Why are soft skills so hard?

If not, perhaps you should. With two-thirds of all jobs expected to be soft-skill intensive by 2030, they’re set to be one of the keys to success.

But don’t let their name fool you. Soft skills are hard to master.

We spoke to Helen Leighton, Talent & Leadership Development Executive Coach at LHH, to find out why working on these skills is worthwhile.

Soft skills are important

“Soft skills are the capabilities that…forge and strengthen strong connections and relationships with others,” she tells us.

And that really matters. Maybe now more than ever.

Collaborating in an increasingly globalized and hybrid world. Dealing with a never-ending barrage of change. Supporting and motivating a stretched workforce. Soft skills can do it all.

Not only that, but as Helen says, soft skills are “…required for success in all functional areas and are therefore highly transferable from one area to another.”

So, they’re indispensable tools whatever direction your career goes in. Including up.

Leaders need them

“A key factor to bear in mind for leaders is that the need for soft skills increases as careers progress,” Helen points out.

In other words, as you rise through the ranks, ‘doing things’ gives way to developing others. And that requires a softer skillset.

Soft skills can be developed

Of course, we’re not all born with soft-skills superpowers. Just like muscles, those capabilities can be grown and tightened.

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step

“To learn soft skills, a leader needs to first be aware of themselves and their approaches, habits, default behaviors, values, mindsets, strengths, triggers, and challenges…,” Helen tells us.

No problem, we know ourselves like the back of our hands, right? Well, as it turns out, wrong. 95% of people might think they are self-aware, but only 10-15% actually are.

Thankfully, there’s a little something called a psychometric assessment that can help lift the lid on our internal workings.

“The information in the assessment will increase their awareness of their strengths and challenges…[and] will help them to determine their development priorities,” she says.

Practice makes perfect

But although awareness is great, by itself, it isn’t enough. You’ve got to exercise those skills muscles too. For that reason, “…well-designed experiential leadership development programs are valuable here,” Helen points out.

If you really want to get in tip top shape though, you’re going to need a personal trainer.

And when it comes to exercising the mind, that means the help of a development coach.

“If the organization is looking for a high-impact and high-return approach to soft-skill development, combining a leadership assessment tool to build awareness with a coaching program to focus on development priorities is the best way to go,” she tells us.

Reaping the rewards

Soft skill muscles can’t exactly be flexed in front of a mirror. But we still need to know that the effort is yielding results.

“One of the best ways to assess improvement in soft skills is through gathering feedback from people with whom the leader works,” Helen says.

Because at the end of the day, soft skills are about improving our relationships with other people. And who wouldn’t want that?