Author Daniel Goleman once remarked that, more than high IQ, it was skills like discipline, drive and empathy that marked outstanding talent. No matter what changes take place or the constant need to upskill and reskill, what will never go out of style are skills such as communication, resilience, empathy, emotional intelligence, creativity, and problem-solving. These are the building blocks of any team, leader, and organisation. No wonder, even as the metaverse is unfolding, creators are manifesting digital avatars that mimic human emotions and behaviours. Why? Because future leadership and workforces are all about being a comprehensive human: with domain expertise and a humane attitude.
According to LinkedIn’s 2019 Global Talent Trends report, “Soft Skills could make or break hiring the perfect candidate as 89% feel that ‘bad hires’ typically have poor soft skills.” In fact, a recent McKinsey report states that the number of companies addressing interpersonal skills and empathy doubled in 2020. Not surprising considering that another finding by McKinsey Global Institute mentions, “The need for manual and physical skills, as well as basic cognitive ones, will decline, but, demand for technological, social and emotional, and higher cognitive skills will grow.” Typically, employers are more inclined to hire those who are resilient to any change, unforeseen circumstance or challenge, display communication and interpersonal skills, and can be team players. So here are some tips to develop your soft skills:
Communication and listening: Set up a conversation between yourself and another person. Once done, both of you should try to recall what was said by taking notes. Exchange the notes and you will discover how much you could remember. Over time, you will learn to be a good listener and express yourself better.
Teamwork: Pick a challenge or a project with a group and set a deadline to finish it. Look for solutions apart from the most obvious ones. As you brainstorm with diverse members of your group, you not only learn to listen and take feedback but also become more adaptive, and open-minded. As a team, you will learn to help each other and meet deadlines.
Empathy: Listen carefully, understand, and examine a situation from all perspectives without being judgmental. Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and ask yourself what you can do to help them. This skill is most impactful with open body language.
Problem-solving: Understand and identify the core issue based on facts. Now look for multiple ways to solve the problem and list the steps for each. Examine the impact and choose the best one.
Experiment: Step out of your comfort zone and test unchartered waters. For example, if you are shy, sit with a group and try to hold a conversation or contribute meaningfully.
Self-examination: Step back and assess your response/reaction to a situation. Understand your feelings both positive and negative, what triggers you, your weak points and strengths and how you can deal with and control your emotions. This will help you to be calmer, peaceful, and resolution-oriented.
Feedback: While this can help you figure out what you need to work on, feedback is a critical tool that helps you understand how people see and evaluate you. Taking feedback will help you evolve, take better decisions and also improve your communication skills and efficiency.
In 1918, research by Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation, and Stanford Research Centre mentioned that 85% of one’s success in the workplace comes from people and soft skills, and only 15% through technical skills and knowledge. More than a century later, this still holds true.
The writer is CEO (APAC) Global University Systems (GUS)
