Why Offer Soft Skills Training?

Many employees want to increase their skills so they can earn more money to improve their lifestyle. But even those who do not can be motivated by the opportunity. When employers offer skills training, this gives workers the chance to learn more and do more to improve their own life – with subsequent advantages for the company.

In fact, workers are most often hired for their experience, knowledge, and their “hard skills.” Hard skills are the functional and quantifiable skills needed to meet the scope of work. For example:

• Accounting
• Carpentry
• Cashiering
• Coding
• Computer software knowledge
• Copywriting
• Data analysis
• Graphic design
• Foreign language speaking
• Inventory
• Project management
• Social media management
• Tax preparation
• Welding

However, what is often missing, what is generally not taught in colleges or technical trade schools, are “soft skills” – such as the ability to work well on a team. Soft skills are less tangible and often more difficult to teach because they are borne out of behavior and personality.    

Common soft skills include:

• Communication – clearly expressing ideas and listening to others
• Teamwork – collaborating with others to achieve a common goal
• Adaptability – being flexible and open to change
• Emotional intelligence – managing one’s emotions and understanding those of others; exhibiting empathy, self-awareness, patience, multicultural sensitivity, humility, gratitude, and resilience
• Trustworthiness – reliability and integrity
• Problem-solving – identifying and resolving issues efficiently
• Conflict resolution – handling disputes quickly, fairly and constructively
• Time management – prioritizing tasks and managing time effectively
• ·Leadership – guiding, motivating, and moving a group of people seamlessly in the same direction; mentorship
• Strategic foresight – the ability to apply product/service and marketplace knowledge to maximize planning opportunities
• Critical thinking – approach problems and challenges with a strategic and analytical mindset; weigh available options and consider potential outcomes; evaluate the strength of arguments and identify flaws in reasoning; consider multiple perspectives; consider short- and long-term consequences
• How to network – in order to strengthen professional relationships and create more career opportunities
• Coach/mentor or be coached/mentored – to help oneself and other coworkers learn the ropes and avoid pitfalls on the job

Creativity: the ultimate soft skill

In the approaching era of artificial intelligence (AI), creative thinking will become an increasingly important skill. While AI may be able to supplant many rote and repetitive jobs, the ability to think outside the box, generate ideas that challenge the status quo, and innovate new ideas will be in higher demand. That’s because creativity evolves from natural curiosity, a willingness to take risks and embrace ambiguity and uncertainty – nuances that are generally eschewed by logistic considerations.

Without creativity, innovation would stagnate. After all, AI does not have the wholly human ability to imagine. The soft skill of creativity, on the other hand, allows the mind to view problems without logistical boundaries, to envision a future and then work backwards to design a path to reaching goals via non-linear solutions.

The challenge of soft skills training is how to leverage humans in a workplace destined to be replaced by technology. A recent McKinsey and Company study projected that within the next five years, AI and machine learning-enabled tech could replace up to 30 percent of the global workforce. However, without creativity – both at the problem-solving factory floor level and pie-in-the-sky “what’s the next best thing” innovation – forward-thinking commerce will deteriorate.

Fortunately, creative thinking can be taught, practiced, and excelled in by people at all levels of the income band. Creative soft skills are not just for artists and musicians; it’s like a muscle that can be exercised and built through repetitive training and practice. Politicians, executives, and business leaders at all levels have been taught creative soft skills via:

• Improvisation classes
• Role playing
• Brainstorming
• Stream of conscious journaling
• ·Walking in nature
• Reading fantasy/science fiction
• Meditation
• Repetitive exercise (e.g., running, treadmill, stationary cycling)
• Working with different people/exposure to different cultures, races, genders, and ages
• Working with what Abraham Lincoln called a “team of rivals” to spark productive discussions and debates among people with opposing opinions (e.g., creatives with technical staff)

Note that today’s remote work staffing model opens up more opportunities for diversity exposure and soft skill learning by having in-office personnel work with staff located throughout the country or world. According to the Future of Jobs Report by the World Economic Forum, creativity and innovation are expected to be the most valuable skills over the next five years.

The building blocks of soft skills training

Soft skills training can be either structured or unstructured, which allows workers to choose what works with their schedule and learning capacity. For example, structured face-to-face classes may work well for on-site staff who benefit from the interactive class experience. However, other workers may opt for online classes that they can take when it is convenient for them, such as nights and weekends.

To help workers identify what type of soft skills training they need, an employer can provide tools and screenings to help them self-evaluate their current capabilities and pursue weak areas. For example, some of these assessments may already be used during the HR hiring process, such as:

• Cognitive ability tests – evaluate how workers perform in unexpected scenarios using abstract thinking with numerical and verbal reasoning skills
• Game-based assessments – measure cognitive ability
• Personality tests – gauge certain aspects of a worker’s personality, such as introversion vs extroversion

Soft skills assessment tools can help identify strengths and weaknesses to prepare a customized training curriculum. Also consider having supervisors discuss with workers potential career paths that lean into their strengths and goals, then choose soft skill training classes that can help further them along that tract.

What are the benefits of soft skills training?

There are times in a worker’s career when, despite accumulating a vast number of hard skills, experience, and industry knowledge, his career path may be stunted due to lack of soft skills. For example, he may not have strong people skills or the ability to lead teams. Recognize that this hurts employers as well, because people with fewer hard skills and experience may be hired in or promoted above them. This not only breeds resentment but sends a message to other high-performing skills workers that their career path is limited.

It is also important to note that as technology continues to advance, it threatens and perhaps even shortens the careers of highly skilled workers. By taking advantage of employer-sponsored soft skills training, workers can add more depth to their resume and open up greater opportunities to manage in a technology-led environment. Regardless of the reasons, developing strong soft skills and a creative mindset offers new avenues and career longevity.

Employers also benefit from increased soft skills among the workforce. For example, workers learn:

• To be more focused on long-term goals
• To make more rational, realistic decisions
• To develop persistence and resilience
• To become better listeners
• To make others feel more comfortable working with them
• To practice kindness and encourage others to do so as well
• To improve and strengthen working relationships with colleagues and supervisors
• To better manage stress and feel more energized at work
• To be more creative, thus spurring new problem-solving techniques and develop innovative products/services that generate a competitive edge

While there is a wide array of coveted soft skills, some may be more valuable than others based on position or industry. By having a soft skills training program in place, employers do not have to limit their job candidates to those they believe already have the requisite soft skills.

In other words, imagine you interview a candidate to manage a team of programmers. This person has in-depth experience and knowledge in all the software programs your company uses – but the candidate appears to lack management or people skills. Or perhaps you’d like to promote a long-time skilled worker to a C-suite position, but she lacks critical thinking and long-term planning skills. A soft skills training program can help you hire and promote people who have the hard technical skills that the job requires, paired with the opportunity to train them to become a perfect match for the role.

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