Why soft skills are good for me?
If you have been working for some years or have access to high level management you should have realized by now that there are two types of knowledge: technical and soft skills. Technical knowledge is what you execute in your work like analyzing information, developing technical solutions, administrating accounts, providing customer service, using computer software.
Soft skills are way more different, not only they can help you to do your job, but also to influence, communicate and excel in an organization. In earlier career roles, success depends in your technical knowledge and your ability to apply it. In senior roles, success depends on creating an environment where other people can shine. In management positions, technical skills are not enough anymore, not even in highly technical jobs. A good manager will use his/her skills to create the correct environment for other people to work, not to create the output.
If you want to develop in a company, government or non-profit organization, you must focus on:
- Overachieve in your job
- Influence your team and peers for overachievement
- Align your job and projects to the economical objectives of your company
- Give value to your supervisor (doing your job it’s not the correct answer)
Sound simple, but it's more complicated than just following rules.
This is the point where soft skills are useful. You must build your soft skills strengths and be aware of your weaknesses. Time is limited; you can choose to work on your weaknesses instead on your strengths, but that won′t help you demonstrate strong performance. A simple example of weaknesses is uncontrolled mood changes. In my case, if I have lunch late I get headaches and get cranky. I’m aware of it and I avoid taking decisions or raising my voice in meetings during that time. Being aware of it and avoid it does not make it a strength; it only makes me aware and control or minimize it.
These may only be simple ideas but they are not taught at college or master degrees; at least not in engineering or business administration.