South African National Energy Development Institute

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Improving your soft skills for success

In today's business world your "soft" skills can make or break how successful you are in the workplace.

Soft skills are essentially people skills. "Hard" skills, on the other hand, are things like your education, experience and level of expertise. Employers value soft skills, because research suggests that they are just as good an indicator of job performance as traditional job qualifications (or hard skills).

So how do you uncover your soft skills and get the most out of them? Here's a list of some of the most important soft skills and how to perfect them:

Communicate effectively

Good communication skills are essential in every job and crucial to your performance. Communication allows you to build bridges with co-workers, persuade others and express your needs. Remember that you communicate on both a verbal and a non-verbal level with the people around you and one of the most important signs of a good communicator is being a good listener.

Be a team player

Being a team player means not only being cooperative, but also displaying strong leadership ability when it's appropriate. Try to be more collaborative in the work you do and build professional relationships with your co-workers.

Have a "winner" attitude

We've all heard that it's better to see the glass half full instead of half empty. This type of positive thinking can go a long way in the workplace. The key to having a winning attitude is in how you tackle obstacles and challenges that come your way. Instead of complaining about a stressful workload, think about it as an opportunity to show off your abilities by getting through it productively and efficiently.

Motivate yourself & lead others

Seek out new ways to keep your job interesting and motivational, even if it at the surface it seems repetitive and mundane. Have the courage to pursue those ideas you've had stuck in the back of your mind, and have the dedication to follow through with them and be successful. Guide others in the same direction to work towards a common goal. Remember that a good leader leads by example.

Accept & learn from criticism

Probably one of the most challenging soft skills, which is why it's typically one of the most impressive to the people around you. Your ability to handle criticism says a lot about your willingness to improve. Don't get defensive in reaction to negative feedback. And being able to criticize the work of others constructively is just as important, but make sure it is done diplomatically.

Multitask & prioritise your to-do list

In today's workplace, most of us are expected to be able to shuffle several different assignments and projects at once. Are you able to prioritise and track the progress on different projects? Multi-tasking and prioritising will make your day far more productive and you will manage to get through the important stuff.

While it's important to recognize and build on your soft skills, that doesn't mean that you should neglect your hard skills. The real key to success in any job is making your soft skills and hard skills complement each other.