This question originally appeared on Quora: Skills: What are some of the most useful skills to know? Answer by Pedram Keyani, Engineering Director of Growth @ Uber.
1. Taking Feedback
For most of us it is hard to hear how we made a mistake or could have done something better. An amazing skill (which you can learn through practice) is to set aside your emotional response in the moment and focus on the information presented to you. Some of it will be valid and some of it invalid but let your brain decide that, not your ego.
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2. Recovering from Failure
Don't collapse. Get up, brush yourself off and figure out how to use that experience to make yourself stronger and more ready for the future. Simple advice but not easy.
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3. Apologizing
It needs to be sincere, not qualified, not quantified and also needs outline how X will not happen again. If your apology sounds like "I'm sorry that you felt hurt because of X. I was in a rush and usually don't do X." it focuses on how they feel, not what you did and also excuses your actions.
"I'm sorry I was late for the meeting. It must have been frustrating because you spent a lot of time preparing and got up early. I did a poor job accounting for traffic and didn't give myself enough buffer. That is my bad and I'm going to give myself an extra 10 minutes instead of 5 moving forward."
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4. Giving Thanks
Recognize the people who support you and bring goodness to your life and the world around you. Let them know that they matter and you appreciate them and that you wouldn't be the person you are without their support. None of us can survive alone, despite what we may think, so be generous with your thanks.
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5. Prioritizing
Make sure your time, energy and focus is spent on your priorities. Most people get mixed up because they don't have a clear understanding of their priorities and they change without them putting any thought into it. List out your priorities, make a plan for them, execute. Simple advice but definitely not easy. I mess this one up from time to time.
