Soft Skills Are People Too
Written by: Inez Jordan, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Recent research has shown that the skills commonly referred to as Soft skills are the deal-breakers to career elevation and success in the workplace. A more accurate description or label for these highly required skills is People Skills.
Everyone understands the value of technical skills. They are the talents and knowledge base that we need to do our jobs. However, the research shows that technical knowledge is a far less valuable asset when it comes to being successful in the workplace.
I have found numerous social media top skill lists for success in leadership and building relationships in the workplace. It was interesting to note that the skills considered must-have, top-priority characteristics on each list were related to working successfully with people or what I will refer to as a People skill. Please note that technical and knowledge-type skills were much further down on the top skill list.
The People skills included
Communicating well, clearly sharing your thoughts and opinions
Collaborating with others to share ideas
Showing empathy for others
Building connections, which leads to establishing relationships.
Open to listening to varying opinions or ideas
Sharing leadership and responsibility
Growth minded, open to learning new things
Confident, independent thinker
Dependable and focused
Do we lessen the value of the skills listed above when referring to these skills and behaviors as "Soft"? If the skills to communicate, connect, and collaborate with others are lacking, the ability to build trusting relationships, manage conflicts, and get along well with our peers and colleagues will be nonexistent.
Effective people skills are required in the workplace and team skills provide qualities that can make or break your career. Therefore, we should highlight, reward, and encourage our leaders and team members to focus on mastering their agers and leaders when it comes to building the level of trust required to influence and inspire their teams.
We all need technical skills to get the job done. However, people skills provide qualities that can make or break your career. Therefore, we should highlight, reward, and encourage our leaders and team members to focus on mastering their people skills in addition to their technical skills in daily interactions.
Inez Jordan, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jordan is a Certified Emotional Intelligence coach, with concentrations in Individual Leadership / Professional Development and Group Coaching for Career Success. Inez enjoys working with leaders and professionals to identify blind-spots, overcome challenges and individual saboteurs to build a strong personal presence and successfully achieve their goals. With over 20 years of Executive Program Management and Client Engagement experience, Inez is a recognized thought leader, panelist and speaker on topics of Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Team Motivation, and Personal Presence. Passionate about benefits of Emotional Intelligence, Inez challenges her clients to focus on understanding how they are perceived and impact others and inspires them to constantly improve "How They Show Up" in all of their relationships.
