Workplace and Leadership Skills

The lessons at a glance

1. Professionalism and your first week at work

Your first week in a job, internship or volunteering role shapes how people see you for months. Nobody expects you to be an expert, but everyone notices whether you are on time, curious, careful and easy to work with.

• Plan logistics the night before and arrive a little early.
• Ask questions rather than guessing, and batch them when people are busy.
• Own mistakes quickly and explain how you will fix them.
• Agree clear goals and regular check-ins with your manager.
• Observe and learn before trying to change things.

2. Writing professional emails and messages

At work, most first impressions happen in writing. A clear email gets a fast, helpful reply; a vague one gets ignored or causes mistakes. This lesson goes beyond basic greetings (covered in Etiquette) to the structure that makes work messages effective.

• Write subject lines like headlines: specific, with dates if urgent.
• Purpose first, then context, then your request and the next step.
• When in doubt, be more formal and leave out jokes.
• Do not send emails when upset; wait and reread.
• Use Cc, Bcc and reply-all carefully.

3. Teamwork with different personalities and cultures

Most work, from school projects to hospital wards, is done in teams. Good teams are not made of perfect people. They share some specific habits that you can help create, whatever your role.

• Google's Project Aristotle found psychological safety, dependability, structure and clarity, meaning and impact matter most.
• Storming is a normal stage of team development.
• Focus on behaviour and tasks, not personality labels.
• Culture models are starting questions, not stereotypes.
• Being dependable is something every team member can offer.

4. Time management, reliability and managing your manager

Being reliable is one of the fastest ways to earn trust at work. It is less about working longer and more about choosing the right tasks, being honest about time and keeping the people you work for informed.

• Do urgent and important tasks first; schedule important ones before they become urgent.
• Promise only what you can deliver, then close the loop.
• Warn early when a deadline is at risk and offer a solution.
• Ask your manager how and how often they want updates.
• Rest is part of reliability.

5. Public speaking and presentations

Presenting is a skill, not a personality trait. With a clear structure, simple slides and enough practice, most people can give a confident talk, and nerves become manageable.

• Use a clear introduction, body and conclusion.
• Aim for about one slide per minute, with few words and large text.
• Rehearse out loud, standing, with a timer.
• Nerves usually peak at the start and fade; plan your opening and breathe.
• It is fine to pause, and fine to say 'I do not know, but I will find out'.

6. Negotiation basics: BATNA and interests

You negotiate more than you think: shift swaps, group project roles, prices at a souk, your first salary. Good negotiation is not about winning against someone. It is about understanding what both sides really need and knowing your options.

• Positions are what people say they want; interests are why.
• Your BATNA is what you will do if there is no deal.
• Know your reservation value before you start.
• Brainstorm options and use fair, objective standards.
• Confirm agreements in writing and protect the relationship.

7. Leadership without a title

You do not need to be head student or team captain to lead. Leadership is about influence: helping a group move toward a shared goal. That can start in a club, a class project or a volunteering shift.

• Leadership is about influence and helping a group, not a title.
• Self-awareness, communication, influence and learning agility can all be developed.
• Model the behaviour you want from others.
• Reliability and making it safe to speak build trust.
• Small projects are real leadership experience.

8. Feedback: giving and receiving it well

Feedback is how you and the people around you get better. Given well, it is specific and kind. Received well, it is something you are curious about, even when it stings.

• Use Situation, Behaviour, Impact: specific, observable, and honest about the effect.
• Ask about intent before drawing conclusions.
• Notice truth, relationship and identity triggers when receiving feedback.
• Ask clarifying questions to make vague feedback useful.
• You can thank someone for feedback without agreeing with all of it.

Talk about it, then try it

The real-life practice tasks from each lesson. Pick one or two a week and agree when you will check in.

1. Professionalism and your first week at work
   • Before your next job, internship or volunteering shift, write and practise a 60-second introduction out loud.
   • Create a 'questions list' note on your phone and use it for one week at school or work, asking your questions in batches.
   • After your first week anywhere new, write three lines: what went well, one mistake and what you learned from it, one goal for next week.
2. Writing professional emails and messages
   • Find three emails you sent recently (to a teacher, coach or club). Rewrite one using the purpose, context, request, next step structure.
   • Write a professional email asking a teacher or club leader for something specific (a reference, a meeting, an extension) and ask an adult to review it before sending.
   • For one week, give every email you send a subject line specific enough that you could find it by searching.
3. Teamwork with different personalities and cultures
   • At your next group project, suggest a 10-minute kick-off where the team agrees the goal, each person's role and deadlines, and write it down.
   • Try the silent idea-writing technique in one meeting or group study session and notice who contributes.
   • Think of someone from a different background you work or study with. Ask them, politely and with curiosity, how deadlines or feedback usually work in their previous school or workplace.
4. Time management, reliability and managing your manager
   • List everything on your plate this week and sort it into the four Eisenhower boxes. Cross out at least one item in the 'do not do' box.
   • For five days, write your top three tasks each morning and tick them off each evening.
   • Next time you have two deadlines that clash, practise asking a teacher or supervisor to help you prioritise using the script in this lesson.
5. Public speaking and presentations
   • Prepare a three-minute talk on something you know well, using the introduction, three points and conclusion structure, with no more than three slides.
   • Record yourself giving it on your phone, watch it back and note one thing to improve. Then present it to a family member or friend.
   • Write down the five questions you would most dread being asked about your talk, and prepare a short answer to each.
6. Negotiation basics: BATNA and interests
   • Think of a recent disagreement (with a sibling, friend or teammate). Write down each person's position and then each person's likely interests.
   • Before your next purchase or request (a price, a deadline extension, a shift), write your BATNA and your reservation value on paper.
   • Use the 'why' question in one real conversation this week to uncover what someone really needs.
7. Leadership without a title
   • Pick one of the Five Practices and do one concrete action this week, for example thanking a teammate by name for a specific contribution (Encourage the Heart).
   • Identify one small problem at school or in your community and write a one-paragraph plan: the goal, who could help, the first step and a date.
   • After your next group task, ask two teammates: 'What is one thing I did that helped, and one thing I could do better?'
8. Feedback: giving and receiving it well
   • Give one piece of positive feedback this week using the full SBI structure, to a friend, sibling or teammate.
   • Ask a teacher or coach: 'What is one thing I could do better?' Write the answer down and choose one action.
   • Next time feedback stings, write down which of the three triggers you felt (truth, relationship or identity) before responding.

Quiz

Name: ______________________ Date: ____________ Circle one answer for each question.

Answer key

1. D: Robert Half: your manager would rather you ask the question than misunderstand and complete a task wrong.
2. C: Robert Half: own up immediately, show you understand what went wrong and explain how you will put it right.
3. C: UNC Writing Center: briefly state your purpose for writing at the very beginning of your message.
4. B: UNC Writing Center: when in doubt, address someone more formally to avoid offending them.
5. B: Google re:Work: the five dynamics are psychological safety, dependability, structure and clarity, meaning and impact.
6. A: MIT Human Resources: in Storming, frustration and disagreement about goals, roles and constraints surface.
7. C: Eisenhower.me: important but not-so-urgent tasks should be scheduled, and effective time managers spend most of their time here.
8. C: Eisenhower.me: what is neither urgent nor important, do not do at all.
9. B: UCL: a good rule of thumb is one PowerPoint slide per minute.
10. A: Mayo Clinic: anxiety often peaks at the start of a talk and fades within minutes.
11. A: Harvard PON: BATNA is your best alternative to a negotiated agreement, what you will do if you do not reach a deal.
12. A: Harvard PON: once they understood the interests (no time to prepare, worry about cost), they chose an affordable restaurant.
13. A: Center for Creative Leadership: the Fundamental 4 are self-awareness, communication, influence and learning agility.
14. D: Center for Creative Leadership: early on, influence means persuading people without formal authority.
15. D: Center for Creative Leadership: describe only observable behaviour, for example 'You interrupted me', not judgements like 'You were rude'.
16. C: Center for Creative Leadership: SBII adds Intent, asking about the person's original intentions and then listening.

General information only, written from the sources listed in each online lesson. Laws, numbers and services change, so check official sources. Life-Ready Society, https://lifereadysociety.com/workplace-skills/