Hard skills vs soft skills.

Hard skills vs soft skills.

In the world of work, “hard skills” are technical or administrative
procedures related to an organization’s
core business. Examples include machine operation,
computer protocols, safety standards, financial
procedures and sales administration. These skills
are typically easy to observe, quantify and measure.
They’re also easy to train, because most of the time
the skill sets are brand new to the learner and no
unlearning is involved.
By contrast, “soft skills” (also called “people skills”)
are typically hard to observe, quantify and measure.
People skills are needed for everyday life as much as
they’re needed for work. They have to do with how
people relate to each other: communicating, listening,
engaging in dialogue, giving feedback, cooperating
as a team member, solving problems, contributing in
meetings and resolving conflict. Leaders at all levels
rely heavily on people skills, too: setting an example,
teambuilding, facilitating meetings, encouraging innovation,
solving problems, making decisions, planning,
delegating, observing, instructing, coaching, encouraging
and motivating.
Obviously, people come to organizations with interpersonal
behavior patterns already thoroughly ingrained,
and they weren’t learned in a classroom. Instead, individuals
learn how to deal with relationships and other
life challenges “on the street” at a very early age. They
observe how the people around them do things, they
experiment, and they stick with what works for them.
So everyone ends up with a unique portfolio of people
skills; some behaviors may be effective, but others
cause problems. By the time employees get to a training
room, they’ve already worked hard for decades to
reinforce the way they deal with peopleLike all behavior patterns, interpersonal skills are
“hard-wired” in the neuronal pathways of the cerebral
cortex. This means that at some point a behavior
was repeated often enough that neurons grew
dendrites that reached out to other neurons to make
the connections needed to make behavior pattern
automatic. A myelin sheath coated the cells like electric
wire insulation, making the connection extremely
efficient. The end result: these ways of behaving now
feel natural, easy and comfortable.