P: Profession Pod Series : Essence of Soft Skills

Essence of Soft Skills 

We spoke about Internships in one of my previous write-ups. Today let's take a step ahead & understand the skills which will never take a back seat in the corporate space.

There is this one very crucial segment of skills which is a must have irrespective of the work domain you choose.

Yes , they are  #SoftSkills. In a laymans language it's nothing but  how well  you can deal with people to optimise work productivity using your interpersonal skills.

For instance, Marketing is your domain or hard skill but  your ability to deal with your client or team mates to deliver the best results is your soft skill.

The top soft skills that need to be on your radar, which will aid you excel in your profession are:

#Communication. It is the ability to speak your point of view in a confiden , clear , crisp  and concise manner which differentiates you from the crowd. You can develop these with practice too. If we are not in an environment that allows us to do so, it is a good idea to seel professional help.

#Innovation, an important skill that evaluates your thinking abilities,  how differently or creatively you think. 

Some organisations have this culture, they may tittle it differently though,  employees are given an opportunity deep dive in to a topic  of their choice as a small part of their day, over and above the job. That's when employees tend come up with some brilliant insights and contribute big time to the company progress.

Tools like Google Maps , News etc are all results of such & similar practices.

Innovation  in the truest sense stems from lateral thinking skills.

Majority of the good B schools have skills like lateral thinking, brain storming and ideation integrated as part of the education model.

Innvotiveness is also very helpful with respect to self development.

I call as the the 5% Time Tool, take 30  min each day invest in doing a thing of your choice.  Years ago, I started reading. #Come On ! GET SET GO... was the first book I read as part of using this tool.

I would read one page a day, reflect , make notes &  try imbibe. Reading opens your world view and in turn thought process. It helps you improve your ability of self awareness, in turn quality of life.

Reading also allows you to develop the next in demand soft skill, #Empathy

When you understand your self well, you understand people and situations more effectively and that makes your work environment healthy be it your team mates, customers or a stakeholder.

The next couple-skill as it call them,
#Teamwork & #Leadership.

Another reason why we are part of groups in our B schools at study or during work life. Actually this skill starts to develop at birth, #SelfTeam is the first team! 

Leadership is instinct for some & situational for others. During  my recent post graduation, we had a project on a comestic brand. A team mate had experience in working in the domain &  gave us brilliant insights enabling us to top the project!!