Simon Sinek is clear about it: he doesn't call anything soft skills.“There is nothing soft about it,” he says in this video. He argues that the use of the terms soft skills and hard skills gives the impression that there is a contradiction between the two. And that is not the case; you need all these skills to be a nicer person. Not only in your working life but also in your private dealings with people. When you have your human skills in order, you are a nicer person and nice to deal with for yourself and others around you.
We also prefer to talk about human skills instead of soft skills. Soft insinuates vulnerability, and although we think this is a strong position, it is not seen that way everywhere. But what are soft skills, i.e. human skills?
1. Empathy
Empathy has to do with your ability to empathize with the feelings of others in a given situation. Being able to put yourself in others' shoes helps to understand emotions and helps you to communicate well. People generally feel most at ease with people who have great empathy. That gives a feeling of being welcome.
2. Patience
Patience is about maintaining composure when challenging circumstances arise. This human skill is about calm, control and tolerance. This skill contributes to calmness and informed decision-making in your business and personal life.
3. Listening
Listening sounds so logical, but it can be quite challenging in a conversation where you like to tell your story yourself. When you listen carefully, you give the other person the space to tell his or her story in peace. People who are less able to listen often interrupt others and/or fill short silences in a conversation by expressing their opinions or points of view. Being a good listener is particularly valuable in situations where mutual respect plays an important role.
4. Effective Confrontation
You are probably familiar with the expression 'gentle surgeons make stinking wounds. People who are well able to confront effectively do not inflict proverbial foul-smelling wounds. You can nip further suffering in the bud by constructively approaching a confrontation, comment, or situation with a positive undertone. The result is that people dare to operate within a team based on self-confidence because there is clarity and no double agendas.
5. Creativity
This last skill was handy in the past period when corona dominated our working lives. Creativity is more important than ever and is closely related to the ability to adapt. It is not without reason that Darwin's theory of evolution is still current because even today, people (as well as plants and animals) who can adapt the most are the most powerfully and sustainably successful. Creativity is also highly valued within the business community because this characteristic makes a colleague employable in several areas.
Practice makes perfect.
The above skills can be practised very well by using our activities. It doesn't matter whether you pick it up by using this or doing it another way. Choose a method that suits you and the organization. In any case, it is important to pay attention to this.
