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Why are soft skills important in a business environment? How to apply soft skills. |
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By: Nicholas Arnold Ishak
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Why soft skills are just as important as technical skills? Why are soft skills important in a business environment?
Although technical skills( hard skills) are a crucial requirement for specific jobs, soft skills are an essential part of an efficient, pleasant, and productive work environment. An employee’s soft skills can be the difference between a satisfied customer or an unsatisfied customer, soft skills can be the difference between an efficient work environment and an inefficient work environment. Soft skill is an essential ingredient to the development, maintenance and future of any business. Three soft skills I believe to be essential in any workplace would be critical thinking skills, social/interpersonal skills and adaptability skills. Although there are many other skills that can be listed as essential to an employer I believe these three soft skills can be undoubtedly useful in any work environment.
What are technical skills and why are they important? How critical thinking can be applied to different aspects of life.
Critical thinking is critical in any work environment for numerous reasons. Critical thinking in my perspective is the process of examining a situation/problem from many perspectives and determining the right actions to take to address that situation/problem. The development of this soft skill is not only useful in a professional/work environment it can be utilized in day to day life. Critical thinking can be a major player in towards the achievement of personal Goals. For example let's say an individual has health issues that have developed over time due to a lack of exercise and poor eating habits. The individual would have to determine what it is he/she is doing on a daily basis that got them to that point, then determine what are the things that can be changed that won't affect their health negatively( A person with high blood pressure and high cholesterol are at high risk of cardiac arrest which can be deadly if they incorporate strenuous exercise routine). Once the individual has come to a conclusion they can then implement changes in their lifestyle to live a healthier life. Critical thinking can be implemented on big scaled issues and smaller scaled issues, it is an essential part of making the right decisions in professional or personal life.
What are interpersonal skills? Examples of interpersonal skills.
Another crucial skill that is applicable to not only a work environment is interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills are a set of skills that are utilized to better communications and relationships in our professional and personal lives. A few examples of interpersonal skills would be things along the line of building rapport, reading body language, negotiation skills etc. As an aspiring entrepreneur interpersonal skill can make or break my goals. I'm currently developing a life coaching practice, interpersonal skills are the foundation of my practice. If i'm unable to build rapport and express my genuine empathy towards clients they may never book another appointment with me. Interpersonal skills can be utilized in many aspects in life, not just in a professional environment, for example it can be relayed into one's love life or family life easily. Interpersonal skills can help one approach and react to people related situations accordingly.
One of the most important traits of a successful business. Why are teamwork skills important?
One of the most important aspects of any business is the businesses employees or in other words the companies team players. John Maxwell said, “teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when a leader has a big dream and a bad team”. Teamwork skills are vital to the heartbeat of business. A few essentials of teamwork skills are communication, conflict resolution, listening and reliability. A year and a half ago two friends and myself started a small company, we were doing insurance inspections via a third party contract. The lack of teamwork skills was detrimental to the business. There were two inspectors and one assistant and the lack of communication and empathy of each one's situation led to frustrations, inefficient work and the end of that endeavor less than a year later. If we implemented better soft skills we might still be up running to this day.
Why soft skills are essential for a successful life? Conclusion:
Though there are many other soft skills that are essential for living a productive, efficient and impact-full life, critical thinking, interpersonal and teamwork skills are in my perspective some of the most important. It’s important to understand that these terms( critical thinking skills, interpersonal skills, teamwork skills etc.) used to define these skills are actually umbrella terms. There isn't just one type of interpersonal skill, there is a plethora of exercises, theories and concepts housed within each of these skills. The knowledge and application of these skills in our professional and personal lives will dictate one's success. Soft skills can be the difference between a successful business and a failing business. It's crucial to implement these strategies in a professional setting and personal setting to live a better well rounded life.
Although technical skills( hard skills) are a crucial requirement for specific jobs, soft skills are an essential part of an efficient, pleasant, and productive work environment. An employee’s soft skills can be the difference between a satisfied customer or an unsatisfied customer, soft skills can be the difference between an efficient work environment and an inefficient work environment. Soft skill is an essential ingredient to the development, maintenance and future of any business. Three soft skills I believe to be essential in any workplace would be critical thinking skills, social/interpersonal skills and adaptability skills. Although there are many other skills that can be listed as essential to an employer I believe these three soft skills can be undoubtedly useful in any work environment.
What are technical skills and why are they important? How critical thinking can be applied to different aspects of life.
Critical thinking is critical in any work environment for numerous reasons. Critical thinking in my perspective is the process of examining a situation/problem from many perspectives and determining the right actions to take to address that situation/problem. The development of this soft skill is not only useful in a professional/work environment it can be utilized in day to day life. Critical thinking can be a major player in towards the achievement of personal Goals. For example let's say an individual has health issues that have developed over time due to a lack of exercise and poor eating habits. The individual would have to determine what it is he/she is doing on a daily basis that got them to that point, then determine what are the things that can be changed that won't affect their health negatively( A person with high blood pressure and high cholesterol are at high risk of cardiac arrest which can be deadly if they incorporate strenuous exercise routine). Once the individual has come to a conclusion they can then implement changes in their lifestyle to live a healthier life. Critical thinking can be implemented on big scaled issues and smaller scaled issues, it is an essential part of making the right decisions in professional or personal life.
What are interpersonal skills? Examples of interpersonal skills.
Another crucial skill that is applicable to not only a work environment is interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills are a set of skills that are utilized to better communications and relationships in our professional and personal lives. A few examples of interpersonal skills would be things along the line of building rapport, reading body language, negotiation skills etc. As an aspiring entrepreneur interpersonal skill can make or break my goals. I'm currently developing a life coaching practice, interpersonal skills are the foundation of my practice. If i'm unable to build rapport and express my genuine empathy towards clients they may never book another appointment with me. Interpersonal skills can be utilized in many aspects in life, not just in a professional environment, for example it can be relayed into one's love life or family life easily. Interpersonal skills can help one approach and react to people related situations accordingly.
One of the most important traits of a successful business. Why are teamwork skills important?
One of the most important aspects of any business is the businesses employees or in other words the companies team players. John Maxwell said, “teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when a leader has a big dream and a bad team”. Teamwork skills are vital to the heartbeat of business. A few essentials of teamwork skills are communication, conflict resolution, listening and reliability. A year and a half ago two friends and myself started a small company, we were doing insurance inspections via a third party contract. The lack of teamwork skills was detrimental to the business. There were two inspectors and one assistant and the lack of communication and empathy of each one's situation led to frustrations, inefficient work and the end of that endeavor less than a year later. If we implemented better soft skills we might still be up running to this day.
Why soft skills are essential for a successful life? Conclusion:
Though there are many other soft skills that are essential for living a productive, efficient and impact-full life, critical thinking, interpersonal and teamwork skills are in my perspective some of the most important. It’s important to understand that these terms( critical thinking skills, interpersonal skills, teamwork skills etc.) used to define these skills are actually umbrella terms. There isn't just one type of interpersonal skill, there is a plethora of exercises, theories and concepts housed within each of these skills. The knowledge and application of these skills in our professional and personal lives will dictate one's success. Soft skills can be the difference between a successful business and a failing business. It's crucial to implement these strategies in a professional setting and personal setting to live a better well rounded life.