions you make as an employee can have ramifications for a business in surprising ways. If you try and overcharge customers and pocket the extra money, for example, it reflects badly on the entire company and will inevitably cost a customer for life.

Humor probably isn’t on your shortlist of skills that will help you get ahead at work, but a Robert Half International survey shows that 91% of executives think it should be. In fact, research by the Bell Leadership Institute indicates that the two most desirable leadership traits are a strong work ethic and – believe it or not – a sense of humor.

If you’ve ever been micromanaged at work, the recent research linking higher levels of autonomy with increased engagement and well-being won’t come as a shock. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine how anyone could be happy in an environment where a manager is constantly peeking over shoulders to make sure things are getting done. Micromanagement is unproductive from the company perspective as well. Employees are hired to perform a certain role, and having someone watch over them constantly is a needless waste of time and money.

Patience was described as a heavenly virtue as early as 410 AD, but it’s been largely forgotten in our modern age of instant messages, instant results, and instant gratification. While patience is still a necessary ingredient for a desirable employee, it’s becoming increasingly rare—but you can turn things around.

Our culture is constantly sending us the message that high achievers have incredible inborn abilities that the rest of us don’t. Just think about the fact that we describe athletes, artists, and other individuals as “gifted.” It implies they were born with their abilities and put in zero work to unlock them. Natural aptitudes are certainly real, but it requires an incredible amount of effort to achieve at the highest levels no matter how talented you might be. For those of us who aren’t world-class at what we do, perseverance is even more important.

In today’s tight job market, employers can’t have it all. Instead, they need to make tough choices to fill critical vacancies as quickly as possible. In this kind of hiring environment, a company forced to choose between talent, experience, and reliability is going to take the reliable candidate every time. They can teach skills and let you gain experience on the job, but they can’t do anything if you don’t show up or choose to walk out the door just weeks after onboarding.

Being a team player isn’t a popularity contest, and while social media culture teaches people to value “likes” and “favorites,” there’s something far more important to your career that’s also more difficult to quantify: respect. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), respect was the top predictor of overall job satisfaction.

No one wants to work at a job where they feel disrespected, no matter what kind of compensation is being offered. In the current hiring climate, where retention is critical in order to successfully run a company, employers are looking for workers who can demonstrate sincere respect for the people around them and create an environment where everyone is welcome.

Right after the recession of 2008, layoffs were rampant and unemployment was high. With so many desperate people looking for jobs, employers could be very selective about who they chose to recruit. Now, those days are over and the tables have turned. With unemployment at its lowest rate in decades, employers are desperate for people who can fill vacant positions. Instead of demanding years of experience, they’re looking for one specific thing: trainability.

Think about the last time you were away from your phone for more than an hour. Having trouble remembering? You’re not the only one. Our phones have become our constant companions, and they’re frequently the last thing we look at before going to sleep as well as the alarm that wakes us up. In fact, research gathered from users of the RescueTime app indicates that the average person spends 3.25 hours each day on their phones. With notifications following us everywhere and telling us what to do, it’s no wonder the boundaries between work and personal lives have blurred.

You’ve probably heard a famous quote at one time or another that’s commonly (and mistakenly) attributed to Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” The fact that this phrase was actually written by philosopher Will Durant in 1926 makes it no less true, and if that revelation pains you, rest assured that he was summarizing Aristotle’s own viewpoint. The point is that the most worthwhile endeavors aren’t achieved in a single day, but rather they’re the culmination of many days of consistently striving. In order to reach your full potential, you need to create an effective daily routine that puts time to work for you instead of against you.

When you’re at the beginning of your career, working long hours in the hopes of getting ahead, it can be easy to overlook things like your physical health. Running on caffeine and energy drinks, you work late nights and forgo your fitness with the well-intentioned plan to make up for it later. The problem is that these habits that will be harder to break the more ingrained they become.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than one-third of Americans suffer from sleep deprivation. That comes at a cost, and a survey from Rand Europe estimates that the economic burden of these tired or absent employees exceeds an astounding $400 billion each year.

Research from NonprofitSource indicates that Americans volunteered $193 billion worth of time in 2016—an incredible show of generosity that’s vital to keep non-profits and the people they serve thriving. Giving back to the community has big benefits, both to the people on the receiving end of your generosity and for your own sense of happiness and well-being.

The studies don’t lie—gratitude can have powerful effects on your physical and mental health. According to a 2012 study in Personality and Individual Differences, grateful people actually felt less physical pain, and other research indicates that gratitude reduces depression and boosts overall happiness. The best part? Gratitude is also a skill that you can practice every day.

According to information from the Sierra Club, the average American consumes as many natural resources as 35 Indians or 53 Chinese. It’s an alarming statistic, and it illustrates that – as much attention as we’re starting to pay to sustainability – we still have a long way to go.

According to a customer sentiment survey from UnitedHealthcare, just 9% of Americans displayed an understanding of all four basic health insurance terms. That dismal number means that most people aren’t managing their healthcare effectively.

According to the American Institute of Stress, around 40% of workers describe their job as very or extremely stressful, and 65% of employees say that workplace stress causes difficulties. Stress symptoms vary widely, but they can include neck pain, difficulty sleeping, eye strain, and even anger or violence. 50% of workers admitted they needed help dealing with stress.

Chances are, you don’t make a conscious decision to eat fast food a few times each week. Instead, those unhealthy decisions are made in the moment, when you didn’t bring lunch to work or you’re returning from a late night and you don’t have anything to eat at home. The thing is, cooking ahead of time isn’t just healthier—it can also save you thousands of dollars over the course of the year. The key to creating cheap, nutritious meals doesn’t involve watching the Food Network or learning to cook on par with Gordon Ramsay or Ina Garten. Instead, you just need to plan ahead.

Mindfulness has been taking the business world by storm, largely thanks to Silicon Valley executives such as Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and Google co-founder Sergey Brin who have become enthusiastic advocates of the practice. Meditation has been shown to reduce anxiety, alleviate insomnia, and even increase productivity, so it’s no wonder a growing number of people are passionate practitioners.

Nutrition can be confusing—particularly since experts frequently hold differing opinions, which explains the sheer quantity of diets out there. From the paleo diet, which makes lean meats, fish, and nuts the centerpoint, to the Keto diet which eliminates carbohydrates almost entirely, there are many nutrition programs purporting to have all the answers. While some of these could be good for you depending on your specific dietary needs, there are easier ways to improve your health without cutting every last carbohydrate.

If you find yourself saying yes to everything that’s asked of you (and regretting it later), you’re a people-pleaser. These individuals put the needs and wants of others above their own, and while it sounds like a shining example of selflessness, it can actually be tied to low self-esteem. Not surprisingly, when you define your worth by your ability to make other people happy, it’s a recipe for stress, burnout, and even depression.

As our existence becomes more digital and work invades every aspect of our lives, it’s no wonder employees are struggling with anxiety, depression, chronic stress, and other ailments. The good news is that there are resources out there that can help. According to a study by the UK’s Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) that looked at the outcome of upwards of 28,000 counseling interactions, improvement or recovery were achieved and incredible 70% of the time.

Research from the U.S. Travel Association found that 52% of American employees left paid time off (PTO) days on the table in 2017. That decision made for 212 million forfeited days, worth an estimated $62.2 billion. This type of behavior can also lead to additional stress and burnout. If you’re struggling to improve your work-life balance, you’re not alone.

According to a 2017 survey from Ipsos, 28% of Americans report that work is a major source of stress in their lives, and about a quarter of respondents say they’re experiencing more workplace-related stress than they did in the year prior. It’s a worrying trend, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), work-related stress comes with a host of health burdens. Headaches, stomach aches, anxiety, and insomnia are just a few of the symptoms directly associated with stress, and it can also exacerbate existing conditions from depression to heart disease.

It’s 4:00pm, and it’s been a long day. Halfway through a meeting, your mind starts to wander as you try and remember what your spouse asked you to pick up at the grocery store on the way home. Was it flour? No, sugar. For a cake, maybe? But wait—your uncle is diabetic, and he’ll be coming over for dinner. Before you know it, you’re sending a quick note about how the cake needs to be sugar-free. When you’re physically at work, how often are you mentally somewhere else? If you’re like most people, it happens all the time. It feels unavoidable, but you can absolutely learn how to become more attentive.

Email is the most common form of communication in the corporate world, used for everything from prospecting for potential clients to keeping internal teams operating as a unit. Even as solutions like Slack and Google Hangouts emerge as competitors to the old-fashioned email, the inbox remains dominant, and Radicati reported that the average American employee received 126 emails each day in 2019.

Have you ever met someone who treated deadlines as if they were casual suggestions? They aren’t bad people, but they sure can be difficult to work with. Almost every project in the business world is a collaboration of some sort, with individuals or groups chipping in various pieces to create a finished product. When you can’t count on the timely delivery of those pieces, productivity can quickly grind to a halt.

It often feels like motivation is hard to come by. Even with the best intentions, it will always be easier to hit the snooze button than it is to get out of bed and take on the world. Fortunately, motivation is in many ways like a muscle, which means you can get better at it if you’re willing to put in the practice.

Even though multitasking has come under fire (evidently, we’re not as good at it as we think we are), it’s still a necessity in the workplace. There are very few jobs these days that don’t require you to juggling competing demands for your time, and that means multitasking skills will be imperative to help you make the most of your eight-hour workday.

Organization is more than just a neat, clutter-free workspace. It’s about managing information in a way that makes it more accessible and useful. In a whitepaper titled The Price of Disorganization in the Workplace, researchers found that the cost of looking for lost items and lost files amounts to $177 billion annually. It’s no wonder organizational skills are invaluable to employers.

We all know someone who’s never on time—that friend who shows up late to their own birthday party. They always have excuses, but no one is buying them. In a social setting, being late can be a little abrasive to the people left waiting on you. In the professional world, it can sabotage your career. Skeptical? A CareerBuilder survey found that a full 41% of employers have fired someone for being late. Yikes.

Record keeping is an important part of small business ownership, and it can be costly if it isn’t done properly. There are lots of tax deductions out there for small business owners, but the IRS requires business owners to keep detailed records. If you claim deductions and then get audited and can’t produce the records, you won’t just bear a bigger tax burden—you’ll face stiff penalties for the oversight.

Scheduling is a vital part of many jobs. You can’t expect to juggle meetings, project deadlines, pitches, and training sessions if you don’t have a reliable scheduling strategy. Whether you opt to write commitments down in a physical calendar or you go digital with tools such as Evernote’s Planner or Google Calendars, you’ve probably got a system that works for you. Now all you have to do is apply that skill to your life outside of work.

For the better part of your youth, you’re shepherded through the education system with little real control over the direction you’re going. You might be able to choose certain electives or extracurriculars or pick which sports you’re going to play, but for the most part, your course load is established for you. Things change in college, where you pick a field of study to major in, but it’s a decision that’s often made in haste as your first year comes to an end. Once you’ve graduated, the good news is that you can go in any direction you want. The overwhelming part is the sheer number of options.

How many times have you gone to check something on your phone and then ended up on Instagram. After a blur of scrolling, a quick glance at the clock jolts you back to reality and you’re left wondering “Where has the time gone?” We’ve all been there, and it isn’t just social media that causes us to lose track of what we’re doing.

Do you remember what happened when your third-grade teacher would leave the room, even for a minute? It was probably pandamonium. Kids started fidgeting, then talking, then yelling and laughing as paper airplanes took to the skies. For unsupervised kids, that’s pretty normal behavior. The problem is that some adults need a similar degree of supervision in the workplace, and it’s enough to make any employer feel like an overworked teacher. Fortunately, that also means that demonstrating your abilities to self-supervise will immediately impress your manager.

We live in the age of distractions, where advertisements, apps, and notifications are constantly clamoring for our attention. According to research from Udemy, smartphones alone are costing Millennial and Gen Z employees at least two hours in productivity every single day. That’s more than a quarter of working hours. In this environment, staying on task has become an essential skill that you must master if you hope to accomplish anything.

When Steve Jobs was reinstated as the CEO of Apple after being ousted 12 years earlier, the company was in dire straits. By some accounts, it was just weeks from bankruptcy, but Jobs managed to turn it into the most valuable company in the world. How did he accomplish this feat? Strategic planning.

If you find yourself working late hours and still watching missed deadlines sail by, you either have an unrealistic workload or poor time management skills. If you’re like most people, it’s probably the latter. A study from Workfront found that just 39% of the average workday is spent on work, and you might recognize where the rest goes. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: 65 minutes to news websites, 44 minutes to social media, 40 minutes chatting with coworkers, and even 26 minutes searching for a new job are some of the most common time wasters out there.

In the same way a carpenter starts out by learning the tools of the trade, corporate jobs come with their own set of tools that employees must learn to use. Quite a few, in fact. According to research from Okta Inc., companies around the globe use an average of 129 apps. These solutions might initially seem complex and clunky, but give it some time and you’ll probably grow to appreciate their presence.

In 1995, Elon Musk was passed over for a job at Netscape. A year later, he was ousted from his position as CEO of Zip2, a company he co-founded. In 2000, he was ousted from PayPal while on his honeymoon, and in 2006 the first SpaceX rocket exploded. It wouldn’t be the last. The following year a second rocket exploded, and in 2008 a third explosion occurred, this time with NASA satellites on board. After this disaster, both SpaceX and Tesla were staring bankruptcy in the face, and the easiest option for Musk probably would have been to throw in the towel and give up. Instead, he did what the best entrepreneurs always do: he overcame that long list of failures and persisted.