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Inspite of all the roadblocks for growth, bureaucratic red tape and development hurdles which we still face, most would agree with me that we live in a dynamic India. A country and it's people who have realized their potential to be on the global map and are steadfastly moving in that direction. India today is a country which has grown out of it's feelings of being a victim of the Colonial era, to a young country which has "Ambition". The fact that our neighbor China is racing towards a position of global dominance in trade only helps fuel our ambition.

This "Ambition" can be seen across classes of our society. Take the Political Class, since 1996 we have sailed smoothly through the troubled waters of "Coalition Politics" without giving up on the economic agenda set in 1991 by the Narasimha Rao-Manmohan Singh duo. In their earlier stints as Chief Ministers, Chandrababu Naidu in AP and S.M.Krishna in Karnataka played exemplary roles in the political class providing leadership in furthering economic development. In Industry and Business, we have Indian Companies steadfastly moving into the Global arena as matter of strategy. It is not only happening in the new economy sectors like IT, but also in the old economy companies as can be seen from the global forays of A.V.Birla Group or the Sterlite Group. Today we have our own set of Global poster boys in the business arena, the likes of L.N. Mittal and Purnendu Chatterjee. We have new fields of industry and business, redefining the rules of society and culture, starting with IT, ITES and now the Retail boom. Now more then ever, we have the young Indian today who is looking not just for a Job, but opportunities for careers and business.

This skill inventory is a listing of observations and experiences which would be of use both to the young professional and the graduate students. These are essentially behavioral and soft skills they need to be aware of or acquire as they look out for opportunities either as professionals or as entrepreneurs. Some of these ideas may look unconventional and radical but they are nevertheless true and most often very effective. However readers should ideally understand the subtle difference between "flaunting a skill" and "using a skill".

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* Vijay V. Bhat, an MBA from SCMHRD, Pune, having worked in Managerial positions in the Manufacturing sector, is currently working as a Consultant with a Hyderabad based IT company. The views expressed here are personal and do not represent his organization.