What are Soft Skills?
If you pay attention to the business world, you may have heard the term “soft skills” thrown around lately. Notably, soft skills are becoming more important for hirability and promotions. Employers want people to have more than the abilities they learn in school or the field. So, what are soft skills?
Employers today focus on communication, conflict resolution, and similar qualities in their applicants and current workers. Basically, soft skills are the skills that lead to healthier and more productive workspaces. Imagine an office where no one knows how to communicate. Projects never get done. The company loses money. Additionally, all of the employees are stressed and unhappy.
On the other hand, an office filled with communicative workers makes the company more profitable and a better place to work. Soft skills lead to a better outlook for the employees and the bottom line.
Why Do They Matter?
Soft skills aren’t as easily definable as “hard” skills. For example, a job might need you to be a good communicator. But how exactly do you need to communicate? You may need excellent negotiation skills in one position but need to be a good listener in another. Notably, if you work in the mental health field, it’s more important to listen to what someone is saying than convince them to buy something every session. You’re not a good therapist if your main goal is getting clients to purchase self-help books.
Thus, what skills are important depends on your field and position. Below we will go over the top 5 soft skills that can translate to just about every job.
Top 5 Soft Skills (and How to Build Them)
1. Communication
As we mentioned, there are multiple directions in which you can build your communication skills. However, a strong foundation is key to good negotiation or sales abilities.
To be a good communicator, you must know how to ask questions, listen carefully, and express your thoughts and ideas. That may sound simple enough but consider the confusing emails and texts you’ve received in the past. Notably, you can find thousands of stories about weird conversations employees have had with clients and coworkers.
In 2022, statistics show that 86% of workers say their work failed due to poor communication. The same study estimates that communication barriers cost companies up to $37 billion every year. Those numbers show why this soft skill is in high demand.
Additionally, your good communication doesn’t just help your boss and coworkers. You’ll also be more adept at learning new ideas and other skills. As we mentioned, it’s also the base for more niche abilities, like negotiation. As a result, you’ll be better prepared to get what you want, like a new job, higher salary, or big promotion.
Improving Your Communication Skills
So, how do you become a better communicator? There are many steps you can take to improve your skills.
Notably, you might consider taking a course or two if you’re in management or a high-level position. You can find free or cheap online programs through sites like Udemy. Additionally, your employer may pay for you to take an accredited course through a university.
If classes aren’t your thing, practice makes perfect. Be mindful of the vocabulary you use and try to improve day-to-day. Make sure you ask questions and engage. Indeed, one of the biggest parts of improving is recognizing any weaknesses. So, read and re-read your emails. Record yourself speaking and play it back later on. You may notice you use a lot of informal language in formal conversations.
In the end, it can take effort to improve your communication skills. The pay-off, however, is worth the time you put into it. Indeed, communication is one of the top soft skills employers look for.
2. Conflict Resolution
Conflict and disagreements happen in every field. Whether it’s the schedule, a project, or even a parking space, people always end up disagreeing about something. Most studies indicate that over two-thirds of workers experience some conflict over the course of their careers. Notably, a 2021 study showed that 80% of remote employees ran into workplace conflicts.
Basically, when more than one person is involved in a project, there will be differing opinions. The severity of the conflict depends on the issue and the individuals. Thus, employers value employees who can handle disagreements and find solutions.
Not all issues can be handled so simply. In those cases, companies will turn to mediators and professionals trained in conflict resolution like HR. In the end, conflict resolution training leads to more potential jobs and a chance to grow in the company.
Improving Your Conflict Resolution Skills
Truly, some people are naturals at conflict resolution. They seem to know what to say and have a calming presence. However, don’t worry if that doesn’t sound like you. Anyone can learn better conflict resolution skills.
Sometimes, it comes down to our emotional control. You’re less likely to end up in an escalated conflict if you can keep a cool head. While there is no easy answer to staying calm, your best bet will be stress management. Make sure you have a healthy output. Consider exercise, writing, gardening, and other stress-relief methods.
Additionally, having better communication skills can help relieve conflict. For example, consider how many arguments happen due to misunderstandings. Conflict resolution is easier when you can express yourself and understand your coworkers better.
However, as we mentioned, some disagreements need escalated assistance. Becoming a professional mediator or taking conflict resolution courses will prepare you for these situations. Notably, many companies and people struggle with resolving issues. You can make a side gig or career out of this soft skill.
3. Adaptability
Being adaptable means you can go with the flow. Employers prefer workers who don’t panic in an emergency and can manage a sudden change. For example, consider project management. Experienced project managers plan for team, budget, and timeframe changes. There is a lot that can happen. They know people can fall ill or leave and that delays happen.
Adaptable workers can keep doing their job even if a supervisor or coworker is out. Additionally, they can use critical thinking to find a solution if something unusual happens. These employees thrive in any situation.
Altogether, adaptability means less stress on you. Even if life throws you a curveball, you can find a way to do what you need.
Becoming More Adaptable
Like our previous soft skills, you can learn adaptability. However, there is less of a direct route. Your mindset will need to change, which takes work.
One of the best ways to become adaptable is to improve your problem-solving skills. To do this, ensure you’re up-to-date on the latest studies and technology in your field. Do research and learn common issues. Basically, you want to be well-informed so that you know your options when a problem arises. As you become more comfortable with your job, you’ll have a starting point for when the unexpected happens. In other words, it’s easier to adapt to situations when you know what worked previously.
Also, don’t be afraid to get creative. New problems need new solutions. You shouldn’t be scared to put your ideas on the table. Get connected with your team and brainstorm options. In the end, you may find you can use an issue to your advantage. For example, a new software update breaks one of your automations. Instead of looking to get things how they used to be, you develop a new and easier way of doing things.
Of course, as with the prior soft skills, you can take courses to become more adaptable. These programs teach you how to achieve a “growth mindset.”
4. Organization
Good organization can make or break a company. You can lose time and money finding important documents and even end up in legal trouble if you misplace the wrong items. Notably, it can be the end of your business if you drop enough customers or clients.
An employee’s disorganization can cause serious trouble. You may have heard about workers who leave just for their boss to find a complete mess. Documents were never stored, business was done through personal email, and details were written down on post-its and scraps. Indeed, it takes the business ages to clean everything up and figure out what the employee did. Sometimes, the work can never be recovered.
Additionally, organized employees get more done. Part of staying organized is maintaining your schedule and workflow. You must set aside enough time for tasks and keep meetings on track. With good organizational skills, you’ll spend more time getting actual work done and less time figuring out what to do next.
Thus, employers love finding workers with strong organizational skills. Better yet, it’s one of the easier soft skills to master.
Becoming More Organized
To improve your organizational skills, you need to focus on two areas: creating a system and maintaining that system. Often, the second part is far more difficult than the first.
However, you should base your system on your job and what works best for you. Some employers will also have their own rules you need to follow. For example, you may not be allowed to keep notes on your personal device if you’re working with private information.
If your business only has basic rules, you’re free to do what you need to stay organized. Just make sure you stay realistic. Don’t buy ten folders, binders, and bins if you know you’re liable to toss stacks of paper in.
Notably, part of having good organizational skills is keeping things sustainable. Your system should take stress off you, not add more. In the end, don’t be afraid to change things every once in a while. If you find color-coding your calendar doesn’t help, stick to the basics. Your system should make sense to you and be easy to follow for anyone who needs to access it.
5. Time Management
On the topic of organization comes time management. We mentioned above you should organize your schedule. Notably, this should always include your lunch or breaks. However, time management tackles the question: how do I plan my days?
The answer depends majorly on you. Regardless of your job, you will have a preference for how you block your time. For example, some individuals like scheduling time for specific tasks. Others know what to do each day and just need to schedule “busy time.” Busy time is ideal for completing difficult tasks. Basically, you shouldn’t answer calls or emails during this time. If your assignment is vital to the company, your coworkers and supervisor must respect this time.
However, other people struggle when their schedule becomes too structured. You may run into trouble if every second of your day is dedicated to a specific task. For example, say you put aside two hours for filing reports, but you’re not even close to done when your time is up. Your next task is a meeting, so you can’t keep working through that. Then, after the meeting, every remaining hour is dedicated to other important items. You’ll probably work through lunch and maybe end up staying late.
Such time management often leads to stress, poor work quality, and burn-out.
How to Conquer Time Management
As we mentioned, your schedule mainly comes down to preference. Undoubtedly, you can find dozens of articles stating that 80% or more workers don’t use time management software. Some individuals think this is a bad thing. However, such a large percentage likely means the software isn’t necessary. Save your money.
Instead, create your own to-do lists and consider organizing your inbox. Majorly, learning to prioritize is the biggest step to successful time management.
What are your most important tasks? What needs to be done by Friday? And is there anything extra you have scheduled that you can push back in an emergency? You’ll probably need to restructure your schedule when you have big projects or deadlines. You should have an idea of what that looks like ahead of time.
All-in-all, you need to minimize distractions once you know what to prioritize. Again, try busy time if your work allows it. You might enhance creativity by playing music to cut out the noise of the office.
Also, ensure you’re not scheduling meetings that you don’t need. You’ve likely heard the phrase “this could have been an email.” Can that be applied to any of the meetings you have scheduled? It can be great to meet with your coworkers and discuss projects. However, if there’s no real aim, it’s eating into time everyone could have used to get stuff done.
Finally, tons of time management sheets and free tools are available online. If you’re struggling, try a template and see if it works.
Final Thoughts on Building Soft Skills
Today, soft skills are vital for success in various fields and jobs. You must master time management, communication, and conflict resolution to thrive in an office. Additionally, employers are more likely to hire you if you can prove you already have these abilities.
Universities and colleges offer many courses to help you succeed in business. We mentioned a few already, such as mediation and communication. However, you may also try classes like time or project management. Notably, degree programs like an MBA spend a great deal of time building communication skills.
In the end, however you build yourself up, make sure to invest in yourself and be prepared for your dream job.
