Heat control took alot of time for me to get down, and in hindsight, it's a very important skill. I used to not have the patience for it, but, when you're doing a dish that needs low heat, just wait- it's worth it.
Knife skills- also important. I think alot of folks can probably manage to do most of your basic cuts, but I know alot of folks who don't hold their knife correctly. Start with the basics.
A good sense of time... develop an internal timer that rings automatically to let you know when its time to pull something out of the oven, fryer, pan, etc. This is probably more important in restaurant work, but its quite handy in the home when you've got a large spread you're putting on the table by yourself. Actually it's handy most of the time.
Creativity- Get crazy. Not insane, but crazyis good. Don't be afraid to throw together some odd ingredients together and see what happens. If it comes out terrible, just remember that BBQ sauce can fix a lot of things... or if it's really terrible you can always throw it away or feed it to your dog; trust me when I say they appreciate it.
KISS Philosophy- I think it's important in the home kitchen, but depending on your style, everyone may not agree. KISS is an acronym for Keep It Simple, Stupid. I did just say get crazy, so this sort of sounds like it contradicts that... I suppose what I mean is that you don't need to throw every spice in your pantry into a dish for it to be crazy... and you don't need to sample a finished dish and try to jazz it up in 10 seconds before you serve it. At that point the dish is finished, it is what it is, and last ditch attempts to make it something else are likely to be futile. Also, if something's done and you want to change it, don't cook it longer... b/c then it's just overcooked.