Skill stacking is the new currency. It is a new way of excelling in the profession and building authority for your work. It can prove to be a valuable asset for your continued growth and would encourage you to be a better version of yourself.
Have you wondered how your life would change if you could utilize all the skills that you have left behind while you became a professional in one domain?
Whether it was writing, public speaking, or teaching, have you ever thought if all these skills can still work in your favor?
If yes, the real question is How?
You just have to learn them enough to utilize them in a way that compliments your primary role in the domain.
Whether it’s about getting ahead in writing your daily reports or finding a better marketing copy for your next client proposal.
Stacking up the right and relevant skills can help you foresee unexpected situations. It can give you the confidence to tackle such odd circumstances professionally.
This will not only help you to stand out but will also build your work portfolio in the best way possible.
Skill stacking is not only about gaining multiple skills in time. Together, they improve your chance to evolve faster in your career and create better opportunities.
Stacking your skills can also be a game changer for your personal life. It can help you moderate the amount of stress by picking up interesting hobbies that actually spark your curiosity. They can give you the motivation you lack.
Leveraging your interest in professional skills can help you boost your confidence. Sometimes, it can even help you discover a new career.
In this blog, you will learn about the power of skill stacking. You will explore why it is important in the present world and mainly why upskilling is the ultimate secret to a fulfilling career.
Skill Stacking 101: The Ultimate Secret To A Fulfilling Career
Skill stacking is like the internet in today’s time. You can choose to live without it but eventually, you would have to update yourself to the new trends and happenings.
It is the ultimate need of the hour, that can help you recognize your potential and find a way for better living.
The primary focus in skill stacking is to make you independent in the extremes of professional needs in today’s time.
For example, even if you are an excellent coder, you still need good communication skills to present your portfolio to your client or employer.
Similarly, apparel etiquette is an essential skill in today’s time. You need to understand the importance of dressing decorum and the consequences of wearing bold colors.
Adding to it, even sitting in an interview has certain rules and speaks louder than your professional expertise while in the room.
While skill stacking may look unimportant, without it you will be just another fish in the ocean, someone who can perform the required job role but never exceed expectations.
What is Skill Stacking?
I read about the concept of skill stacking for the first time in a book.
4 years ago when I began my professional journey as a writer, I also started reading self-improvement books.
One of the most influential books I have read to date is Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book introduced me to the concept of skill stacking and since then there has been no looking back.
In simple terms, skill stacking is about adding a bunch of skills that will outshine your overall performance.
It is putting time and effort into a range of other useful tools that can help you stand out and present yourself more authentically and reliably.
For example, let’s say you are a content manager, and you excel in marketing your content which gets your clients the results. But you can’t just focus on numbers and content. Some of the useful skills to add are copywriting, graphic designing, and time management.
Put all these together and you will feel the difference as you become unbeatable in the game.
Why is Skill Stacking Important?
“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere”
– Chinese Proverb
We live in changing yet challenging times today. Not to mention most of our jobs are becoming easier to delegate and computers are becoming smarter to imitate our working speeds.
Skill stacking is the solution to show that you can be trusted in these evolving times and challenging environments.
Taking charge of every aspect of your profile can reduce a lot of expectations for the higher subordinates and give you the freedom to excel on your own terms.
Not to mention, skill stacking gives you that golden chance to answer the questions you have been wondering yourself.
For example, spending time to design your ideas into a carousel will give you more gratification, than just wondering why there is a yellow box in the middle of the post.
Yes, it can be intimidating to ask yourself about the things that have been sitting in your drafts and mind. But, not doing them will only add to your procrastination.
Doing the task yourself and figuring it out is always better than wondering whether you will be able to manage everything or not.
Thus, making learning a daily habit can simplify your major tasks and create an insanely better understanding of your work.
What Role Does Skill Stacking Hold in Your Profession?
Imagine you are a chef, who is extraordinary in his work. You are well-recognized and know your worth.
One day, the management requests you to work on a unique dish that would favor their investors and help them build the reputation for their restaurant.
Now, this is nothing new to you. You are a well-seasoned professional that can easily build you the dish.
But, how will you stand out?
If you have the skill of spotting the trend in socials for that particular country and you know exactly the hot topic for your investor’s side of the world, you can get their attention.
You will be able to make a reckoned mark with your dish. This added knowledge will lead you to cook an irreplaceable dish that will give them the perception of your trendy meal.
How to Build Your Skills?
About four years ago, the pandemic hit and the world stood still.
Everyone stopped and I was frustrated too. I was just out of college and had no idea what to do.
I studied for my master’s and was preparing to enter the working world with excitement but then suddenly going out was not an option anymore.
So, I started freelancing.
Initially, as a Graduate in Literature, I was always interested in writing and have done it previously.
But this time it demanded me to work on various aspects of the profession. Here’s what my skill stack looks like:
- Writing (Of course)
- Sales
- Designing
- Marketing
- Persuasion
- Copywriting
- Time management
- Finance management
Initially, it was hard to understand all of it. But after clearly focusing on the roots of the issues I was able to build a system for myself.
Instead of multitasking, I approached one skill at a time and acquired it with regular practice and implementation.
That did not only work for me, but it outshined my expertise and helped me to focus on deadlines and meeting new people in every domain.
Looking at my stacked skills and finding the right solutions to all the problems, my clients were impressed by my results, and that elevated both my career and confidence.
This ultimately led me to work on this blog and grow it.
Questions to Ask Before You Stack Your Skills
Now before you boggle your mind with the pool of skills that you can add to elevate your career, here are a few questions that you can ask yourself:
1. What will it add to my current skill set?
This is a modified question for your own path, as everyone else is walking on a different one out there. Be sure that the skill you are adding aligns with your profession.
2. Will it help me make my career sustainable?
Now this is one of the most important questions that will mold your choices as this is the end goal, to make your career sustainable.
What are the best problems that you can solve, whose solutions are a bit difficult to replace?
How will you bring a better system to your profession?
Your skills must save you from things like evolving technology so that they don’t bother you, rather you can use them as tools to leverage your career.
3. What does my profession look like without the skill?
Imagine being the most advanced coder in the room but failing to communicate in an interview. You lack communication skills and now even with your best work, you are yet to receive the confirmation.
This is where you pay attention to fill the missing piece in your skill set puzzle. This will also add to your portfolio.
Thus, add as many perspectives as you need before answering this question, so it can give you optimal results.
4. Which aspect of my portfolio will greatly benefit from it?
While this varies from person to person, this question can lead you to explore new possibilities and find something you truly enjoy.
Clarity about your career will highly benefit from your skill addition. It can help you find new options and review your past choices as a professional.
5. Why is it needed?
Skill stacking and being mindful of the addition can make you an expert in a particular field. It can help you position yourself as the authority, just as it has done with me as a blogger and writer.
6. Will it create a difference in my problem-solving process?
The ultimate goal of skill stacking is to become a go-to person for solving industry-related issues. It is also about being familiar with the pain points of your consumers.
As you learn more skills and become an adviser in the profession you can confidently deal with customer issues and solve them with conviction.
This not only builds an impressive profile but it will also boost your self-esteem to solve unseen situations.
7. Will it escalate the time of my work completion?
Being an all-rounder in a profession is directly proportional to solving issues with immense expertise. It is about reducing the total time consumed to overcome the obstacles.
Doing so not only makes you stand out but also builds long-term trust with the client or the company as they have the set example of you handling tough situations smoothly.
8. Does it work in the long term?
Ask yourself, am I investing in the skill that will have a long-lasting impact?
Declutter the results and choose what suits the best for you.
9. What are the benefits of being an expert in that skill?
Be sure of the perks that come with skill stacking. Be clear about how it will change your current situation. Why does it matter to your profession and how will it help you stand out?
If all these answers are available to you, it is probably best for you to intently search and find ways to learn about that skill.
10. Why should I invest time in it?
“Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of all those around you.”
– Robin Sharma
To be precise, it is never too late to invest in yourself as it will always lead to the graph of your life only going up.
Now is the time to do so, tomorrow will always be unseen, yesterday is gone and perfection is a myth.
Conclusion
By now, I strongly believe that you would have acquired enough knowledge about skill stacking and its importance.
It can not only bring phenomenal change in your professional life but it can also make your personal life stress-free.
It can articulate and make you flexible enough to find the root cause of the problems and be ready for the unseen ones.
The journey to skill stacking can be scary but at the end of the day, all that matters is taking that one step.
Finding that one extra hour in your day. Gaining more authority in the profession you are already working in.
This will not only make you believe in yourself but it will also present you with a wonderful chance to meet your higher self that is a better version of you.
