Soft Skill Development Benefit

 When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, those of us who worked outside our homes found ourselves abruptly catapulted into work-from-home life. With this unexpected change came uncertainty and anxiety about what was going to happen next – and we found ourselves wondering what was waiting for us in the murky future of business and productivity.

#1;

While it’s still challenging at this point to imagine what the next year will bring us, there’s no denying that soft skills are the main focal point in leadership trends. The organizations that remained successful in 2020 were those whose leadership and workforce had strong soft skills that made them more adaptable and flexible in a time of crisis. Now that we have seen the roles that soft skills play in the workplace, there’s no excuse for any business to ignore the importance and benefits of soft skills training for their employees. 

Improved adaptability – Much of what we hear about competitive organizations these days is that their workforce is adaptable. After the crises brought on by the pandemic, we’ve seen firsthand how the most adaptable organizations are able to survive while others have closed doors permanently. This isn’t new to business, but it’s become all the more important this year. 

Adaptability means that employees are flexible, do well in collaborative efforts, have amazing critical thinking skills even in a crisis, are able to conduct thorough and meaningful research, have highly-developed observation and problem-solving skills, etc. 

For example, Home Depot is a company that has been working on expanding ecommerce options for the past several years. However, when the pandemic hit, they immediately leaned into their adaptability and expanded efforts to strengthen connectivity of storefronts in various locations, improving their pick-up capabilities for customers. Many Americans decided to make home improvements during the pandemic in response to being stuck at home, and Home Depot was able to immediately answer that call – their stock rose 27 percent in 2020

#2;

Improved feelings of belonging thanks to leadership figures who are able to practice active listening – There’s no denying that the work-from-home life has led to increased feelings of isolation and loneliness for many workers. As the months drag on with countless employees unable to safely return to work until vaccines are more widely available, listening skills are becoming more and more important, both on the part of employees and management. We all want to feel heard and understood. Workers are expressing a clear need for their leadership to listen and understand them in these troubling times.