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The Hard Facts about Soft
Skills
by Stew Bolno |
Performance/Management
Consultants have heard all of the jokes about consultants. Some of these
jibes even make me laugh. Perhaps the most enduring criticism is that of
referring to seminars regarding Individual/Team Development
Communications Training as "Soft Skills" training. This critique no
longer bothers me. I have observed that those individuals and teams,
that have mastered the art of understanding themselves and connecting
with others, generally perform at a higher level of effectiveness while
experiencing more enjoyment at work.
Take a moment to think about the challenges of your job. What causes you
more stress; the knowledge and ability that it takes to do your work or
the challenges of interacting, communicating, and getting the best
performance from your associates? If you are like most people, you
recognize that doing your job is the easy part. For most of us, it is
our effectiveness to work with others that either creates enjoyment or
aggravation. If you need further proof, reflect on your own work
experience. Your work history probably reveals that the bosses who
obtained the highest performance from you were those who demonstrated
trust building and communication skills; not solely technical
competence.
A person and/or organization that is "people smart" encourages
communication, obtains personal loyalty, and facilitates the creation of
productive teams. These characteristics have a result of increased
sales, higher levels of customer retention, lower employee turnover
rates, and less absenteeism. Each of these factors translates into a
stronger bottom line by increasing revenues or lowering expenses. You
see, technical competence is the minimum expectation customers and
co-workers have of you. You will be a more effective leader, manager, or
team member when you learn the simple concept of treating people they
way they need to be treated, not the way you need to be treated.
Achieving "people smart" status will net out a number of benefits for
you:
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You learn to understand your
own behavioral tendencies; this enables you to recognize how your
greatest assets when overused, or used in certain situations, become
liabilities.
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You learn to appreciate that
people are different in their perspectives and actions; this enables you
to broaden your approach to problems while yielding more effective
solutions.
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You will learn to be more
flexible in your communications with others; this will strengthen
relationships with clients and co-workers providing you with increased
levels of candor and trust in your discussions.
So, the next time you hear
someone speak disparagingly about "soft skills," perhaps they should be
reminded that obtaining a strong bottom line requires the hard work of being
able to gain loyalty, commitment, and performance from team members.
Related Team Building Program
Management Training
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