Building on a Soft Foundation
There is no doubt that the pandemic has pushed us all to the brink in many areas: the definitions of work, parenting, schooling, family and friend relationships and even grocery shopping have all changed. SmarterWisdom’s basic philosophy is that within us we have the solutions to many of our problems and that we can always capitalize and make the most of the situation at hand to learn how to approach difficult issues in different ways. In the same way that we faced the recent upheaval in our daily lives, there is little doubt that leaders who were able to access their highly developed soft (or power) skills have not only fared better themselves, but have ensured the success of their teams and workmates.
What are soft skills and are we born with them?
A few common examples of soft skills are skills in: advanced communication and negotiation; interpersonal strengths and empathy; leadership and management; entrepreneurship and initiative-taking; adaptability and continuous learning; teaching and training. It is argued that we are born with many of these, that they are somehow innate, and it is no accident that they are also known as power skills. With a revived focus on the importance of these skills currently, however, and with the social-emotional learning programs now appearing in schools, it is possible that many of these skills can in fact be taught and learned. At the very least our awareness of these skills, and that they are at the core of successful organizations, is a key first step.
How do we help develop soft skills in ourselves and our colleagues?
As already highlighted, the very act of naming soft skills as integral to your work as a leader and a team member will no doubt develop the importance of these traits in many aspects of your work. Encouraging colleagues to use sound approaches to teamwork, empathy and good communication are equally worthwhile strategies. Picking out those times when team members use soft skills to the advantage of your work together will also aid in the continued growth and use of those approaches.
How do we find, hire and retain employees with developed soft skills?
Prospective employees who can find a way to articulate their effective uses of soft skills in a cover letter or resume give us a clue right away as to their abilities in this area. Developing interview questions such as: Tell me about a time when you managed a difficult interpersonal situation? How did you prepare for this conversation? How did you know you were managing it successfully? also help. Identifying candidates who easily and instinctively draw on soft skills in their work can be quite difficult, however. Again, naming them as something you are looking for and hold as key to team success, will be a worthwhile path to take.
A couple of examples of how SmarterWisdom tries to identify and emphasize soft skills:
· In a recent conversation with a client, whom we were helping to revise her resume, we threw out the importance of ensuring that she incorporated significant references and examples of her excellent soft skills. She is a good communicator, an effective team leader, she brings empathy to her work, she perseveres and is resilient, and she listens well. We worked together to highlight the ways in which she could incorporate examples of results she achieved, not just through her technical (hard skills) knowledge of her industry, but also through her reliance on the power skills that make her one of the top professionals at her company.
· Recently we have been preparing a report on a 360 Feedback Survey we conducted with a non-profit partner. As we reviewed a myriad of data, we decided to pull out and emphasize the ways in which this leader used highly-refined soft skills to mentor and lead in his organization. Even though these skills seemed innate, we knew they had developed more and more as our client worked in this leadership role. In particular, during the pandemic, he reaped the benefit of seeing how his peers, his team members and his supervisors recognized him for the strength of these skills. They were a game-changer for the company.
In both of these examples, the people we worked with demonstrated strong “hard” or technical skills in their work already; in addition, they had identified their growth areas in their work-specific hard skills. They were also able to show how they had grown and why they had chosen to develop these skills. It was not for soft skills alone that they were known, but their highly developed soft skills made them stand out from the crowd, both during the initial hiring conversations and as emerging leaders in their field as time went on.
In a recent post, you may remember all the references to The Rolling Stones (Hiring Bringing on a 19th Nervous Breakdown?), my partner, Marcie Schorr Hirsch, outlined the need for some new approaches to identifying talent and hiring. As we consider the numbers of mid-level employees going about their business and doing a perfectly fine job, how might we identify those colleagues who freely use soft skills in all aspects of their work? When we do so, can we work further with them on their path to professional growth? Identifying high potential employees ready for promotion is a vital part of good senior leadership; when we see excellent hard (technical, industry-related) skills and the soft skills of communication, team-building and so on, combined, let’s take the time to move these people to the front of the line.
Continuing to work productively during the pandemic has not been easy. Realizing the countless ways that we were thrown into a new way of doing things is the gift to take away from these challenging times. Understanding and capitalizing on the deep value of soft skills is a powerful part of this forced change that we can never look back from—it truly is a way forward into building organizations that are psychologically safe, inclusive, promote innovation and build a foundation for rewarding work.