Don’t Forget the Skills in Soft Skills

Empowering Effective Leadership

Stress and anxiety seem to be perennial problems in the workplace. Studies and articles point to rising levels of stress with a cornucopia of causes. No matter the cause, however, this stress results in lower productivity and job satisfaction. Many of our clients are asking for leadership training to help managers and supervisors lead with empathy and provide a healing, less stressful environment for their employees.

When I review existing white papers, articles, and other training on what are often called “soft skills,” I see a glaring problem: these soft-skills courses are so focused on the why that they forget the how! For example, there may be a five-page article or a two-hour class but 90% is dedicated to detailing the reasons why that particular soft skill is important without any instruction on how to perform it. For instance, I’m working with a client in the entertainment and recreation industry to create a course on empathetic leadership. It’s very important for me not just to sell the participants on why being an empathetic leader is important, but also to teach them how to effectively practice it. This means identifying the skills empathetic leaders need, teaching them how to perform these skills, and providing opportunities to practice them.

Create Training Based on Skills and Set Clear Objectives

When creating any skills-based training, the most important thing is to identify the skill(s) you want learners to be able to do after they’ve completed the training. It’s not enough to say that you want leaders to be empathetic. You must identify the specific actions learners are expected to perform. For example, a behavioral objective might be, “Actively listen to others and demonstrate an understanding of their perspective.” Once you have your objectives properly focused on skills, you can create the custom training solution.

Create a Safe Practice Environment and Use a Variety of Activities

When you’re learning a skill such as riding a bike, you can’t expect to click through some slides or read a manual and then compete in the Tour de France the next day. Similarly, you can’t expect learners to master soft skills without practice. So, when you’re creating your training, you need to provide learners the opportunity to practice the skills you expect them to master in the class! Whether virtual or in-person, the classroom should be a safe space where learners can practice the skills they’re learning.

“But wait, I have a bunch of introverts who hate role plays!” I’ve heard this many times, and my response is twofold:

First, sometimes we must step outside our comfort zones to improve our skills. Some people may feel embarrassed to try a skill that they’ve yet to master, which is why the classroom must be a safe place for practicing these skills.

Pro-tip: Don’t discount the power of the thesaurus. You may hear fewer groans if you refer to an activity as “skills practice” rather than “role play.”

Second, not everything has to be a role play. For example, case studies and scenarios are effective ways to present real-life situations for learners to analyze and solve. Branching scenarios can be useful, or you can break down what would typically be a role play into component parts, where the class directs the participants. Additionally, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality tools can be a great way to practice skills when the use case warrants them.

Effective leadership or soft-skills training that focuses on the how is crucial in fostering a supportive and productive work environment. By creating training programs that clearly define skills, setting measurable objectives, and offering ample opportunities for practice in a safe setting, we empower leaders to not simply understand the value of those skills, but also to implement them.