An article by Zoltan Buzady, Associate Professor, CEU Business School
This Dilbert cartoon alludes to the so often mentioned “soft” skills not only needed for good management and leadership, but probably the essence of being sustainable success.
“Soft” in contrast to “Hard”? Hard skills typically would include quantitative methodologies such as statistical calculations, accounting analyses and financial rations – probably because they refer to “hard facts and numbers”.
On the contrary soft skills are supposed to be those related to the human factor such as handling different personalities, motivations and aspirations, but also group dynamics, conflicts and influencing the organizational culture and climate.
“Soft” is so “hard”, that it is “Complex”! Considering the fact that most organizations do not strive because of lacking hard skills but rather because of not exploiting the potential of their human resources adequately, we have to ask ourselves:
Are soft skills really so “soft” and easy? I think that managing yourself and others in your organization is the hardest challenge for any of us – human interactions are not only the hardest to grasp well, but pretty complex. Therefore I always refer to “hard skills” and “complex skills” instead.
I suggest we all adopt this new perspective and in this way doing justice to our complex human characters. Read more here too: http://www.