Articles
Hear the one about the engineer who told self-deprecating jokes?
Yes, it’s a recommendation often made in self-help ‘improve your management and leadership skills’ books. By making fun of yourself, the thinking goes, you become more approachable without risking offence to others. This means people pay more attention to you when you are communicating. It’s the kind of soft skill that people say engineers aren’t the best at.
Ugh, soft skills. Do we have to get all touchy-feely?
You do if you want your career to progress. After technical skills, good communication skills are essential, according to 55% of hiring managers in the engineering sector, in recent research. In other words, technical prowess will get you only so far. The move to management inevitably leads to dealing with people more.
What other communication scenarios are we talking about here?
Things that managers can expect to be involved in are negotiations with suppliers, client management, sales and media relations. The cornerstone of these tasks are interpersonal soft skills – possessing the attributes that enable you to interact effectively and harmoniously.
Apart from communication, what else is going to make me soft, cuddly and successful?
Training courses praise the virtues of continuing to hone your creativity and problem-solving skills whenever possible. Another key soft
skill is adaptability. A willingness and ability to deal with unforeseen problems quickly, and to adapt to changing work environments, are not attributes that everyone possesses.
OK, how on earth do I train for these soft skills?
Apart from short courses and workshops, your first step should be to understand what soft skills are and then do a strengths-and-weaknesses analysis. Write down a plan including reasons why your soft skills need to improve, and consider partnering with a mentor. And if you can still look yourself in the eye in the mirror after that, good for you.