Why “soft skills” are more important than they might seem
The truth is they have always been important. But in the last few years, they have become some of the leading values for succeeding in the business world and providing a pleasant environment in the workplace. Because soft skills are what makes life better — and ourselves.
What are soft skills?
We all know that someone (hopefully more than one person) at work with whom everyone would want to work. And that is probably not only because of their technical or business skills but because they have great soft skills. Let’s be honest , some people are great at their jobs but lack interpersonal skills. And that makes it challenging to communicate and might create chaos in a team’s dynamic.
“Soft skills get little respect but they will make or break your career.” -Peggy Klaus
Soft skills are a combination of many skills — social, people, communication, emotional intelligence and personal traits such as work attitude. They are one of the very important factors that employers look for. Here at Sainsbury’s, they are a massive part of our valued behaviours and are important for one’s career progression, making Sainsbury’s a great place to work.
Soft skills are not tied to any specific job role. They might not seem straightforward to master compared to hard skills, but they still can be learned or even taught for success in a job, in the interview process, or for the next senior position.
As per a 2019 report by LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends, a significantly large number of people (92%) have said that soft skills are as important, if not more, than hard skills. They are also a major factor in the interview process. Frequently, people are unsuccessful not due to a lack of technical skills but precisely because they still need to meet the expectations for valued behaviours and soft skills.
Some of the most essential soft skills are described in the next couple of sections.
1. Communication
Not surprisingly, this soft skill is probably the most important one a person can master. Effective communication is essential for building strong relationships with colleagues, customers and stakeholders.
It is also a crucial factor for the team’s dynamic. Creating a safe space, finding the right approach towards colleagues and having difficult conversations with professionalism are part of a healthy environment, and they are all based on communication. Very often, people leave workplaces due to the teammates they had to work with.
Communication between different teams in an organisation is also crucial to the business’s success. Often, there are dependencies between services within external teams, so it is important to maintain healthy relations with colleagues. Precision and clarity are essential. Information must be accurate and clear when provided to people who need to be aware of the domain. The messages between team members of external teams have to be adapted to the technical level of expertise of the recipient and role. This will lead to better collaboration and communication.
When there are issues outside our team coverage, they need to be
communicated clearly to the team responsible for the service. This will lead to a
clear understanding of the problem and how it can be solved.
Documentation is also an essential factor. We know no one is a fan of them.
However, we all know how much help they are and how hard it is to understand business or technical logic without them. Excellent communication is also demonstrated by the ability to create clear and comprehensive technical documentation and prompting towards excellent problem-solving capabilities.
“If you just communicate, you can get by. But if you communicate skillfully, you can work miracles.”– Jim Rohn, author, speaker and entrepreneur
2. Feedback
Collecting verbal or written feedback from colleagues is a great way to evaluate communication. There are various types of communication skills that someone can demonstrate. These include, but are not limited to, active listening, presentation skills, verbal or non-verbal communication, and participating in meetings and discussions.
Opening up to feedback is important but also can be difficult. But it is important to remember that the conversations come from a place of good intentions: it is an essential skill to have to achieve the best version one can be. The feedback triggers an action or a lack of one (also an action), leading to some effect. Now, itis not mandatory to accept one’s feedback, but what if the outcome of an action has a positive impact?
“Types of feedback: — Inspirational — Constructive — Encouraging. Pick one and give it to someone today. It might just change their life. And yours” -Dan Sodergren
Feedback can be presented in many different forms in the tech space. When there is a PR (Pull request), the way the review is done is essential if
improvements or changes are needed. Much effort has been put into the work being reviewed, so we should be considerate when delivering feedback.
Keeping the workplace environment positive is essential. When giving constructive feedback on an error/ better solution suggestion, it is recommended to use positive language. Saying, “Why don’t we try … “ or “This could be improved by doing X” is much better than saying, “This is wrong. This is bad”. This approach will also be better accepted, and it would be less likely that the same errors will occur.
3. Creativity
Creativity can be demonstrated in many ways — proposing improvements for a code base, improving a process, or even thinking outside the box and bringing ideas to the table. Being curious and experimenting can help solve problems and create better customer experiences.
The combination of fresh perspectives, new concepts and creativity fuels
innovation. In the IT world, professionals thinking beyond the “standard” and “generic” way are more likely to propose innovative solutions to complex problems.
“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” — Mary Lou Cook
4. Teamwork
Yes, we all know the phrase: “There is no “I” in team”, it is critical for the successof a project. We are taught it from a very early stage in our lives — at preschool or daycare. Maybe without realising it, we have built the foundations of team player attitude by playing games and creating rules and competitions. Working towards a mutual goal involves working with colleagues and achieving success for the organisation. Some teamwork skills are accountability, collaboration and conflict resolution. Achieving a goal as a team creates a healthy, productive environment and guaranteed success.
Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. — Henry Ford
Teamwork is the foundation of success in the engineering world. That’s why every team should strive for healthy work environment. Teamwork can be built based on different factors. When team members feel valued and their efforts are recognised, they are more likely to perform better and support each other. People have different skills, experience and knowledge, so when they are encouraged, the main goal can be achieved faster, easier and better. The company’s overall success will increase because employees enjoy the workplace environment.
It is not necessary to always agree with each other. Having discussions is healthyif done the right way. Expressing disagreement is similar to giving feedback for aPR. It needs to be done in positive language without triggering negative emotions in the other person.
When team members feel it is a safe space, the productivity will be high, the environment will be positive and everyone will work hard towards the main goals. We can achieve great things if we work together and make it pleasant for each other.
Collaborative problem-solving leads to better outcomes, which is why teamwork is essential in the tech space, regardless of whether it is a collaboration between external teams or within the team. People are more likely to take calculated risks that lead to innovation if they have the support of a team behind them. Working in a team encourages personal growth, increases job satisfaction, and reduces stress.
5. Adaptability
Undoubtedly, the ability to react positively to and adapt to change is one of the most essential skills for career progression or dealing with unforeseen business changes. It is tightly connected to another soft skill- growth mindset. Reflecting, taking necessary actions, improving and evolving will help majorly with setbacks and problem-solving. Being able to accept a change, be creative and curious, and adapt will positively impact the team’s productivity and health. In the IT world, everything changes fast — new technologies are created, business requirements can change, and even how a code has been written.
This mindset can also be applied to managerial style, which will help the team and the company become more flexible and successful.
It’s difficult for company leaders to guide their companies through such
uncertainty — especially in industries that don’t continually evolve, as their
leaders aren’t used to handling change. To adapt to fast, ubiquitous change,
embrace continual learning: Learn new things whenever possible and use that knowledge to improve the company. By sporting this behaviour, the team member encourages their subordinates to do the same and make the company more adaptable.
There are two main sections when it comes to adaptability — handling change but also creating a change. Although change can be a positive thing, sometimes too many changes can lead to damage. To prevent this from happening, it is important to constantly raise specific queries like what features need to be included and recording the responses. Also regular checking of the expectations.
“I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better.” — Georg C. Litchenberg
6. Critical thinking
Critical thinking is being capable of demonstrating an analytical and strategic mindset. It encourages curiosity and it helps with improving the problem-solving skills. A great leader is also one who uses critical thinking to resolve a dispute between two employees. It can be demonstrated via various skills and abilities and guarantees constant self-improvement.
“People can be extremely intelligent, have taken a critical thinking course, and know logic inside and out. Yet they may just become clever debaters, not critical thinkers, because they are unwilling to look at their own biases.”
-Carol Wade
7. Emotional Intelligence
Ah, emotional intelligence! That remarkable ability to understand, recognise and control one’s own emotions, but also understand the emotions of other colleagues. It is made up of a couple of management/conflict management elements:
- Self-awareness
- Self-regulation
- Motivation
- Empathy
- Social skill
These enable people to communicate in complex social dynamics, work
effectively in teams, resolve conflicts and address employees’ emotions.
Motivating others can help them become the best version of themselves and alsocreate a great leader. A high level of emotional intelligence benefits everyone in a workplace setting and has a positive impact on many aspects of life. It is one of the most important skills one can acquire. It is the key to being calm under high pressure or providing open environments, giving constructive feedback sensitively towards others’ emotions and showing support to a colleague in need.
“What really matters for success, character, happiness and life long achievements is a definite set of emotional skills — your EQ — not just purely cognitive abilities that are measured by conventional IQ tests.” — Daniel Goleman
Famous last words
In conclusion, soft skills are critical not only in the workplace but also in life. Their diversity leads to innovative and healthier teams, businesses, and organisations. Not leaving the technical expertise behind, as it is equally important to strive for improvements, and mastering soft skills are the ultimate path for success towards fostering long-term team success and being not only a great leader but a better human.
