MORGAN STANLEY: Here are 5 communication skills to help build your career

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“Just keep your head down and do a good job, and that will speak for itself.”

How often have you heard that before? If this was ever true, it certainly isn’t enough in today’s workplace, says Keishi Hotsuki, Morgan Stanley’s Chief Risk Officer. Business communication skills are essential.

“When you first start a career in a quantitative job like risk management, you need to show how good your hard skills are and that you can deliver your assignments well. But eventually you’ll need to transition from being a good player to a good leader.”

In his 30-year long career, Hotsuki has found that the bigger the role, the more sophisticated the communication skills need to be. “My first year as Chief Risk Officer was an enlightening experience,” he says, “because the biggest challenge of the job turned out to be communication. And as you become more senior, you realize that everything comes down to the soft skills.”

Hotsuki has developed a shortlist of five essential communications skills over the years, some of which he’s culled from experts—the rest from experience. He refers to them frequently to keep his skills sharp, and shares them with his mentees: