Why Soft Skills Matter More

“The workplace doesn’t tolerate slackers anymore.” 

That’s a direct quote from my Smart Talk interview with Dan Schawbel, author of the new book Promote Yourself:  The New Rules for Career Success. That comment inspired me to write this episode about why soft skills matter even more in today’s workplace..

Did you know that originally this podcast was going to be called, The People Skills Pro?  That’s right. I had wanted the name of the show to emphasize the importance of soft skills for career success.  That’s why when I read Dan Schawbel’ new book, Promote Yourself, it really resonated with me when he said that today you can’t just do what’s in your job description and expect to be rewarded for it. Dan explains that you need to go above and beyond and that’s where the importance of soft skills comes into play. Of course, I couldn’t agree more!

In today episode we’re going to talk about why soft skills are more critical than ever if you want to accelerate your career.

What Are Soft Skills?

But what exactly are soft skills?  Well, hard skills are specific abilities and usually related to professional knowledge, tools, or techniques.  For example, the ability to use software programs, analyze data, operate specific machinery, or being a certified professional in any field can be considered hard skills. 

Soft skills aren’t as easy to define. I prefer the term people skills—because I like to think of soft skills as character traits or interpersonal skills. For me soft skills includes things such as: communication skills, creativity, leadership, adaptability, attitude, etc. Particularly when technical skills are equal, it’s the soft skills that make one person stand out over another.

Let’s look at Microsoft as an example. An article in The Wall Street Journal India describes Microsoft’s needs in India:

“‘Behavioral skills’ can sometimes ‘take precedence over technical skills,’ says Joji Gill, director of human resources at Microsoft India. ‘We look for smart and intelligent individuals who exhibit passion to do something different with technology.’”

The Human Resources Director goes on to list the top 3 most important qualities in a candidate:

“The first would be integrity. This is of utmost importance. The second would be accountability, and the third would be how self-critical the individual is. We push our employees to be self-critical, which can help them achieve personal excellence.”

This is echoed in Promote Yourself. Schwabel explains that workers need to be more than their job description. The bottom line is this: You probably won’t get an interview without the required hard skills, but it’s the soft skills that will get you the job and, eventually, the promotions.

And advanced proficiency in soft skills can really accelerate your career!

Which Soft Skills Are Most Important?

Skill #1: Prioritize Accurately

Schwabel says that most managers rank the ability to prioritize as most important. An average worker might prioritize their projects based the order they were given – first in, first out. Or they’ll skip from project to project, depending on which project leaders scream the loudest.

However, you will enjoy more career success if you’re able to look at your projects and know which are most important as you are moving through thems. This requires understanding how each project maps to the company’s goals. It requires having a good grasp of the business you’re in. It requires the ability to ask the right questions and offer solutions. It requires the ability to manage your manager’s expectations.

You will enjoy more career success if you’re able to look at your projects and know which are most important as you are moving through the projects.

Skill #2: Communicate Effectively

I’m sure you can guess my answer to what soft skill is most important! For me, in-person communication still matters most. An average worker doesn’t think about how his message will be received on the other end. They’ll text or email because it’s faster and more comfortable.  They will prepare a presentation at the last minute because they don’t understand its importance.

You will definitely experience more career success if you understand when a face-to-face is needed and how to prepare for in-person communication. For example, if you work from home, do you make regular visits to the main office? Do you know how to communicate with members of different generations? A text might be most effective to communicate with an intern, while a conversation might be better for a baby boomer engineering manager.

Skill #3: Demonstrate Social Savvy

Although the first two skills on this list might be predictable, this next one may not be: social savviness (that’s social media savviness). To be clear, knowing how to post on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are hard skills that nearly everyone entering the job market knows, however, it’s the social savvy that’s important.

For example, do you understand how to manage your online reputation? Do you know how to separate your personal persona from work?  Do you know how to use Twitter to start and engage in professional conversations?  Do you know how to creatively use social media to engage prospects and customers online? Even if this isn’t your job, your contributions can help you get noticed and promoted.

It was tough to pick just 3 soft skills to highlight because so many of them are critically important to success.  Creativity, acccountability, negotiation, feedback, ability to say no, diplomacy…the list goes on and on and each skill is a slightly different tool that you need to master in order to be successful in today’s workplace. 

How Do I Improve My Soft Skills?

So what’s the best way to develop your soft skills?  Practice, practice, practice.  Constantly put yourself in situations where you need to use them. Make mistakes learn from them or better yet, buy my book Smart Talk, to keep yourself out of hot water and learn best practices and how to apply them! In the meantime, here are 3 ways to get some practice:

• Network. Go to work events and social events. Interact (cautiously) on social media. Set a goal of meeting at least two people you didn’t know before. Check out my episode on how to network for more tips.
• Find a mentor or be a mentor. Mentoring or being mentored helps with your one-on-one communication skills. Find a mentor or a mentee who will ask you good questions and let you bounce ideas off of them, Get-It-Done Guy has a great episode on mentoring.
• Volunteer. Find ways to get involved in things that you’re most passionate about. If there’s another division in your company you’d love to work in, talk to managers and see if you can do some cross-group work. Volunteer at your local school, library, non-profit, or social organization. Practice asking good questions and sharing your ideas.

Here’s the bottom line: Yes, it’s important to have strong skills in your industry and you need to always continue to develop your craft.  But it’s certainly equally important, if not more important, to put effort into developing your soft skills. These are the skills that will separate you from the rest.

Dan is right; average doesn’t cut it anymore.

This is Lisa B. Marshall, The Public Speaker.  Helping you maximize sales, manage perceptions, and enhance leadership. Passionate about communication; your success is my business.   

If you enjoyed, subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes! You may hear a shout-out on an upcoming show.

Do you struggle with difficult conversations?  Do you procrastinate when it comes to delivering feedback? Do you know how to effectively persuade and influence others?  Learn this and more in Smart Talk. Get your personally signed copy today!