Soft skills: What professionals really need to know
Professionals in the 21st century are faced with many challenges. Skilled employees are the foundation of true, long-lasting competitive differentiation—companies have to attract and retain these key resources, and manage them effectively.
In order to sharpen the skills of our professionals we need to develop essential skills which are not taught in University lecture rooms or in our own working environment
What makes a successful professional? And what are the key behaviour, actions and thinking processes necessary to craft a career that is rewarding and meaningful and meets your needs and wants over the long arc of your professional life? These are issues that executive and career coaches and leadership trainers like me grapple with each and every day.
They are deep questions that defy simple answers or superficial “tactics.” But deep as they are, there are some basic fundamentals that every professional needs to master in order to succeed in and enjoy his/her professional life. From my experience as a corporate trainer in over 60 companies and beyond, the vast majority of professionals today have not received the training, information, understanding or knowledge they need to ensure they remain on a positive track and build a career that will be productive and successful as the years go on.
What do professionals really need to know? Why do they sometimes remain stuck in a career they hate? Technical know-how is all well and good, but it is emotional intelligence and self-awareness that will differentiate traditional managers from the star leaders of tomorrow. In recent years, there has been an influx of new leadership development methods; and it is no coincidence that almost all focus on the growing recognition of the importance of a manager’s emotional resonance with others. There is no doubt that professional competency and business acumen are absolutely essential for effective leadership, but relevant soft skills may be an even more important attribute amongst managers. The ability for a manager to communicate effectively with their team has a direct impact on their organisation’s bottom line.
Something which is rarely discussed is the fact that not every professional has the innate soft skills that are necessary to become a great leader. As a professional trainer I have come to realise that although personality cannot be taught, effective training and development can indeed help professionals to recognise and understand their own moods, emotions and drives – and more importantly, the effect they have on others. The ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods can be honed through direction and practice, and professionals should not underestimate the value that becoming more self-aware can bring.
According to a recent article in the Harvard Business Review by emotional intelligence guru Daniel Goleman, the five abilities that distinguish the best leaders from the average ones are: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills
Gone are the days when ‘lone-wolf’ leadership styles were tolerated and even celebrated. In my experience, today’s effective managers must now exude positive energy, define vision, build great teams, care, reward, teach, decide, innovate and execute.
Loretta Gunewardene is a Associate Trainer for Accenture / Maximum Performance UK who conducts training in professional skills in the region- India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Singapore to Malaysia. In Sri Lanka she has conducted programmes for HSBC, Hayleys, Cinnamon Grand, Lake, Lodge, Unilever, Canadian High commission, MAS Group, Brandix, Carsons, SriLankan Airlines, Dialog, among several blue chip companies.