Soft Skills are Today’s Essential Skills

Daniel Goleman, in his ground breaking book “Working with Emotional Intelligence” said it best: “We are being judged by a new yardstick: not just how smart we are, or by our training and expertise, but also by how well we handle ourselves and each other”. If you can’t communicate and interact effectively with others you stand little chance of being successful managing or leading in today’s workplace. Think of a job that you could do that doesn’t involve working with others. You’d be hard pressed to come up with one.

Results of a study conducted by the HayGroup, a leading authority on EQ (Emotional Intelligence) shows that for most jobs that involve working with others, EQ is twice as important as IQ plus technical skills. Sixty-seven percent of the competencies needed to manage and lead others effectively are emotionally based. You need the ability to make an emotional connection and demonstrate patience, open mindedness and empathy.

The good news, like most skills, EQ is a learned behaviour. You can learn how to communicate more effectively, build collaborative teams, problem solve, resolve conflict and motivate others to perform at their personal best. Some will learn quicker than others, but we all have the capacity to learn new things. It just depends on how willing you are to make the necessary changes. Trust me – your future depends upon it. Soft skills are today’s essential skills.