Chapter 1 What Are Soft Skills? WHAT ’S IN THIS CHAPTER? • A Simple Definition • The Importance of Soft Skills in Business • Soft Skills in Practice • A Progressive Definition of Soft Skills • The Evolution of Soft Skills • Teaching Soft Skills • Soft Skills for the 21st Century • The Leader ’s Connection COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL There are a lot of interpretations for the term “soft skills.” Some are even humorous. The truth is that the term is bolstered by years of research in the fields of psychology, sociology, and education, with a long history of practi- tioners past and present who promote and base their businesses on soft skills, but use a variety of other names. The reason for the expansive list of descriptors is that soft skills encompass a lot of areas, and experts are not always masterful in all of them. Just the definition is challenging, spanning the many components 7 cc01.indd01.indd 7 112/02/132/02/13 99:56:56 AAMM 8 Soft Skills Revolution of communication, all of which would be impossible to name. For a begin- ning, we will trace the roots of soft skills briefly, and use a simple definition as a foundation. A Simple Definition “Soft skills” was a common term in the 1960s and 1970s. Students and teachers considered the term akin to human relations, interpersonal communication, and team building, all of which encompass skills that form the foundation for building relationships. A definition of soft skills from that time would encompass listen- ing, empathy, interpersonal communication, team building, group dynamics, sensitivity to others, compassion, integrity, and honesty. In recent years, forward-thinking companies have brought soft skills back into the foreground as critical to business success and have determined that they are a major factor in the country ’s continued prominence in the global economy. How companies define these skills now exceeds previous definitions, and that is testimony to the importance that soft skills have garnered. The fol- lowing synopsis takes a look at research by major corporations that recognize just how important soft skills are to the advancement of business, government, and communities. For further history of how soft skills evolved, see the box entitled “The Evolution of Soft Skills” at the end of this chapter. The Importance of Soft Skills in Business A 2006 report entitled “Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers’ Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce” revealed that employers view “soft skills” as even more impor- tant than the three R ’s (reading, writing, and arithmetic). The study, conducted by The Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the Society for Human Resource Management, reported survey results from more than four hundred employers who rated skills on a scale of relative importance. Employers that participated included companies such as Microsoft, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Dell, Inc., Phillip Morris, State Farm, Ford, and Pearson Education. cc01.indd01.indd 8 112/02/132/02/13 99:56:56 AAMM What Are Soft Skills? 9 Table 1.1 Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills Basic Knowledge/Skills Applied Skills English Language (spoken) Critical Thinking/Problem Solving Reading Comprehension Oral Communications Writing in English (grammar, spelling) Written Communication Mathematics Teamwork/Collaboration Science Diversity Government/Economics Information Technology/Application Humanities/Art Leadership Foreign Languages Creativity/Innovation History/Geography Lifelong Learning/Self-Direction Professionalism/Work Ethic Ethics/Social Responsibility Source: “Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers’ Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce.” (2006). New York: The Conference Board., p. 9. The “Ready to Work” study reviewed a variety of skills, including what was defined as “applied skills” (termed “soft skills” in the introductory presidents’ message) and “basic knowledge skills.” See Table 1.1 for the breakdown. As you can see, the types of skills that companies are looking at now reflect the changing nature of society and business, and include broad categories. Once related mostly to “personal growth,” the new soft skills have emerged as essential to business and community organizations, even more so than reading and writing, as mentioned earlier. Why the New Emphasis on Soft Skills? The intent of the Conference Board study was not only to identify important skills, but to evaluate workforce entrants as to their capabilities in the areas determined to be most critical. This is particularly important because it raises the bar for soft skills as requirements for employment. If applicants are going to be judged on expertise in communication, teamwork, creativity, ethics, social cc01.indd01.indd 9 112/02/132/02/13 99:56:56 AAMM 10 Soft Skills Revolution responsibility, and other areas in Table 1.1 , they will be evaluated in those areas at work as well. In the overview letter from the group of presidents involved in the study, the consensus was that “far too many young people are inadequately prepared to be successful in the workplace.” Their conclusions were based on survey results that showed that over one-half of new entrants are deficient in the most impor- tant skills—oral and written communication, professionalism/work ethic, and critical thinking. Applied skills trumped basic knowledge skills as being the most important. Other research mirrors the 2006 study, including the 1991 report “What Work Requires of Schools: A SCANS Report for America 2000.” In this study, conducted by the Secretary ’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, listening and speaking were pronounced “basic skills.” Their category of “interpersonal” skills includes: • Participates as a member of a team, • Teaches others, • Serves clients/customers, • Exercises leadership, • Negotiates, and • Works with cultural diversity. Soft Skills in Practice Although communication training programs are taught in many companies and organizations, the actual practice and acceptance of expanded definitions of soft skills is not elevated to optimum potential in all industries and organizations. Customer service, a field based on soft skills, is considered by many to be the worst it has been in decades. There is definitely an opportunity for training and development. As far as executive leadership, Zenger, Folkman, and Edinger (2009) say, “Possibly because it has been so hard to define, social scientists have shied away from soft skills on the grounds that if the topic of interpersonal skills was a soft subject, this was simply over the top (p. 11).” For many trainers, Zenger is the king of soft skills curricula and programs for frontline staff and leaders. If Zenger cc01.indd01.indd 1100 112/02/132/02/13 99:56:56 AAMM What Are Soft Skills? 11 admits that it is hard for executives to practice soft skills, you can bet that he has explored the difficulty of using soft skills at an executive level, where communi- cation and workplace culture start. Similarly, in the article “Creative Leadership, Tough Times: Soft Skills Make the Difference,” John Fleenor (2003) of the Center for Creative Leadership writes that today ’s leaders are struggling to use lead- ership styles that will help their organizations through the transitions required of the current business environment and that “soft” leadership skills, such as trust, empathy, and communication, are confusing for executives to balance with bottom-line approaches. A Center survey mentioned in the article found that the more stress that an organization is facing, the more important a leader ’s soft skills become, and that the likelihood of managerial flaws that cause leader derail- ment included problems with interpersonal relationships, difficulty building and leading a team, and difficulty changing and adapting. A Change in Perception Perhaps the word “soft” needs a boost of credibility. We know the “reputation” of the word: He ’s just a softie. He ’s soft on her. She ’s soft—thin skinned. Should we always be “hard”? He took a hard line. She gave the hard facts. He ’s hardcore. She came down hard. She ’s hard as nails. Because of the many perceptions of the term, “soft,” soft skills remain an enigma. This is troublesome because soft skills are evident immediately, and are almost as obvious as hair color. When you meet someone for the first time, you form an immediate impres- sion. The impression has nothing to do with titles, whether the man or woman is a director or counselor. The impression you have is how the person chooses to communicate with you. cc01.indd01.indd 1111 112/02/132/02/13 99:56:56 AAMM 12 Soft Skills Revolution A Progressive Definition of Soft Skills Soft skills are the skills that really count. They are the skills that employers look for, that promotions are made of, and by which families thrive. As we have seen, soft skills are hard to define, and the meaning has changed over the years with the inclusion of new competencies, such as cultural diversity. Because this book goes beyond traditional approaches, it calls for a more expan- sive, progressive definition and discussion of soft skills, an approach that is more appropriate for today ’s socially networked workforce. To change the perception of soft being “less,” and to demystify the term, we will use the following definition from here on to more amply describe soft skills in terms of competencies and the categories that progressive companies recognize. Soft skills are interpersonal skills that demonstrate a person ’s ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with others in one-on-one interactions as well as in groups and teams. Skills include listening and responding in a receptive way to others’ points of view; cooperation, and the ability to be fl exible and take positive action in situations that require understanding of the circumstance, environment, and the culture of the person, organization, team, or family in which specifi c interactions occur.