Professional Proficiencies Lead to Opportunity
August 4, 2025
IBC Professional Proficiencies Lead to Opportunity
The Iowa Business Council is focusing on a set of professional proficiencies identified by our members. The IBC Professional Proficiencies cut across all industries, occupations, and jobs and can further be applied to government and nonprofit sectors throughout our state.
The four aptitudes, identified below, were created after a thorough review and interview process across the IBC membership. While many employers continue to express a desire and need for specific and technical skillsets, every IBC company expressed consistent themes centered around professional and soft skills that can be applied throughout the entire labor force.
Whether an individual is newly entering the workforce or is at the midpoint of their career, becoming well-versed in the IBC Professional Proficiencies will enhance a person’s ability to make positive contributions to their organization. As a result, these skills will further individual opportunity to advance in their organization or become more marketable to other organizations.
The IBC will continue to partner with school districts and postsecondary educational institutions to further articulate the importance of the IBC Professional Proficiencies to the emerging workforce while doubling down on our efforts to ensure we provide opportunities to upskill and reskill our existing workforce.
We encourage you to follow along this week during our campaign to see real-world examples from our CEO members describing the importance of the skillsets below.
Communication and Social Engagement
- Be able to clearly, professionally, and directly communicate in verbal and written form across your team and to direct supervisors.
- Be socially cognizant on appropriate ways to engage team members – eye contact, hold and carry a conversation, avoid inappropriate phone use in a professional setting.
- Become adaptive to collaborating with a wide array of stakeholders and/or team members in working towards a common goal.
Organizational and Service Mindset
- Adopt an organizational/service mindset in that your efforts contribute toward an organization’s, not an individual’s, goal, mission, or strategy.
- A high performer will understand the difference and understand that achieving a service mindset leads to individual success and opportunity within the company and/or industry.
- Develop a long-term view and a realistic expectation of current role, variable/changing workflow, and how performance today impacts trajectory long-term.
Resiliency and Grit
- Work towards overcoming an obstacle or challenge knowing it may take a lot of time.
- Stay committed to a long-term goal while working through adversity and setbacks.
- Demonstrate a strong work ethic while showing up and show up on time.
- Understand everyone receives constructive feedback and be open and ready to receive opportunities for performance improvement.
Tolerance for Ambiguity and Change
- Be able to thrive in a setting where circumstances or direction are not always clear.
- Engage in problem solving, creative thinking, and understand the tasks assigned to you are your responsibility.
- Become a self-starter while working towards a common organizational or team goal.
- Engage in leadership development opportunities as more workers advance to retirement.
