Although it’s been said many times, it’s worth repeating here; there is nothing soft about soft skills.
In fact, these skills are such game-changers for employers and employees alike that Udemy released a report in early 2022 suggesting the new name should be “power skills.”
It’s a rebrand I can get behind.
However, when it comes to explaining how organizations should train their leaders and leadership teams in skills, my number one piece of advice is actually to soften up.
See the value in front of your eyes.
By softening up, I mean understanding the value that can come from more personality-focused skills.
We have lost sight of the fact that soft skills are the skills that enable us to build organizations that are centered around purpose. Technical skills, which make up hard skills, certainly have their place. But the soft skills inherent in leaders and leadership teams will get the most out of people while ensuring that they feel valued.
That makes perfect sense when we see that the most in-demand skills, published after extensive research by LinkedIn, are:
- Leadership
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Time management
Leaders with these soft skills and an understanding of how to leverage them as they manage people will naturally create the environment for high-impact teams to grow.
The great news is that soft skills can be learned.
And there are several ways to impart them.
Soft skills coaching and mentoring
Soft skills are not this amorphous mass. The LinkedIn survey mentioned above highlights four soft skills, but there are many more.
You might identify an employee who needs to develop a specific skill in your organization.
For example, perhaps an employee who has never managed people before has just received a promotion and will now occupy a line manager role. No doubt these individuals have proven themselves, have a high degree of motivation, and are enthusiastic about the position.
But that doesn’t mean that this person doesn’t have developmental needs that must be addressed. In this case, it could be a need to learn leadership skills.
To be fair to the individual and their team, you could consider bringing in a leadership coach (or mentor) who could specifically tailor an approach that helps them upskill in this regard.
In this scenario, the coach would work with the employee to create a plan that helps them develop and implement leadership skills.
While the process is unique to each person, in general, it would include:
- Understanding the employee’s goals
- Thoroughly mapping the employee’s existing skillset
- Knowing the employee’s strengths
- And their weaknesses
The coach would create a development strategy and help employees understand the roadmap to improve their leadership skills.
The idea is for the employees to feel empowered and supported as they learn new soft skills.
Interactive soft skills workshops for teams
If your organization has a whole group of employees that need to be trained in a specific set of skills, live interactive workshops could be the better solution.
Live workshops were already being run online before the pandemic, but since 2020 they have become an absolute mainstay in teaching soft skills. Anecdotal evidence suggests that employees like learning this way too.
Make sure that any workshops you plan for your organization are action-oriented and are clear on the purpose they are looking to fulfill. If your employees know that they will come away from the workshop able to find solutions to a current challenge they may be experiencing, they will remain engaged.
This type of training often includes role-playing. It can work well when training for improved communication skills.
Peer forums bring people together to learn.
Since soft skills are so people-focused, learning them with others can be fun, informal… and impactful.
Getting teams to collaborate on small-scale projects is one way to create a peer learning environment. Another way is to leverage social learning via apps and other software tools.
Peer forums often represent a way for employees to learn from feedback from other employees who have experienced similar challenges. For example, if an employee has experienced an interaction with a demanding customer, sharing it (respectfully) in a peer forum might help them learn how their colleagues would have handled the situation.
Put people at the center of your training.
These are three examples of how organizations can train leaders and leadership teams in soft skills.
New methods are being developed in this field all the time. Currently, exciting developments in AR/VR headsets whereby real-life scenarios can be replicated are being rolled out across organizations worldwide.
Soft skills are highly trainable, and our emotional intelligence – the ability to learn and apply empathy, organization, and leadership – is flexible. Unlike IQ, which is mainly static throughout our whole lives and part of our “factory setting,” soft skills are acquired skills – acquired through awareness, exposure, and mindful practice. The development of soft skills is nearly limitless, and its presence contributes to professional success in every field of business.
No matter how you choose to impart soft skills, keeping people at the center of your training is the key to success. And also the key to getting a return on investment that makes the training worthwhile – for your organization and staff.
