Soft Skills: Can They Be Taught?

At Moon Consulting, we think a lot about Soft Skills.

And what it means to develop them.

At the start of any career, you can be forgiven for not paying too much attention to building up your soft skills and instead, focusing on hard - technical skills. These are skills employers are looking for, after all.

That is not to say soft skills ( your character traits that impact how you work and interact with others) are less important. We simply do not prioritize them, and, as is often the case, do not know how, exactly, to develop them.

Your ability to adapt to different situations, problem-solve, communicate clearly and thoughtfully, effectively work with others and think creatively are, the skills on which any fulfilling career is built on.

So, if formal education will not teach us these soft skills adequately enough, where do we get them? and can we, like any technical skill out there, develop them and become "proficient" at soft skills?

Short answer, we can! but, before you celebrate - understand that developing soft skills like the ones mentioned above requires effort and constant practice.

It also requires us to become self-aware as people - We need to shift our attitude and mindset and begin seeing the workplace, not only as a place to do a job but a place to practice these skills, in the company of other people.

Becoming attuned to situations at work, and seeing how you can use them to improve yourself, means becoming aware of some of the following:

1. situations where we have to adapt due to unforeseen circumstances.
2. workplace conflict and tension and choosing to work through it, instead of ignoring it.
3. Situations where you need to communicate more, especially with people or in situations you wouldn't normally do so.
4. How you take on feedback, and seeking it regularly. Even better, if it's people you do not necessarily agree with.

The extent to which we can adequately develop soft skills also depends on our employers. And the companies we work for. How willing and committed are they to helping their employees develop soft skills that can help to positively impact the business?

Soft skills can be developed and improved upon. But it is a collective effort.

It starts with you, becoming introspective and self-aware of where you could do better. And continues with workplace cultures that help their people to develop into well-rounded professionals.

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