Soft Skills Are So Hard

"Can I talk to you?" This question came to me from my colleague Jerry, whom I had worked with closely in the past. A recent restructuring had put Jerry in a new group, and from his slumped posture and discouraged tone, I could tell he was struggling.

I asked my friend how things were going, and he began to explain in very specific ways how the new assignment had become increasingly challenging for him to remain optimistic and energized. You may recognize some of the specifics:

• infrequent communication from his supervisor
• team meetings where no one was addressed by name, and only the supervisor spoke
• meetings about projects he was involved in – without him present
• evaluative feedback that was negative ("you’re pushy") or positive with a negative slant ("when you started on this assignment, I didn't think much you for your skills, but you're not as bad as I thought")

Knowing that gratitude can be cultivated, I asked him to share anything that was going well. As you can imagine, it took a few minutes to generate positive comments. However, as he described a vision for a project he was particularly invested in, he began to light up – reminding me of how he had been when we had worked together.

After he left, I thought about how different skill sets are valued in the workplace. In my friend’s division, defining business requirements, production flows, supply chain, had all been emphasized in recent months; however, that had left other valuable skills unacknowledged. People who were gifted as connectors, as creators, as relators, as positive thinkers and influencers, as true team players, still retained their skills, but without institutional acknowledgment of those skills, they had become invisible and in some ways, unavailable.

What is the value of these "soft skills"? There are some ways to measure, but one way to think of it is in production units. Imagine a 40-hour workweek. He good organizer can chunk up projects to be completed in those 40 units. Productivity can be measured per unit. However, as an individual and as a team there are opportunities to produce more than those 40 units of measurement. That's where soft skills come in.

Think of the most productive meetings you have had recently. Were they formal meetings, or were they casual conversations over lunch or in the hallway? The last time you were really motivated to contribute, learn, grow, collaborate, was that brought on by magic, or by a colleague with positive influence, or who listened to your ideas and gave feedback and encouragement?

Best-selling author Seth Godin suggests making the soft skills real by naming them, categorizing them, measuring them, and requiring them—because the real skills that lead to success go way beyond those that are administrative and organizational. Check out some of these Godin suggests in the categories of: self control, productivity, wisdom, perception, and influence. https://itsyourturnblog.com/lets-stop-calling-them-soft-skills-9cc27ec09ecb