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One of the first things you learn when you start out in any field are all of the tools and technologies you'll need to excel in that field. I started with technology certifications in SQL Server and Visual Basic, then pursued certifications in DOCS Open and Documentum as I moved to building solutions. Later, I became a Certified Scrum Master and a Certified Information Professional as I transitioned to leading the creation of information solutions.
I earned these certifications through study and passing a proctored exam. The knowledge and skillsets are well-defined and easy to validate.
However, you need more than technical skills to build a career — and those other skills aren't so easy to define. So-called “soft skills” have no precise definition and offer no certifications to prove you have them. Regardless, developing soft skills is critical as they smooth interactions with colleagues, managers and partners. This makes it easier to apply all of your technical skills to the problems in front of you.
What Are Soft Skills?
Look at the leaders in your organization. What do they have in common? It's probably not a specific certification. Ideally, they are able to:
- Connect with others.
- Know when to intercede in a situation.
- Understand when to trust their people.
- Diffuse tense situations.
Effective leaders make it look easy. In reality, it takes a lot of work to earn those skills.
Soft skills do not come naturally. They are the result of experience and an effort to improve. Some people enter the workforce with more of these skills than others due to their life experiences, but anyone can build and refine them.
Related Article: Forget AI Skills, Soft Skills Are in Demand
Keep Skills Sharp With Continuous Learning
Many courses are available to help build soft skills. Some are direct and teach skills such as active listening. Others teach the application of multiple soft skills, such as conflict resolution. Then there are the big courses, like program management that combines soft and hard skills to train for a job role.
Whatever the flavor of course, they all tend to cover many of the same skills. That is because to succeed in almost any endeavor that requires working with others, a common set of soft skills are used. They are just applied differently as scenarios vary job-by-job and week-to-week.
With all the overlap in course content, taking a course that overlaps a previous course by 80% can still be valuable. Overlapping concepts will be presented in new ways. The new viewpoint into the same skills reinforces learned skills and allows new skills to be learned due to the different perspective.
When taking any course that focuses on soft skills, it is rare to leave without at least a few new nuggets of information. When paired with all the improved skills, that makes the investment worthwhile.
Related Article: Make Skill Agility Your Currency for Success
Practice and Feedback
Any new skill requires practice and reflection to become second nature. Sometimes training or coaching can reveal a personal habit that stands in the way of a new skill. Frequent reminders and regular reviews can help you overcome these old habits and prevent them from reemerging at times of stress or exposure to the environment that created them in the first place.
Think of those cliché posters you see hanging in offices. As silly as they may seem, they can be effective reminders to modify behavior. Some people use Post-it notes on their computer monitor to remind themselves to actively listen during meetings. These are all things that help build and strengthen key soft skills.
Seeking feedback on how you are performing in these areas is important. If available, gathering 360-degree feedback can allow you to understand how others perceive your soft skill abilities. You can then seek out specific training to improve weaker areas. Doing this regularly can help measure improvement and keep the focus on continually growing.
Related Article: Stay Sharp With Soft Skills: Master Communication, Trust and Inclusive Leadership
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Invest in Yourself and Your Team
These skills are not just important for you. Your teams need them to work more effectively together. Training in soft skills can also help identify future leaders for your organization. Not because of their performance, but how enthusiastic they are about participating.
Leaders should invest in soft skills and always look to improve. Future leaders understand the importance of soft skills and constantly seek to build them.
