The 7½ key non-technical
skills for international
credit professionals!Angus Farr
1Networking
Broadly
Thinking about what to do:
• Before
• During
• After
In particular
Building rapport – ‘3-step’ questions:
• Situational
• Personal
• Business
2Presenting
Broadly
Managing the five key elements:
• Message
• Self
• Delivery
• Audience
• Materials
In particular
Dealing with awkward questions:
• Repeat
• Reflect
• Deflect
• Defer
3Negotiating
Broadly
Understanding a little about:
• Definitions
• Contexts
• Outcomes
• Stages
• Skills
In particular
Bargaining positions:
• Ideal
• Realistic
• Fallback
• And don’t forget your BATNA
4Personal impact
Broadly
Understanding the importance of:
• Words
• Voice
• Non-verbal communication
In particular
Body language should be:
• Congruent
• Confident
• Comfortable
5Strategic thinking
Broadly
Develop a ‘toolkit’:
• Business planning models– PEST, 5 Forces, BCG, Ansoff, Pareto, 5M
• Strategic financial literacy– key ratios and margins– investment appraisal (ROCE v PB v NPV)
In particular
Growth (Ansoff) matrix
Existing markets
New markets
Existing products / services
Market penetration
Market development
New products / services
Product development Diversification
6Managing time
Broadly
Urgency
Importance
Criticalactivities
Interruptions
Distractions Important goals
In particular
Urgency
Importance
Do it!Delegate it?
Dump it?Diarise it!
7Managing performan
ce
Broadly
Understand why ‘performance gaps’ emerge in the first place:
• Can’t do it!
• Didn’t know!
• Won’t do it!
Training and development
Feedback and expectations
Motivation
In particular
Constructive feedback:
• Descriptive rather than evaluative
• Structured – SAC
• Agreed
• Focussed on improvement
7Developing
yourself!½