THE next EXECUTIVE SKILL

THE next EXECUTIVE SKILL

 

Unlike other executive skills such as Communication, Leadership and Presentation this newest addition to the executive profile is technology based. The technology itself has been around for more than a century. The skill associated with the technology is only now gaining prominence.  Indeed the skill has been appreciated but mainly in a secondary manner. As a lower echelon organization skill. It has often been looked upon with disdain and in association with purely secretarial practice.

 

Even when non secretarial staff have been forced to use the skill, many do not seek to develop their ability to efficiently create their output. Testifying to this is the large number of two finger journalists who hammer away at keyboard trying to produce copy.

 

You may have guessed that I am talking about typing as an executive skill. Why is this skill about to gain a high profile in organizations. The fact is that computers have revolutionized the art of writing and documentation. Tough they have revolutionized how work is done they skill come with the ancient invention the typewriter keyboard.

 

Executive functions can no longer avoid coming face to face with the small screen to finalize their presentation or writing their report. Executives with poor keyboard skills are having to stay up several hours to make sure that their work is up to standard, they often tie down somebody else in the process of getting their report done.

 

Secretaries who can imagine and structure the bosses thoughts are becoming a scarce breed. And even if they were available there is always too much typing to be done anyway.. In reality in many positions the use of the keyboard is a necessity for at least part of the job. Performance is more and more judged on documented or computerized output. In many positions computerized output is the key indicator of productivity. In other words to a very large extent the level of executive output depends on keyboard skills. Try developing your executive staff keyboard skills and you may be surprised by the improvement of business performance and efficiency.

 

Information may well be the highlight of the 21st century and computers are tools that help produce that information. Computers will be made with keyboard attachments for sometime to come.

 

Allan Bukusi, 2001