The Hard Truth about Soft Skills - Essay Example

Soft skills popularly known as people’s skills, on the other hand, are very hard to take note of, measure, or even quantify. All individuals need soft skills in their day-to-day running of activities and life in as much as they are needed at work too. These skills are all about the relationship amongst people, the ability to listen, one’s level of engagement in dialogue, the ability to offer feedback, the level of cooperation in team membership, problem-solving, conflict resolutions as well a person’s ability to contribute during meetings. In today’s world, leaders are fond of placing a lot of significance on soft skills. They are pacesetters especially in their abilities to conduct meetings, make decisions, plan, delegate, instruct, and motivate people(Klaus, Rohman, and Hamaker,28).

In my opinion, soft skills are the most important. Its significance comes about because of so many reasons. Let’s take for example a job market. In such a sector, you find that hard skills are one of the requirements in a job specification but then, employers are always looking for some specific soft skills in the applicants. Employers can find it much easier to train an employee in a given hard skill, however, training employees in soft skills may prove to be a hard nut to crack. This is because hard skills are mostly learned in schools. There is a behavior pattern that is not naturally derived from school. Through people skills, individuals can be enabled to handle relationships and other challenges brought about by life(Klaus, Rohman, and Hamaker, 32).

Soft skills can allow people to work as a team in any life situation. Offering support and encouraging people as well as training them in soft skills can lead to the success of any organization or company. The business world has over the years been obsessed with an insatiable need to make achievements, and build long-lasting reputations and a loyal customer base. Many organizations have come up with strategies for boosting performance levels as well as innovations that can make them more unique than their competitors. These plans have been backed up by the essential need for corporate culture(Klaus, Rohman, and Hamaker, 43).

Rules can change in an organization depending on its corporate culture but not expert knowledge. The rules can be created to stipulate codes of conduct regardless of where individual works. Communication skills are soft skills that universally apply in all workplaces. Communications can also change depending on audiences or communication content. A person has to learn good communication by making use of soft skills. Therefore, for adaptability in that company, there is a need to have the ability to demonstrate soft skills in every sphere of life. Hard skills can take you places, but only soft skills can keep you there. One’s emotional intelligence is evaluated using soft skills. Work ethics, attitudes, as well as relationships, are all requirements brought forth by soft skills. These skills can make people good leaders as they would enable one to have personal attributes such as getting along well with people hence leading to success(Klaus, Rohman, and Hamaker, 54).

Skills in the soft skills that are most valuable to me are interpersonal and communication skills. These two sets of competencies enable me to communicate effectively with people I meet in everyday life. They also allow me to listen carefully to every conversation. Through these skills, I am also able to create a good and excellent image for myself thereby serving as a role model(Klaus, Rohman, and Hamaker, 82).

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Interactions between leaders and their subordinates in a bid to achieve the objectives and goals of an organization usually determine the success of that given firm. A leader and subordinates can communicate through upward or downward communication. Downward communication from managers to subordinates can be conducted through orders written in manuals and handbooks as well as letters. This communication ensures improved coordination, performance, and subordinates' morale. A leader ought to see to it that subordinates clearly understand instructions as delivered and also respect them. Upward communication occurs from subordinates to their superiors. Through it, they can channel their grievances and report to leaders. Subordinates might react to policies in an organization that may not be going well with them(Klaus, Rohman, and Hamaker, 89).

When leaders encourage this kind of communication, subordinates may be more open and significantly contribute to the success of the organization by providing ideas and suggestions that a leader can put into use. As a result, cooperation will be increased and frustrations reduced. Employees whose leaders encourage upward communication have always been satisfied with their jobs. Leaders must, therefore, be always open in their communication regardless of the kind of information being delivered. Good communication between leaders also maintains a relationship between the two as it increases some level of being free at all times in that organization. Moreover, such communication does away with gaps between leaders and their subordinates thereby leading to an increase in support, honesty, and trust as well as real interaction between them.

In conclusion, skills are necessary for the success of any organization. Individuals must, therefore, seek to work and improve their soft skills due to the changing nature of societal norms and cultures. Leaders likewise must adopt good communication skills too in dealing with their subordinates in a respectful manner as doing that would increase their level of cooperation leading to organizational success(Klaus, Rohman, and Hamaker, 121).