Soft Skills – More Like Survival Skills!

In our rapidly evolving world of work, the spotlight often shines on technical prowess and hard skills. Yet, in the background, a quieter but equally powerful force drives team success, fosters innovation, and builds resilient organizations: soft skills. These are the personal attributes, communication abilities, and social aptitudes that enable individuals to navigate their environment, work well with others, and achieve their goals with complementing hard skills.

But hear me out… instead of calling them soft skills, I believe we should actually call them SURVIVAL SKILLS. Because honestly, next to your Swiss Army Knife, your parachute, bear repellant and your triple shot, half-caf, pumpkin spice latte with a splash of unicorn tears, two sprinkles of pixie dust, a whisper of cinnamon, but absolutely, positively, NO foam…. you totally need these skills to survive.

?Calling them "soft skills" inadvertently diminishes their importance. The term "soft" implies that these skills are secondary, nice-to-have, or even less challenging to develop. But anyone who has ever led a team, managed a project, or navigated a complex work environment knows that these skills are far from easy. Trust me on this, folks!

?Referring to soft skills as "survival skills" highlights their critical importance in both personal and professional settings. Here are a few reasons why this terminology is fitting:

1.?????? Adaptability: In a rapidly changing world, the ability to adapt is crucial for survival. Soft skills like problem-solving, creativity, and flexibility enable individuals to navigate and thrive in new and challenging environments.

2.????? Communication: Effective communication is essential for building relationships, resolving conflicts, and collaborating with others. It’s a key skill for survival in any social or professional setting. In fact, without good communication skills, you might find yourself explaining to HR why you emailed the entire office about your 'duck' instead of your 'deck'!

3.????? Emotional Intelligence: Understanding and managing one's own emotions, as well as empathizing with others, is vital for mental well-being and forming strong interpersonal connections. You have to have this emotional resilience to tackle all the stressful situations you encounter each day.

4.????? Critical Thinking: The ability to analyze situations, make informed decisions, and think critically is necessary for solving complex problems and making choices that impact no only one's survival and success – but perhaps even your team or organization.

5.????? Teamwork and Collaboration: Working effectively with others can mean the difference between success and failure in many scenarios. Collaboration and teamwork are essential for achieving common goals and overcoming obstacles. Shoutout to the fabulous Dayle Janus and Oscar Cuellar for making our small, but mighty team, awesome!

6.????? Leadership: Strong leadership skills are important for guiding teams, inspiring others, and making strategic decisions. Leadership is often a key component in navigating and surviving challenging circumstances.

7.????? Conflict Resolution: The ability to manage and resolve conflicts constructively is essential for maintaining relationships and ensuring a harmonious environment, whether in your personal life or at work. Evidently hand gestures are frowned-upon in the workplace.

8.???? Resilience: Adversity is a part of life and sometimes it feels like we’re walking right into the eye of the storm, but building resilience helps individuals bounce back from setbacks, stay motivated, and persist in the face of adversity. Resilience increases your ability to show up as your best self and includes concepts like flexibility, agility, durability, strength, speed of recovery and buoyancy. Of course, the workplace gives us lots of opportunities to show how resilient we can be.

By rebranding soft skills as survival skills, we emphasize their essential role in navigating life’s challenges and thriving in diverse environments.

These intangible qualities are the glue that holds teams together, drives innovation, and ultimately leads to organizational success. By recognizing and nurturing soft skills, we can create more resilient, dynamic, and high-performing teams, ready to tackle the challenges of the modern workplace.

Investing in survival skills is not just a nice-to-have; it's a must-have for any organization aiming for long-term success.

Let us help you champion the importance of survival skills and watch your teams thrive.

If you'd like to discuss “survival skills” development training for your team, please email me at [email protected] or check out our Course Catalog for our list of program offerings.