Power Skills – Reframing ‘Soft’ Skills
enke: Make Your Mark
For all young people to recognise their own value, thrive, and mobilise for meaningful change.
In August 2023, we had the privilege and pleasure of participating in the ALforEducation Gathering at the African Leadership Academy. Our CEO, Rufaro Mudimu, presented at the event linking the importance of leadership development of young people as essential to supporting them in building sustainable livelihoods.??
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Part of that presentation that resonated with many in the audience was reframing non-cognitive or ‘soft’ skills to ‘power’ skills. Why? While the importance of non-cognitive or non-technical skills (such as leadership, problem-solving, creativity, and social and emotional competence), have been shown by economists to provide a valuable edge for success, being referred to as ‘soft’ has led these essential skills to be relatively undermined as secondary to ‘hard’ or technical skills. The term ‘soft skills’ has been a misnomer that embedded the perception that such skills were of less importance or were just icing on the cake.??
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Since inception, the “equip” part of enke’s mission has been about focussing on equipping young people with what we used to refer to as ‘soft’ or non-cognitive skills, particularly leadership development. The dominant perception was that “soft” skills were intangible and innate human skills that were “nice” to have. For us, this often caused challenges with sourcing financial support for our work as the academic and technical skills were perceived as more valuable in environments with many education deficits.? Over the years, we tried different ways to describe the importance of these skills, providing the research and evidence from our work showing that these skills empowered young people. But still the burden was ours to convince donors of their worth as more than just icing on the cake.???
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Thankfully, in the last 5 years, the tide has been turning, and soft skills have been getting the recognition they deserve, especially when referred to as 21st Century skills. As we move towards an even more digital age, with automation and artificial intelligence changing the nature of work, questions are being raised around leadership; the human element of working? in a technology driven world; the flexibility and challenges of working virtually or in less defined physical spaces; and more critically than ever what this means in terms of the skills we need to succeed in this environment, and what this means for youth entering this arena.?
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In 2019, Philip J. Hanlon (President of Dartmouth College) coined the term “Power Skills” to show how these skills give power to their wielder and to those around them. By far, in all our research, we haven’t come across a more apt descriptor of the importance of these essential transferrable skills that have been central to our approach and our theory of change.??
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Results from both science-based research, as well as corporate research show widely that power skills are critical today and for the future of business. Furthermore, Gutman, L., & Schoon, I. (2014) indicate that providing these skills to younger people (school-going age) has an impact on factors “such as self-control and school engagement are correlated with academic outcomes, financial stability in adulthood, and reduced crime…Evidence is strongest in relation to skills underpinning academic outcomes.”?
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The holistic combination of power skills and entrepreneurial mindset is an approach and key theory that underpins all of enke’s work through addressing the severe inequalities of the past and answering a clear gap in the formal education system in South Africa those youth wanting to enter the workplace but also for children of a school-going age.?? Our hope is that the term ‘power skills’ becomes more the norm and part of the lexicon so that these essential skills are recognised for the value they bring to the world.?
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The ALforEducation Gathering was a wonderful and inspiring space to be in; the chance to interact with educators and professionals dedicated to making education better for all across the continent. Thanks to #ALforEducation and especially to Kalliope Kruesmann and the ALforEducation Team for the opportunity to be part of this vibrant network and share our work.?
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Your insight on 'Power Skills' is spot-on; these competencies are indeed the driving force behind successful leadership and adaptability in today's fast-paced world. ?? Generative AI can play a pivotal role in enhancing these skills, offering personalized learning experiences and scenario-based training to refine decision-making and problem-solving abilities. ?? I'd love to show you how generative AI can elevate the quality of your work, saving time while enriching the 'Power Skills' you've highlighted. ?? Let's connect for a call to explore the transformative potential of generative AI for your initiatives. ?? https://chat.whatsapp.com/L1Zdtn1kTzbLWJvCnWqGXn Christine