Soft Skills Are Business Essentials

WHY ARE SOFT SKILLS IMPORTANT?

Everyone knows that hard skills are vital to do the jobs that make businesses varied and complex ecosystems. Hard skills come from periods of training, education and experience that enable individuals to execute specific tasks to further said business. The problem is that only having hard skills is not realistic when dealing with other people and no matter what organization you're talking about, people are required. So, whether you're a business owner, employee, student or job seeker, developing soft skills is needed to balance the scales. In fact, many employers lament that new graduates are entering the workforce with a deficit of soft skills. But now we know that soft skills are the tools to increase the likelihood of:

• Improved Communication and Collaboration

• Enhanced Customer Service

• Greater Flexibility and Adaptability

What a difference it would make if more soft skills were being leveraged in business. Let's take a closer look at the benefits of building these particular soft skills in your organization.

IMPROVED COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

I would argue that you can't have collaboration without communication. Communication takes many forms from speaking, to demeanor, to appearance to simply listening. Some soft skills related to improving communication and collaboration are:

• Active Listening

• Empathy

• Conflict Resolution

Story time: When I was interviewing for the SBDC as a Business Consultant, I remember being asked what skills I thought were important to have in that role. The first and most important that I named was active listening. Surprisingly, I discovered once I was hired that I was the only one of three finalists for the position to even mention it. From my years of experience as an attorney, I learned that being able to listen to a client would help me unearth just as much if not more information than I could by asking questions. It turns out, reading in between the lines was very helpful as a business consultant because clients did not always tell me what I needed to know up front. In some cases, it was not something that they felt comfortable sharing with me initially though it was something that would ultimately help me to find the root cause of their issues sooner rather than later.

ENHANCED CUSTOMER SERVICE

As the old saying goes, the customer is always right. Now, I don't know if that statement holds true in every situation but there is no denying that customers are important and should be provided with the best service possible. This is specifically critical because businesses rely on repeat customers and word-of-mouth referrals. Three soft skills that can aid in providing enhanced customer service are:

• Empathy

• Patience

• Problem-Solving

I have far too many stories of customer service representatives that did not embody these soft skills than those that have. However, I can say with confidence that I always appreciate and remember the few instances when I was shown empathy and effort to solve my problem. Those people were the ones who took the time to listen closely to my problem and diligently pursue a solution to make me whole (if possible). Genuine care and concern cannot be fabricated so be sure to vet client-facing team members carefully.

GREATER FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY

To be in business means learning the art of the pivot. As technology and society continue to rapidly change, businesses have to be equipped to read the tea leaves and make decisions as quickly as possible. This can mean discontinuing, adjusting or adding to any part of the business. This can also mean remaining steady during turbulent times. More importantly, the soft skills needed to make any of these kinds of changes include:

• Resilience

• Adaptability

• Creativity

Think of a company that rebranded or made major changes. That move was just an exercise of all of these soft skills. Rebrands can be designed to rescue a company from decline, keep up with the social climate or separate it from its competitors. Those that do not make a change usually do not survive. Remember Circuit City? Blockbuster? Nokia? At one time these companies were dominant forces in their respective industries. Now, they are the source of nostalgia for those that experienced them and completely unknown to some consumers of their competitors that survived. It can be argued, to some degree, that each of these extinct companies failed making good use of at least one of these soft skills. Your business has the knowledge to make a different choice. Intentional Professionals is also here to assist when you book your Strategic Consultation.



Sincerely,

-M