Ever since industrialization in the 18th century increased productivity, there has been concern that machines are coming to take over our jobs. Again, we are going through a wave of uncertainty as the pace of innovation continues to accelerate and technology affects every aspect of our lives and to that we must add a global economy that is affected by the pandemic and must restructure in the near future. Innovation and technological progress have caused disruption, but have generated more prosperity than they have destroyed.
Already, many robots are performing routine tasks and will eliminate many jobs that require low skill levels. At the same time, technology is creating opportunities, paving the way for new and modified jobs, increasing productivity and improving service delivery. Looking at the magnitude of the challenge of preparing for the future of work, it is important to understand that many children currently attending elementary school will, once they reach adulthood, be working in jobs that do not even exist today. Hence the importance of focusing on human capital to meet the challenge, since many jobs today and especially those of the future require soft skills beyond technical knowledge.
What are soft skills?
We know the hard or technical skills, which are the ones we learn in college; it is that knowledge necessary to perform different jobs. Thus, the technical skills of a systems engineer are different from those of a civil engineer.
Soft skills are strengths or virtues that allow us to perform in any field, they point to emotional, interpersonal and general performance in all areas of a company. Therefore, both engineers could share the same soft skills. Of course, some may differ from others.
Without underestimating the technical, which is easier to quantify, for example 4 years of bachelor's degree, 3 years of bachelor's degree, 3 years of master's degree, 10 years of experience in a certain technology. We don't put on our resume 5 years of experience in flexibility and adapting to change. You may have been exposed to a lot of changes during that time, but the degree of experience in the skill is critical.
These skills are innate, but we all have the ability to develop them throughout life.
Abilities are a subject, in one way or another, that can be related to IQ. And in this case I mention Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, which in summary states that there are eight intelligences: linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, naturalistic-pictorial. So, for example, empathy would be an innate ability of interpersonal intelligence.
Why are soft skills so important in the world of work?
Hard skills provide solutions to technical problems; soft skills excel during crises that require more than technical solutions. For example, in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies have had to act quickly, but others have been able to do so efficiently because they have teams that are highly skilled in these skills and thus a change-focused organizational culture prevails. At the individual level, a person with few soft skills has tunnel vision and finds no alternatives at this time to have a good time; on the other hand, a person with the right skills will be having a very good time, despite the adversities.
The difficulties we face in developing these skills is to break paradigms and get out of the comfort zone. I constantly meet many people who prefer to label themselves in some symptomatology, for example "I am bipolar, that's why my temperament is like this, sometimes I am angry or sometimes I am happy". Whoever has been correctly diagnosed with a disorder, knows that it is not pleasant, and does not go around spreading it around, those people really want to change. But for those who label themselves, it is easier to live in that comfort zone than to work to transcend professionally.
What are the most important skills in the world of work?
Daniel Goleman in 1995 wrote his book Emotional Intelligence, a best seller in many countries. Throughout his career he has made excellent contributions on the subject, and offers us a framework of important competencies in the world of work.
In the first place, self-awareness, which generates emotional self-awareness that is to know in depth the weaknesses and strengths we have. How feelings affect us day to day, range of values and principles.
Secondly, self-management, which implies: self-control, adaptability, ability to succeed and attitude. These help us control impulses and manage them. Someone who has an internal conversation and recognizes why he or she is in a bad mood, for example, will find a way to control the impulse and thus act correctly.
Third, social awareness, which generates empathy and organizational awareness. These help in considering the feelings of others along with other factors to make intelligent decisions. They are important in the increasing utilization of equipment, rapidly advancing globalization and a growing need to retain the best people in companies.
And finally, fourth, relationship management that promotes inspirational leadership, influence, conflict management and teamwork. This is sympathy with a specific objective: to move others in the direction you want them to go.
How to develop soft skills?
The first thing is to open our mind, and want to work on our personality to improve it.
- Define objectives.
It is not possible to develop all the necessary skills at the same time. It is necessary to identify which ones are most important and to address them.
- Emotional Development
It is to set in motion the achievement of those objectives, which are achieved through the development of emotional intelligence.
- Find experts to help you
Nowadays, companies concerned about the development of these skills count on work psychologists who have a wide experience and knowledge in the subject.
- Be patient
Any change at the emotional level requires cognitive restructuring in learning, in order to be able to integrate new knowledge for daily decision making, therefore, it requires creating habits.
A positive attitude, which consists of a willingness to act, in one way more than another, in relation to specific factors that have to do with the common goal of the company, promotes an openness to the development of these skills, whatever the job position.
You can also read this article in the blog of our psychologist Rosa, where you can also find more topics of your interest: https://psicorosafonseca.com/blog-1/
