"Soft" Skills

We spend huge amounts of time on technical, process, and procedure training...and we need to. Our team members need to know how to do their jobs.

Once our team members are technically competent, their development in "soft skills" areas is often overlooked. How confident are they? What is their level of skill in dealing with other people? Do they communicate well? What are the leadership qualities that they bring to the table? Can they effectively deal with stress and worry?

Managers, supervisors and executives often find out the hard way that these skills are not so soft...and in fact have a profound impact on any organization.

For example, what kinds of things would happen if your team members made a concerted effort to criticize, condemn, or complain less?...not just because it's "nice", but rather because it tends to be a complete waste of time. (How many people do you know that truly welcome criticizing, condemning, or complaining?) Dale Carnegie realized many years ago that trying not to criticize, condemn, or complain is a key aspect of getting results, professionally, AND personally. Abiding by the principle helps us to get beyond the quagmire of negativity.

Your customers are the end users of your organization's proficiency with "soft skills". If their mantra, for whatever reasons - good or bad - is to criticize, condemn, and complain, rest assured that your customers and clients will know it.

Next we will examine how to make "soft skills" more than just a nice idea.