Soft Skills are they really necessary?

What exactly does ‘soft skills’ mean, though?

The term ‘soft skills’ covers a wide range of areas and quite often, they tend to be taken for granted. However, that is normally at the detriment to the individual and potentially the business as a whole.  

This post will help define and explain ‘soft skills’, and then expand on some of the most important soft skills required for life in the professional or personal areas. 

According to Collins Dictionary, the definition of soft skills is as follows: 

‘desirable qualities for certain forms of employment that do not depend on acquired knowledge: they include common sense, the ability to deal with people, and a positive flexible attitude’ 

They include social skills, interpersonal skills, and a positive attitude. These are the skills that define your relationships with other people, and how you approach life and work. 

For most people though, the so-called soft skills are often some of the hardest skills to develop. However, this does not mean that they cannot be learned or taught. 

You as a business will been competing with others no doubt however, even if your services and pricing are very similar, the one thing that can give you the competitive edge is your team and how they connect with colleagues and customers alike. Indeed, customer service will be and is one of the real reasons why people and businesses will use your service. 

As Soft Skills are so important, why is it that many organisations tend to treat them with disrespect or apathy?

The reality is that for most companies, it is a necessary requirement to get the best out of the team therefore obtaining better results viz: morale, turnover, reduced staff turnover and customer retention. 

What are the Most Important Soft Skills? 

That is the million-dollar question really, as it is so open ended it’s challenging to quantify. 

Why? 

Every scenario is different because every situation is dealing with human beings who are all unique.  

However, here are some ‘good soft skills’ that are generally key for business and employees alike. 

1. Communication Skills 

Arguably the most important skill that is required by everyone however, quite often the most overlooked or taken for granted. In the current climate, with social media and mobile phone usage, the art of effectively communicating to and from others has been lost, or at least misplaced.

People with strong communication skills can build relationships (from the initial rapport-building through to a longer-term relationship). They can listen well and vary their communication to suit the circumstances. They avoid misunderstandings by gaining clarity, and in general make workplaces more efficient which normally helps build morale. 

2. Positive attitude 

Most people believe they have a ‘positive attitude’ normally until something happens, they don’t like! 

The reality is that most people need to create a positive attitude to every situation as it is easy to have one when things are going well. This is a ‘can do’ attitude to everything and anything which let’s be realistic, can be a challenge at times. 

However, for things to thrive it is what is required. Challenges happen in every walk of life and it is purely how they are viewed. If something adverse happens, it’s happened and that cannot be changed. So, what can be done to fix it/resolve the situation. It is a problem if the focus is the problem and not the solution. 

How it is viewed will have an impact on the team either positive or negative. The beauty is, we all have a choice. 

3. Leadership Skills 

Leadership skills are naturally, the skills required to lead the team. 

They include the ability to manage, make decisions, lead others, delegate work and develop the team. From experience, one of the things I find on a regular basis is that managers have very little idea how people work so struggle to get the best out of people. Potentially resulting in disillusioned team members who then leave the business. A 2019 report by DDI (Leadership Consulting Firm) found that 57% left their job voluntarily because of their manager. This ultimately is a cost burden on the business. 

4. Decision Making 

Being able to make decisions is a key element to life, never mind business. There are many organisations that are stagnating as the senior management will not make the necessary decisions that will benefit the team and the business. However, it is better that all the team are prepared to make the decisions where necessary. 

Unfortunately, there are many reasons why people will not make the necessary decisions both in their personal and professional lives. 

Being able to make good decisions can also help with problem-solving, because it enables everyone to choose between possible solutions. 

5. Self-Motivation 

There are often misconceptions regarding motivation. People who are self-motivated get on by themselves and to get the best results, people need to be self-motivated. 

There is a train of thought that managers need to be good motivators. This will only work to a small degree and quite often the reason why it is perceived that managers are good motivators is that the managers understand their teams and know what their people are looking for. Hence, the managers know the best way to approach that team member and adapt the instruction to suit that person.

The key here is to know the teams as individuals and what they are looking for and providing the stimulus that will help them achieve that goal. 

6. Team-Working Skills 

It may seem obvious but in essence, it is combining all the skills to be able to work as a collective and focus to achieve the same goals. 

They are, therefore, basically interpersonal skills. There is plenty of thinking to suggest that good communication skills, particularly good listening skills, together with an ability to build rapport will go a long way to support your ability to work well in a team. 

However, one must also be prepared to listen and take into account other points of view and be aware of other people’s demeanour.  

7. Creativity and Problem-Solving Skills 

For all businesses, the ideal is to have a team that are solution-oriented and not just problem focussed. 

Many businesses have their teams working in ‘fear’. Meaning, the management are looking to pounce on any little mistake that may be made. This is not normally conducive to a healthy working environment. If management and team members are working in ‘fear’ they are not likely to want to resolve issues on their own as initiative needs to be encouraged. 

8. Time Management 

This is key to being an effective manager in any guise. 

Many people say they work better under pressure. Hmm, that is an interesting viewpoint. Indeed, many people like to be busy but to break down the ‘working under pressure’ term. The reality is most people don’t like to work under pressure it is just the quality of their focus when they have time restraints. If their focus was primed all of the time there wouldn’t be as much need to ‘work under pressure’, so there wouldn’t be as much stress.