“Soft Skills” — what did you say!
Hello.
My name is Timothy Mulholland — call me Tim. This is my first article to be published on Medium — or intentionally on any public platform for that matter, so…please be kind!
Why Now
I have never felt the need (nor made the time) to engage in ‘considered’ article writing however, the catalyst for me finally putting ‘pen to paper’ lies in me having heard one too many times recently the derogatory reference to ‘soft skills’— particularly where conflict and issues arise as a direct result of one’s own ‘incompetence or indifference’ in relation to how they have navigated situations requiring more ability in the area of exercising these said ‘soft skills’.
This, my first article is therefore being written both as a cathartic exercise for myself (instead of impaling someone with a very not soft object) and as a very gentle ‘stop and think’ to those people that use this term in a derogatory and dismissive manner. Please note, there is certainly an element of jest in this statement — and there is also certainly an element of truth too. I hope my opening sentiment is not too hard for you!
My Background
Some background before I proceed. I myself have a career in ‘hard skills’ — finance, project management, and technology and so I am certainly not coming at this from the position of a ‘defensive soft skill crusader’. I currently work as a director in the area of organisational development (people and operations), and appreciate how — when aligned correctly, the symbiotic interaction between people, process, and technology can yield incredible results. This elevated functioning and performance does however require the appreciation, respect and practice of both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills across all organisational levels and functions.
In my career of 25 years — jeez, when did that happen, I have without doubt had my hardest and most awkward lessons within the context of soft skills. In fact, not once have I ever seen a person being exited because of hard skills gaps — it has almost always been rooted in the absence or incompetence in the area of soft-skills (or core competencies) that those ‘difficult’ conversations and regrettable outcomes have transpired.
The Reality
I get it, we work in a world where efficient delivery is the order of the day and anything that may be surplus to this endeavour is temptingly deemed as unnecessary. Our businesses are trying desperately to maintain a conscience and a soul however, the temptation and benefit — depending on your position within the organisational food chain, in being purely transactional (i.e. task oriented without needless focus on fluffy stuff) is ever present.
The soft skills I am referring to are however fundamental to how we team — no matter how transactional or decentralised as a workforce we may be or become, these skills are not disposable. In fact, the more remote and decentralised we become, the more these soft skills will be required — and the more deliberate, capable and intentional we will need to be in terms of our comfort, utilisation, and mastery of these skills.
McKinsey predicted that “between 2016 and 2030, demand for social and emotional skills (soft skills) will grow across all industries by 26 percent in the United States and by 22 percent in Europe” — and that report was released pre-pandemic.
The Irony
The irony is this — the biggest issues that arise in our work environments are most typically found in the interactions between people. In fact, if we consider goals, roles, processes and interactions, 80% of conflict in teams is attributed to unclear goals and furthermore, ambiguity in this area has a direct impact on the levels of conflict in the other areas i.e. roles, processes and interactions (Pritchett, Tichy, & Cohen, 1998; Tichy, 2002).
What is of note here is the fact that the conflict caused at the goal level comes down to — you guessed it, soft skills. In this particular scenario, it is the absence of effective communication, collaboration, negotiation, persuasion and influence that directly impacts goal clarity and which creates the conditions for conflict further downstream in an individual’s role and in a team’s processes and interactions. So, it seems soft skills are rather fundamental in creating the victory conditions for technical (i.e. hard skill) delivery.
Managers, leads, leaders…please understand that your success — no matter how technical or ‘pro-hard skills’ you are, will always be determined by your understanding of the relationship between hard and soft skills — they are not mutually exclusive.
I have become increasingly convinced that in certain circumstances /environments when people progress from individual contributor into a management or lead positions — this move is astoundingly devoid of any realisation that it in fact comes with the need to actually manage or lead people effectively. In so many of these cases, I see effective employees overnight grow into their incompetence and in so many cases they do so unconsciously (unconscious incompetence) — avoid this pitfall!
So, to those wishing to progress into a managerial or lead based role— here is a hint; it’s in the title, people! Managing and Leading — remember verbs — they indicate the need to actually do something, not simply passively acquire something — $$$.
The Options
So, you may be thinking to yourself, “okay, so how do I even begin going about understanding where to start in terms of understanding where I stand in relation to these soft-skills and my leadership capabilities?”
The answer — I hope, will make those soft-skill naysayers among you pleasantly surprised — and that is, in hard psychometric-based emotional intelligence assessment — nothing soft, cuddly or crystal-ballish here!
Our Emotional Intelligence (EI) assessments and coaching solutions develop the self-awareness required to drive genuine behaviour change and assist you in building the most important skills for your professional and personal performance.
90% of the world’s top executives have high EQ and studies have shown it is responsible for up to 63% of overall performance. Emotional Capital Reports and EQ training programmes are proven to transform the leadership and employee behaviours needed to drive exceptional business performance.
The Actions
If indeed you are interested in elevating your leadership capabilities and gaining transformative insights that will without question heighten your self-awareness, capability and relationships — then please feel free to reach out, whether that be at an individual, team, or organisational level. Be the leader you wish you had — you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve.
Thank You!
Thanks for taking some of your precious time to read this, these are just a few of my random thoughts on the matter ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Take care of you, yours and others!
Cheers, Tim.
https://www.mulholland-consulting.com/
