The Career Game Loop: Durable Skills

Each of us wants to give our best in the places where we serve, but have we given adequate attention to developing the skills needed to succeed?

In her book The Career Game Loop, author Jessica Lindl suggests two types of fundamental skills to consider in employing someone: technical skills and durable skills. Technical skills would be understanding new software, new coding language, or new tools. For those not in the gaming industry, these might be effective oral communication or basic computer skills. Often these are specific to a particular industry or type of work. Durable skills include adaptability, resilience, and emotional intelligence. These are valuable in any context.

Lindl writes, “These abilities often get mislabeled as soft skills, suggesting that they possess less power or import than technical skills. But the reality is that durable skills take us farther, faster, for longer.”

Let me apply this to ministry roles. A person may be an excellent preacher, worship leader, or age group leader—well equipped with technical skills. However, do they have the durable skills that will help them to be effective in leadership, equipping others, and team building?

A key point is that durable skills can be learned just as one can learn technical skills. Mentors and coaches can play an important role in helping a person in assessing their durable skills and then finding ways to develop them further. With the right support, we can learn strategies to be adaptable, resilient, and emotionally intelligent.

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