698. The Power of Soft Skills in the Modern Workplace

[00:00:01] Hey welcome to another episode of the Corling Solution where my goal is to empower you with

[00:00:15] awareness and actionable insights so you can go further in your career.

[00:00:20] Today's topic is the power of soft skills in the modern workplace.

[00:00:24] As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, it's clear that soft skills are not just desirable,

[00:00:31] they're essential for career success.

[00:00:33] According to a recent survey by ICIMS, an incredible, incredible 94% of recruiters

[00:00:39] would promote someone with strong soft skills over a candidate with more technical experience

[00:00:45] but weaker interpersonal abilities.

[00:00:47] This shift really highlights the growing emphasis on attributes like communication,

[00:00:52] teamwork and adaptability in today's job market.

[00:00:55] Let's dive into this family.

[00:00:57] All right family so let's start this conversation and let me start with this.

[00:01:01] It's not lost on me that I think once you go through the college experience and

[00:01:06] sometimes that experience really has a lot of highs and lows right?

[00:01:09] Everything from what you expected to do, what you expected to learn to chase a particular career,

[00:01:14] profession, vocation and then going through the process and either having your needs met

[00:01:22] and or exceeded or finding out man this is really not what I thought it was going to be.

[00:01:28] And so I appreciate all of that happens but then when you get to this point of it,

[00:01:31] you want to throw your cap up in the air, you want to kick back, you want to enjoy some vacation,

[00:01:35] you may or may not do an internship but certainly then you're going to find that career right?

[00:01:40] You're going to find that place you're going to land in that job and one of the things that

[00:01:43] happens during that time is of course you say well I'm going to do what I learned in school

[00:01:49] and unfortunately one of the things that you may or may not learn in school

[00:01:53] and which is why I'm talking about it and I advocate talking about it often is

[00:01:56] you may not learn the importance of soft skills and so let me pick up what I talked about a little

[00:02:02] bit last week three major things to think about of why they are important and let me give you

[00:02:07] this storyline as well. I know so many people I've worked with, I grew up in most people know

[00:02:12] I grew up in the chase world. I was at Chase for about 11 years and I went to all states run

[00:02:16] a business there then I went to another company called Legal Shield to run a business there

[00:02:20] and then be the chief commercial officer and when I think about some of the people I work

[00:02:23] with over the course of my career I can name a number of people who may have started out

[00:02:28] as an example in accounting but then go over to run a business or start out in operations and go

[00:02:35] somewhere else and run a business or grow in those different businesses right? Start out as

[00:02:39] an accountant become a controller or manager of a certain area like accounts payable,

[00:02:44] accounts receivable etc. and then grow up to be a CFO and when I look at those different

[00:02:48] people there is a common theme and it's the same thing for me too every now and then I get people

[00:02:53] who ask me particularly since I grew up initially in human resources I was a payroll person for a while

[00:02:59] learn how to become an HR manager and you know lean over policies and so on and so forth and

[00:03:04] then move to the credit card business management credit card portfolios and then into insurance

[00:03:09] etc. but how do you do that? How does that happen? What's the secret sauce? And I would say

[00:03:15] tremendously that a big part of the secret sauce are soft skills because a lot of times you can

[00:03:22] acquire the technical skills and there are people around you with the technical skills

[00:03:26] that can teach you different things but the soft skills are those ingredients that transfer

[00:03:32] from department to department, from line to profit or from staff to line excuse me

[00:03:40] from industry to industry, from country to country right even I remember you know the things I did in

[00:03:47] the US but then I had a team that I'd work with in London and go to London sometimes or go to

[00:03:51] Australia or go to India and the soft skills make a difference so three things I want you to

[00:03:57] remember about soft skills three big buckets one effective communication right to be able to

[00:04:03] create clarity and understanding to be persuasive and have influence right big words a lot of things

[00:04:10] underneath them the second theme building and maintaining relationships and we all know that

[00:04:16] if you don't have the relationships it's really difficult to get things done relationships

[00:04:20] matter relationships are for lack of better terms and maybe not the right term bankable

[00:04:25] to a certain degree and many people almost to say relationships are built through tiny

[00:04:30] deposits over time and man you can have one withdrawal knock out that bank account so something to

[00:04:36] really keep in mind and then the third thing is adaptability and problem solving and I think

[00:04:42] now more than ever before those skills are really cherished I mean when you think about

[00:04:47] adaptability the ability to come off the ropes after you've gotten hit the ability to plan

[00:04:55] steps one through ten but then you get to step seven and it is totally not what you expected

[00:05:01] you are thrown for a loop but you're able to shift adapt adjust and keep moving and then last

[00:05:07] but certainly not least problem solving as well problem solving is a big one I mean just think

[00:05:11] about that I mean we are given problems regularly and you know like I know there's certain people

[00:05:17] you know that have this uncanny ability that when a problem surfaces for some reason they seem

[00:05:24] able to see the cup is half full right no matter what's going on and you know there's always a number

[00:05:30] of people who see half empty right half empty is easy we can all deal with the half empty and

[00:05:34] identify the problem but those who are able to see the half full and say well that's not just

[00:05:37] problem it's an opportunity and we can get to the next point that is a big part of that adaptability

[00:05:43] in problem solving skillset was not come back I'm gonna give you I know some of you love data

[00:05:47] you want to understand what is it really important trick saying it's important is it really important

[00:05:52] well yeah let me tell you how important when I come back for a moment let me lean into those

[00:05:58] I know who need some data I've given you the practical reasons and such and some factoids

[00:06:03] but now let me let me give you some data points because I know some include myself I love to

[00:06:07] hear data so listen to this statistic according to a survey by the ICIMS 94% not for 94% of

[00:06:17] recruiters prefer to promote employees with strong soft skills over those with more experience but

[00:06:23] weaker social abilities just think about that for a second 94% so only 6% differ 94% of recruiters say

[00:06:32] give me the person with the soft skills I'll promote them over someone who may have deeper

[00:06:38] technical skills they may be a better engineer maybe a better plumber maybe a better programmer

[00:06:43] but they have less social abilities and so I'm going to take the person with more social

[00:06:49] abilities etc. All right point one point two employer demand the world economic forms

[00:06:55] future of jobs 2023 report indicates that analytical thinking creative thinking and

[00:07:02] leadership skills are among the top skills in demand okay additionally predicts a significant

[00:07:08] increase in the need for those skills like resilience flexibility and lifelong learning

[00:07:14] by 2027 again this is the world economic form and I just think that that speaks volumes right

[00:07:21] because I think often when we think about what employers want we assume it is AI right now

[00:07:27] because that's what is all over the media that's what's on your feeds in various places

[00:07:31] learning these various AI things generative AI how to apply out of music how to apply AI

[00:07:36] to writing how to apply AI to management how to automate with AI and so you would think

[00:07:41] given the abundance of information constantly coming at you that it's got to be AI stuff

[00:07:45] that employers are looking for not so much it's not that they don't want them I think the point

[00:07:50] is it's easier to get those things these other things are harder and they are more

[00:07:56] pivotal and influential in driving organization a third fact survey conducted by Michael Page

[00:08:02] revealed that communication is the most sought after soft skill with 35 percent of hiring managers

[00:08:10] prioritizing it other crucial skills include willingness to learn 34 percent want that teamwork

[00:08:14] 33 percent and problem solving as I said before 27 and so let me end with this one and then

[00:08:21] I'll come back later so we can dive into some of these skills linkedin's research found that

[00:08:26] 59 percent of us hiring managers find it difficult to locate candidates with the necessary soft skills

[00:08:35] think about that family 59 so six out of ten hiring managers saying man it's hard to find some one

[00:08:41] with these skills that I want my organization I want side by side with me I want to work

[00:08:46] with every day I want them to help me lead this team etc etc the scarcity highlights the value

[00:08:52] and demand for attributes again common things here y'all like communication organization teamwork

[00:08:59] and critical thinking in this job market one of the pronouncements that was made is in terms of the

[00:09:09] importance in 2025 now you may be saying well again we're talking to graduates this year the

[00:09:14] four million graduates this year 2025 just around the corner June 1st is tomorrow hard to believe

[00:09:21] June 1st is tomorrow seven months left after that think about this starting tomorrow you're

[00:09:25] going to start to think about for you who are employed mid-year reviews second quarter finishing

[00:09:31] up half the year done where am I at against you know my annual goals all those different things

[00:09:36] imagine that this year is rolling fast so in any event 2025 will be here before you know it and

[00:09:43] there's a couple points to know in terms of again how employers are thinking about it so one

[00:09:47] they are calling soft skills career makers or breakers in 2025 soft skills will be crucial

[00:09:55] for career success these abilities help navigate workplace dynamics smoothly and are now more

[00:10:01] critical than ever now you may say well why now why are they now more critical than ever

[00:10:07] but don't forget what the pandemic did there was a lot of things we learned in the pandemic

[00:10:13] good and challenging I didn't say bad good and challenging right and so soft skills help

[00:10:19] overcome some of those challenges such as how do you now manage what hybrid teams hybrid teams

[00:10:26] are now a fact of life maybe before if you had a team of 10 people one or two people work from

[00:10:31] home a couple days a week so on and so forth maybe one was fully remote but now think about

[00:10:35] the what that balance looks like a lot of teams are predominantly working from home and or

[00:10:41] hybrid and guess what in some of the cases too let's be honest the people who have to come into

[00:10:46] the office are not happy about it because what a lot of people learn and doing the pandemic was

[00:10:50] oh I can actually be productive remotely depending on the on the job and so why do I have to come

[00:10:56] back like what what is it that draws me back it could be local presence it could be you know

[00:11:01] leaders who prefer that kind of inner office energy or whatever the case may be it is but I'm

[00:11:06] just saying again soft skills are something that help you navigate to that point second is the employer

[00:11:12] demand like I previously talked about it is a demand it is a top demand is a differentiating

[00:11:20] demand and the other piece is what we said about recruiters they prefer it I mean just think about

[00:11:27] that 94% prefer it so that means we all know that when it comes to finding your next gig

[00:11:33] LinkedIn all those things are helpful in terms of sending in a resume or employer websites and

[00:11:38] sending things in but what creates a difference in terms of you getting to the top of the pile is

[00:11:45] who refers you who is speaking up your name in that room who is getting that piece of paper in

[00:11:50] front of the hiring manager or that digital email etc and so recruiters pay excuse me play a big

[00:11:57] excuse me play a big role in that and here's the other thing the human elements are pronounced

[00:12:05] when you have great soft skills and in a time where we talk more and more about AI we talk more and

[00:12:11] more about automation we talk more and more about hands off of different things there's

[00:12:16] certain things that humans bring to life such as empathy tell me how you're going to AI

[00:12:23] empathy such as also judgment good judgment there's certain things obviously I'm not degrading AI

[00:12:31] because I use it right I use a bunch of different forms AI was chat GPT Grammarly you know so on

[00:12:36] and so forth right to help me be more efficient effective etc but there's still certain things

[00:12:42] can happen and teamwork AI your teamwork tell me how you do that no you have to

[00:12:49] humanly do that as well as the irreplaceable human touch there's certain things that happen

[00:12:56] when people make human connections and interactions so on and so forth even in an automated world

[00:13:03] even in an automated world so all those things are under the umbrella of soft skills and again

[00:13:09] this pronouncement that they'll be critical in 2025 yes I am still beating the drum because

[00:13:17] why because I want to see you succeed I'm going to see you yours siblings cousins

[00:13:24] son daughter you name it heck you may even be one of those people who are helping their parents as

[00:13:30] their parents go to do something and shift into second third gear soft skills or skills that indeed

[00:13:37] pay the bills and so let's understand them a little deeper one they are like workplace superpowers

[00:13:44] so many people have said this they're like work people workplace superpowers because

[00:13:48] they're not about the technical task but how you perform them and interact with others just

[00:13:54] think about that for a moment how many times have you had different conversations and such

[00:13:58] with people and you're like they're right but the way they communicate that they're right or

[00:14:04] the way they communicate when they're right or so on and so forth how many times have you

[00:14:09] seen that even you ever had one of those situations where you were discouraged by something that

[00:14:16] happened at a company at a restaurant at a store etc and even when they couldn't fulfill

[00:14:22] the obligation that you believe they have when they broke it down to you you found that shoot

[00:14:26] there right but the way the person talked with you etc left you feeling better have you ever

[00:14:34] had that experience I've had that experience multiple times you know me a person breaking

[00:14:36] down but the way they talk to you the way they make you feel you feel better walking away and

[00:14:43] you kind of say to yourself wow wait a minute I didn't get what I wanted but for some reason

[00:14:48] I still feel kind of okay that's a soft skill that's what that's what they mean about how

[00:14:54] so I want you to think about that when you think about communication and conflict resolution

[00:14:58] statement good soft skills mean excelling at communication handling conflicts professionally

[00:15:06] and keeping teams motivated many times when it comes to conflict one or two things happen

[00:15:12] fight a flight fight a flight either we jump in fist up in the air virtually so to speak

[00:15:20] in our minds and we're ready to battle or we avoid and move away and say the other person

[00:15:25] doesn't deserve our time whatever the case may be conflict resolution being able to stay

[00:15:30] engaged stay in the ring quote unquote for lack of better terms is a soft skill

[00:15:37] the range of abilities is also important everything from emotional intelligence and let's just talk

[00:15:43] about emotional intelligence for 20 seconds how well do you know you how well are your

[00:15:49] antenna up around your emotions around how you digest new information around how you

[00:15:56] navigate change around where you're strong around where you're weak one of the things I'll say

[00:16:01] man it's not a bragging point I know my strengths and oh my gosh I know what things I'm horrible at

[00:16:08] I mean just horrible and so I'm constantly continuing to work and grow those strengths

[00:16:15] and deciding how much time I spend on those things I'm horrible at and or who I need to bring

[00:16:21] into my ecosystem that will help me with those things I'm horrible at so so so important the

[00:16:27] other thing is soft skills have an indelible impact on culture and career those are the

[00:16:34] things that leave a staple have you ever heard the expression what will be your footprints in

[00:16:40] the snow oftentimes again it won't won't be just about the technical skills won't be how great of

[00:16:46] a programmer you were engineer plumber counten it will often be about how you made people feel so

[00:16:55] I don't think you can over invest in soft skills listen let me wrap up this conversation on soft

[00:17:02] skills again I've underscored the importance of them a few times both practically and statistically

[00:17:08] for those who need that I will conclude by just restating my opening point which is

[00:17:15] technical skills are critically important of course but if you also want to be someone who has

[00:17:21] a career that is long lasting that is potentially transformative that is transferable meaning you're

[00:17:30] a fungible resource that can go across multiple industries departments disciplines etc and you

[00:17:37] want to have income that continues to grow and flourish I believe holistically soft skills

[00:17:43] are a key ingredient in that stew that you are cooking and the data bears it out and let me

[00:17:50] say that again not not only do I believe it not only have I experienced it but the data bears it out

[00:17:57] retrospectively in terms of what people saw but prospectively in terms of what people are

[00:18:02] looking for recruiters employers etc and again if you're just joining let me recap the top

[00:18:08] three themes one effective communication is a soft skill that people are looking for people who bring

[00:18:14] clarity and understanding people who are pervasive excuse me pervasive not pervasive people who are

[00:18:21] persuasive and can influence the second theme building and maintaining relationships and anytime

[00:18:28] I talk about that I know people say well of course building and maintain relationships yeah but

[00:18:33] let's go underneath that a little bit teamwork and collaboration a person who inspires that

[00:18:38] a person who drives more collaboration we all have individual skills and talents but

[00:18:44] we all know man five fingers are stronger than one any day when five fingers make that fist when we

[00:18:50] form up like Voltron I know that reference is old for some but some some get me okay

[00:18:56] form up like Voltron it makes a difference and so are you a person to do that networking again

[00:19:02] not networking to get networking to give networking to create a healthy ecosystem so that's the second

[00:19:09] theme building and maintaining relationships and then the third theme adaptability and problem

[00:19:15] solving someone who can roll with the rough patches can do well in the peaks but also push

[00:19:21] through the valleys helping themselves helping their team helping the organization etc so I just

[00:19:27] asked that you think about those three things and I'm going to add one this is my personal one I'm

[00:19:32] going to add learning how to learn learning how to learn how do you learn how do you intentionally

[00:19:41] learn how do you set yourself up to be a lifelong learner those four skills thematically for me

[00:19:49] and again in the research I think make a huge huge difference family thank you for joining

[00:19:55] me for another episode of the core link solution whether you listen on holy coach radio the serious

[00:19:59] xm app or serious xm channel 140 or now this podcast I just want to say I appreciate you

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[00:20:36] time be informed be empowered be accountable much love