WHAT SOFTWARE & HARDWARE TEACH US ABOUT SOFT SKILLS & HARD SKILLS

Although these two groups don’t seem to have anything in common except the words ‘soft’ and ‘hard’, there’s something very interesting about their similarities. Let’s take a look:

What do you think of when you hear the words ‘software’ and ‘hardware’? I’m guessing that it will be something along the lines of software being the catch-all name for the applications and operating systems we all use on our devices. Hardware is what we call the device itself including its various components.?

Now which of those two do you think is the most important? The software, or the hardware? ?

That’s pretty much like asking which came first, the chicken, or the egg. (By the way, has anyone ever answered that question?) We can’t really say that either the software, or the hardware is the most important, unless we begin to extrapolate a little, and even then, it’s a toss up.

We can’t do a whole lot with hardware if we don’t have compatible software. Then again, if we have the software, but not the hardware, we’re also not able to do a whole lot. Now I know there are various applications which you can use without ‘hardware’ - the kinds of things we used to see in sci-fi movies that are mainstream today, including Cloud technology.?But even that requires physical servers somewhere. At present, there still has to be some kind of hardware involved somewhere along the line, though we’re no longer restricted to a PC or laptop.?For instance, Optevo can be used in a web browser, or a mobile app for tablets or phones.

Now, let’s look at the so-called ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ skills. How important are each of these, and can either of these function independently of the other?

If I’d asked that question a decade or so ago, most likely I would’ve had C-Suite leaders shaking their heads in disbelief.?Hiring was (and still is, to a large extent) based on the hard skills necessary for the job. Proficiency in the field is obviously crucial. Education is often seen as proof of that proficiency, along with experience in a similar job. Examples of hard skills might be a certain level of programming expertise. Or accounting. Or sales. Or any of a number of common career skills.?These are all easy to demonstrate and quantify.

More recently, problem-solving abilities have commonly been included in job descriptions. This is a little more difficult to quantify. There aren’t really qualifications we can show. But, we can give examples of things we’ve done to problem solve in order to demonstrate our ability. Problem solving is inching towards being a ‘soft’ skill.

Currently we’re seeing big consulting firms like McKinsey, saying that in the future, qualities such as empathy are going to be at the top of the priority list in leader’s job descriptions. Now empathy is most definitely considered a ‘soft’ skill. And it’s really hard to quantify, along with things such as being inspirational, motivational and so on.?

In fact, there are many in the corporate world who still have some trouble in seeing those kinds of skills as being vital in the workforce and especially in the C-Suite. I think it’s mostly because of an incorrect understanding of what empathy is and isn’t. They see empathy as being not a ‘soft’ skill, but a ‘soft’ leader. One who isn’t able to make hard decisions, have hard conversations, ensure work gets done and so on. It’s seen as a liability, not an asset.?

So, why do I think that ‘soft’ skills and ‘hard’ skills have something in common with software and hardware?

Let’s ask the same question I asked about the latter: Which of these, ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ skills is most important?

Here’s where I see the similarities between software and hardware and ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ skills.?

We can have all the ‘hard’ skills required in our job description and not have a single ‘soft’ skill and we will pretty soon find that it’s not enough to get the job done in such a way that we are building our career, the organization or achieving the outcomes required.

Without ‘soft’ skills, it’s almost impossible to build the kind of working relationships so vital to leadership, collaboration and cooperation, all of which are necessary in today’s ever-changing and fast-moving business landscape.?

On the other hand, we can excel in the ‘soft’ skills department and have no ‘hard’ skills and fail miserably at work. It’s no good being great at the intuitive humanities kind of interactions, yet being unable to get a job done correctly, efficiently and effectively.

Hold on, you might say, no one would be hired for a job without the necessary ‘hard’ skills! Actually, yes they would. They might even have the qualifications, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re proficient and competent in the areas required. Especially if they’ve been promoted, or moved into a different area of the organization.?

The fact is that to really be a great leader, or a great (insert your profession) employee, we really need a combination of both ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ skills. These two types of skills dove-tail perfectly creating a good all-round skillset.?

A person who is proficient and competent in their profession, but who has no ‘soft’ skills will struggle to build relationships and gain the trust and support of their fellow workers and their leaders. A person without the ‘hard’ skills but lots of ‘soft’ skills may be able to charm their way through their workday for a while, but pretty soon their lack of competence is going to become obvious. A person who has both ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ skills will find that these work together - just like software and hardware - to create a work environment where they are not only seen as good at the job, but where they’re seen as trustworthy, reliable and likeable. All of which is the perfect recipe for career success.?

It’s time we understood the importance of ‘soft’ skills and ensure we value and encourage these in our organizations. It’s good for people and it’s good for profits.?

I’d love to know what you think about this - please let me know in the comments.

#SoftSkills #Empathy?