Leadership - A discussion of traits, characteristics, and current news of leaders.

What comes to mind when you hear the term “soft skills?” Do you think of them as hand holding and public hugs? Do you scoff at the thought of giving up time from “critical” work to learn some “soft skills?”

I thought about that question after reading Amy Joyce’s article in the Washington Post entitled Handling the Reins – Some Managers Foster Growth to Harness Employee’s Potential. In her article she talks about the value many managers put on employee training, much of it being in the category of the “soft skills.”

As an educator and consultant, I am the foremost proponent of “soft skills,” but hate the term. There is nothing soft about “soft skills.”

A few weeks ago I was at Maxwell-Gunther Air Force Base teaching supervisory and negotiation skills to a great group of people. As is typical, a senior manager opens up the class with a little about the purpose of the course. When this particular person mentioned that the skills were the “soft skills,” I heard a groan from the audience. It got me thinking….

If I told you that the skills I would be training you in today would enable you to effectively monitor and program a multi-trillion dollar piece of equipment would you call it “hard skill” or “soft skill?” What if I told you the techniques we learned in the class would give you the ability to leverage the computing power of a processor more powerful than ten thousand high end servers, would that be “hard” or “soft” skills? And if I told you the training would allow you the use of steps to prevent the crossing of wires and data that could conceivably shut down the entire interaction between two of these amazing machines, would you consider that a “hard” skill?

You’ve probably figured out by now I’m talking about human beings, not computers. In my experience, there is nothing more powerful, complex, or difficult to manage than a person! Sadly, there are no instruction manuals or help desks to call. Most managers are on their own, entrusted with these valuable resources, and haven’t the first clue on how to get them going. And some have the nerve to laugh at “soft skills.”

I submit that anyone can sit through a course or read a book to learn “hard skills.” It takes commitment and courage to learn the “soft skills.”

If you’re a critic, get over it! Learn all you can about the REAL important resources. If you commit yourself to the task, you’ll never again refer to them as “soft skills!”