What is fundamental skills for business? ~My first self-analysis~

The goal at the end of internship as “improvement of fundamental skill for business”

Hello. I’m Hikari who is working as an intern at a spa, SPA KHMER of kru khmer (a company which produces and sells spa products made of Cambodian origin) in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

This article, I will tell you about the first self-analysis of my life that I experienced at the beginning of the intern.

In my previous experience article, I described that “the goals, ‘improve sales by 120% compared with the previous fiscal year’ and ‘improve customer satisfaction’ as a company and the goal, ‘enhance fundamental skills for business’ as an individual intern, are given to me”.

Improving the “fundamental skills for business” such as individual independence, problem finding ability, flexibility, etc. is one means of achieving the goal as a company. I thought that it was in a relationship between purpose and means.
So I decided to analyze what skills and how much I had currently.

Reflect on myself and analyze myself for the first time in my life

Ashamed to say, I came to the end of my third year of university but I had not thought about my job hunting.
Although I had thought about my personality, weaknesses and strengths and the original experiences that compose it, I did not have the opportunity to output it.
It was my first attempt to grasp the current situation in one framework of “fundamental skills for business” this time.

“Fundamental skills for business” consists of three abilities (twelve capability elements): the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “ability to step forward” “ability to think hard” “ability to work in team”. ( Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry )
When I heard that it was an indicator made by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, I had a stubborn image, but I felt that each capability element was also an important ability in interns working with Cambodians as a member of the organization.

For example, flexibility.

I and Cambodian staff have different languages and backgrounds. We have different habits and ways of thinking in the first place.
Cambodian staff does not panic even when there is an urgent job that you want to do right now, Japanese people tend to rate Cambodian staff are “not hurrying, not keeping the delivery date”. But their point of view, there is a pace that can move in hot environments, and there is something that they understand with the body that the efficiency of work falls beyond that.

Flexible ability how you can change your thoughts from a Japanese way of thinking that emphasizes processes and work attitude to their way of focusing on the results (in a certain sense reasonable Cambodian style) is a very important to achieve goals during the internship.

I thought about a process to improve missing power

Regarding each of the twelve capabilities elements, I remembered my self-evaluation and the past behaviors that are the basis.
As a result, I felt that the problem discovering ability, working force and dissemination ability are my weak points. These were the same in the evaluation from my boss.

Then, how can I improve my lack of ability?

I thought about improving ability through output.
One example of the output was one of the projects that were left at that time.

The project was “Try to eliminate various unrest in the feedback from customers with the power of video”. The process of considering both the progress of the project and the fundamental skills for business was as follows.

“Draw insight with an eye on differences in customers’ attributes, customs, and values and discover issues, predict the ideal situation. Predict how much achievement will be achieved when the ideal image is achieved and proactively execute it while involving the surroundings towards the ideal image. Check the gap between the current situation and the ideal image and direction of the organization and report it to the boss in order to inform the customer about the appeal of the spa and remove their anxiety.”

It was aimed to improve fundamental skills for business such as problem discovering ability, planning ability, working force, subjectivity, executing ability and sending power.

I tried the PDCA cycle in this process.

Finished up to PDCA’s “C”. Have the lack ability improved?

From the results of planning, actions and checks, it was fruitful to realize again that it was “shortage” rather than improvement, and it was the harvest that I was able to notice how I should improve in the future.

Originally I was not good at expressing my opinions and feelings, so I was consciously reporting progress, talking schedule, and consulting issues with Cambodian staff and boss.

However, my boss told me, “Please tell me more what you think, what you want to do, and what you think”. I thought I was expressing my opinions and feelings more than usual, but it was still “short” for them.
It was an opportunity to realize that the level that I was convinced and the level that the other party asked for are different, I had not reached the level that I was asked for more.

In order to fill the gap between recognition of myself and the other person, I want to check the concrete goal image and the deadline which the other person see beforehand in advance, I want to act not only to satisfy it but also to exceed it is.

It is not easy to improve the fundamental skills for business, but I want to raise 12 capabilities elements by the end of the internship, through output for achieving the goal while planning the action plan each time.