SOFT SKILLS

In order to master ourselves and others we must develop Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence, which consist of “Intrapersonal Skills”, our ability to understand and manage our own feelings, emotional needs, motivators, and stressor and “Interpersonal Skills”, our ability to understand and relate to others. To develop Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence we must first understand what influences Human Behavior.

Hard Skills in contrast to “Soft Skills,” are typically easy to train, observe, quantify and measure. In the workplace and in all the areas of our life, Hard Skills are based on knowledge of technical or administrative procedures that provide an individual the ability to carry out a function or task. Examples include working with spreadsheets, operating machinery, speaking a foreign language, or using a personal computer.

In today’s challenging economy, “Hard Skills” alone are not enough. Employees must excel in “Soft Skills”. Teamwork and individual efficiency are not a luxury, they are a basic necessity. Every employee must perform at their maximum capacity, individually and as team, to overcome today’s challenges.  Clients and potential clients are scarce, so we must maximize every relationship.

Often typical “Soft Skills” Training Programs simply focus on techniques to help improve relations among employees, but they fall short. Techniques alone do not go to the core of of understanding Human Behavior and developing Soft Skills. Employees must learn to better understand themselves and others first. Employees must learn what makes people tick, what motivates and stresses them, what are their emotional needs, what are their strengths and limitations. In order to accomplish this employees must learn to understand a person’s individual behavioral styles.