Learning soft skills is no longer regarded merely as a step towards personal development. It’s also the cornerstone of career progression. According to a previous study by Deloitte Insights, 92% of companies acknowledge soft skills as being nearly as important as (and even more significant than) hard skills in the modern workplace.
Many executives are keen on working with employees who are excellent communicators, problem solvers, and with a profound sense of empathy.
But as you’re about to discover, there are several other reasons learning soft skills may accelerate your career progression.
1. Soft Skills Improve Your Employability
This is arguably the most compelling reason to learn soft skills. Attending soft skills training increases your suitability for virtually any professional role and responsibility.
Modern recruiters are keen on hiring people who can bring proper synergy to a group. While interviewing for job openings, you’ll frequently encounter questions that require you to enact how you would discharge your functions within a team rather than individually. The goal is to find employees who can pull their weight to nurture growth within their respective dockets and the organization.
Some interview questions may also border on problem-solving and conflict resolution. If you’re applying for a managerial position, you may be required to discuss how you would navigate feuds within the workplace.
To effectively manage conflicts, there’s a need for empathy and perspective-taking – two of the most resourceful soft skills.
Soft skills that may improve employability include communication, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and creative thinking.
2. Soft Skills Make You More Articulate
Communication is one of the most useful soft skills. So, it’s unsurprising that many soft skills training programs teach attendees to be excellent communicators.
Unfortunately, surveys have uncovered a dire need for communication skills among millions of corporate workers. A 2018 study by LinkedIn found that up to 1.4 million people across 100 metropolitan cities in the United States lacked proper communication skills. That’s a worrying state of affairs, particularly for companies with multiple public-facing departments.
Excellent communication skills are imperative to effectively articulate your organization’s talking points to its stakeholders.
In fact, the success of lead generation is largely predicated on the ability of sales and marketing teams to express themselves clearly.
3. Soft Skills Boost Your Confidence
Learning soft skills can help bolster your self-esteem. In fact, you’ve probably realized that great communicators tend to be highly confident individuals.
High self-esteem can help you navigate workplace issues with remarkable ease.
Being confident in yourself allows you to influence other people and have them see things from your point of view. It’s an ingenious way to build consensus on issues that would ordinarily be put to divisive votes, helping avert workplace conflicts.
Even if you’re not the most knowledgeable group member, engaging confidently with your team members can help bring out the best in them.
4. Soft Skills Nurture Stronger Leadership
Leadership is another central pillar of soft skills training.
Most soft skills programs seek to inculcate proper leadership qualities in the attendees. These attributes will come in handy, particularly as you rise through the ranks in your organization.
Commonly learned leadership qualities include the significance of delegating functions to subordinates, taking responsibility for one’s shortcomings, and motivating others. You’ll also learn how to provide and accept feedback (both positive and negative).
With these attributes in your back pocket, you can seamlessly wade through challenges both in the corporate landscape as well as in other spheres of life.
5. Soft Skills Encourage Team Work
The adage no man is an island makes perfect sense in corporate quarters. Even if you’re a sole proprietor, there will always be people to collaborate with.
But working in a group can present myriads of challenges. Occasionally, conflicts will arise on fundamental issues, such as how to drive growth in the company.
Most soft skills programs emphasize the significance of teamwork. Having a team spirit lets you blend within a group and embrace its shared goals, which you can jointly pursue to achieve the organization’s bottom line.
Teamwork as a soft skill discourages the common temptation of taking all the credit for joint achievements.
6. Soft Skills Stir Creativity
Creativity and innovation are stock phrases that you’ll frequently encounter while going through job advertisements. As companies grapple with intense competition, there’s a dire need for employees who can think critically and bring in fresh ideas.
Learning creativity can prove instrumental during routine brainstorming sessions. Whether ideating for a new product or floating solutions to avert imminent reputational damage, being a creative thinker can help achieve the desired results.
Like most soft skills, creativity might also prove useful in other spheres. Thinking outside the box can help break the ice during deadlocked family discussions, helping forestall tensions.
The Bottom Line
Learning soft skills is an excellent way to increase your employability. This skill set can provide an extra incentive when interviewing for jobs, giving you a head start over fellow applicants.
But even beyond the corporate realms, soft skills can be beneficial. Skills like empathy may help foster deeper connections with your dear ones, while teamwork is invaluable while navigating social dynamics that require total member involvement.
Another exciting fact about soft skills is their transferability. These competencies can be seamlessly passed on to others through observation and practice.
However, remember that soft skills are only complementary to, not a replacement for, hard skills.
