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Why_Soft_Skills_Matter_in_Your_Office
| Why Soft Skills Matter in Your Office
A major problem for employers today is getting the best
employees and then keeping them. How do you do this? One way is
by understanding what it is employees want. Being able to sense
what others feel and want is empathy, an emotional intelligence
competency, a crucial “soft” skill if you want to have
productive employees and a solid bottom line.
Also, as you'll see in this survey which keeps coming up with
the same results, it takes emotional intelligence on the part of
managers to meet the needs employees want most.
This survey first came out in 1946 in Foreman Facts, from the
Labor Relations Institute of NY and was produced again by
Lawrence Lindahl in Personnel magazine, in 1949. This study has
since been replicated with similar results by Ken Kovach (1980);
Valerie Wilson, Achievers International (1988); Bob Nelson,
Blanchard Training & Development (1991); and Sheryl & Don
Grimme, GHR Training Solutions (1997-2001).
Print these surveys out and lay them side by side and you’ll see
quite a discrepancy.
WHAT EMPLOYESS SAY THEY WANT starting with the most important
1.Full appreciation for work done 2.Feeling “in” on things
3.Sympathetic help on personal problems 4.Job security 5.Good
wages 6.Interesting work 7.Promotion/growth opportunities
8.Personal loyalty to workers 9.Good working conditions
10.Tactful discipline
WHAT MANAGERS THINK EMPLOYEES WANT
1.Good wages 2.Job security 3.Promotion/growth opportunities
4.Good working conditions 5.Interesting work 6.Personal loyalty
to workers 7.Tactful discipline 8.Full appreciation for work
done 9.Sympathetic help with personal problems 10.Feeling “in”
on things
We don’t leave our emotions at home when we come to work. In
fact we need them, to get along, to treat others with respect,
and to guide us in making decisions.
Emotional intelligence means understanding your own emotions and
those of others, and being able to use this information to make
decisions, and to negotiate to win-win outcomes.
“Soft” skills bring “hard” results in the workplace. Studies
have shown that emotional intelligence can bring positive
effects to your bottom line. It stand to reason that employees
who feel good about themselves and – as they say – feel
appreciated, will work better for you, stay longer, and pass the
word on that yours is a good place to work.
One of the sad facts about a dysfunctional workplace is that
like attracts like. What you have in place now, you’ll likely
get more of, as people rise to hiring positions and choose
people like themselves, and as the word gets out what it’s like
to work for your organization.
Recruiters who go to the MBA schools say that the soft skills
are what they are most eager to find, and least likely to find.
This sort of training is slowly making its way into the schools.
Here you can see the top ten business schools as rated for soft
skills: http:/ opten.org/public/AC/AC317.html .
[This data is take from The Wall Street Journal/Harris
Interactive Business School Year 2 Survey, based on the opinions
of 2,221 M.B.A. recruiters.]
Interpersonal communication and other so-called soft skills are
what the corporate recruiters crave the most but find the least
in MBA graduates.
"The major business schools produce graduates with analytical
horsepower and solid command of the basics -- finance, marketing
and strategy. But soft skills such as communication, leadership
and a team mentality sometimes receive cursory treatment." (WSJ)
Recruiters' comments included "cutthroat," "soften the edges of
the students," "humility should be a core curriculum course,"
"arrogant," "tone down the egos," but also "creme de la creme,"
"salt-of-the-earth, but a little out of touch," "marketing
gurus" and "quant wizards."
Have an emotionally intelligent workplace. It’s the smart thing
to do. It means establishing a culture in your business
respecting such EQ competencies as resilience (the stress buster
for the decade), change-proficiency, flexibility, creativity,
and Intentionality.
Assessments are available to determine the current EQ (emotional
quotient) of your staff ( http:/ inyurl.com/z94t ), and then
workshops, seminars, distance learning courses, the EQ Learning
Lab™, weekly ezines, and other materials, as well as individual
coaching, can bring your office up-to-speed.
Research has shown that raising the overall level of EQ works
better than just raising one person’s EQ.
RESOURCES
For research data on emotional intelligence, go here:
www.eiconsortium.org . For The EQ-Map, an emotional intelligence
assessment, go here: http:/ inyurl.com/z94t
About the author:
©Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . I coach
around emotional intelligence for wellness, success, and
personal and professional development. I also offer distance
learning courses and ebooks, and train and certify EQ coaches.
Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for free ezine. For daily EQ Tips,
send blank email to EQ4U-subscribe@yahoogroups.com .
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