A recent article in the Wall Street Journal offered compelling research that affirmed employers’ increasing demand for “soft skills” in today’s workplace, including — but not limited to — communication, organization and punctuality.
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Their official findings?
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“In a Wall Street Journal survey of nearly 900 executives last year, 92% said soft skills were equally important
or more important than technical skills.”
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But…and this is a big but… ’89% said they have a very or somewhat difficult time finding people with the requisite attributes. Many say it’s a problem spanning age groups and experience levels.’
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As a leadership consultant for many organizations and leaders across industries, this was, to me, old news, as I’ve been banging this drum, addressing and teaching/coaching/ preaching on this need for years.
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The article, while curiously geared towards job seekers (just listing the skills on a resume doesn’t make it so) rather than employers, offers too pat a prescription for the long term health of an organization: glibly declaring that employers (finally ) see the value of these ‘soft’ skills and that applicants should now accommodate just by listing them on a resume does not equate to culture-changing or culture building initiatives.
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Why? Because the approach is thin and, presupposing that these new hires actually have the desired skills, it couldn’t possibly scale fast enough. Perhaps clever tips for getting hired but insufficient for equipping an entire organization with the skills proven to be critical to creating a culture of innovation and productivity. Bottom line: forward-facing leaders can’t afford to passively hope these skills will defy gravity and trickle up. Instead, creating a lasting culture that places value on critical soft skills requires deliberate, consistent cultivation (through coaching and coordinated initiatives), mindful modeling and incorporation into performance metrics.
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Ultimately, the 21st Century marketplace moves way too quickly for companies to wait for the critical skills of new hires to work their way into the rest of the organization. The truth is that momentum comes from the day-to-day modeling and reinforcement of skills, values and culture throughout the organization. This is the stuff that makes great companies great and helps them attract and, more importantly, retain top talent.
Dani Ticktin Koplik —
Leadership consultant, executive coach, change agent and passionate professional development expert and speaker. You can learn more about Dani and her clients by visiting dtkBio page. 