Stop Calling Them “Soft Skills”
Are skills like communication, empathy, and emotional awareness less valuable than things like reading, math, and science?
No!
So why do we call the first set of skills “soft skills” and the others “hard skills”?
The so-called “soft skills” are just as important as traditional hard skills. In fact, experts now say that soft skills are more important than hard skills.
In the future of work, soft skills distinguish us from machines. Machines can out-think, out-strategize, and out-perform us. AI can perform nearly every hard skill just as good — or better — than humans.
But what can humans do better than machines?
Be human.
Our ability to master the “soft skills” and feel, build relationships, and communicate sets us apart from machines.
It’s also what got us through the changes and stress of the pandemic.
Over the last two years, we’ve learned to be better listeners, better communicators, and better humans. We’re at our best when we use our soft skills supported by technology.
These soft skills allow us to innovate, create new products, close deals, support each other, and create employee and customer experiences that matter.
These skills are anything but soft. They are essential to our survival in our personal and professional lives.
So let’s call them what they really are: skills.
I put together a video which talks about this in more detail. Please check it out below and if you want more content like this you can subscribe to my Youtube channel.
This episode is sponsored by SAP Concur.
As a new cohort of workers enters the hybrid workforce, they wield immense power in shaping the next era of work during a time of ongoing change. SAP Concur solutions help companies reinvent travel, expense, and invoice management by simplifying everyday processes and creating better experiences across organizations. Learn more about SAP Concur travel, expense, and invoice solutions at www.concur.com.
