For Goodness Sake, Surely it’s Time to Move on From “Soft Skills”

I attended a business learning and networking event toward the end of last year during which the invited panellists spoke of their experiences of the employment challenges and opportunities in the local region.

While the panellists were all great, and spoke of the critical importance of workers with skills such as teamwork, time management, relationship building etc… I have to say the constant reference to these essential personal qualities as “soft skills” was really starting to get on my nerves. It made me think that surely, with all of the research and our shared experiences over the last 2-3 decades, we can move on from collectively referring to such skills as “soft” skills?

I’ve let it stew away in the back in the back of my mind for the past couple of months (together with all of the other scary stuff that tends to fester there), only to begin the new year, open my freshly minted copy of the eminent Harvard Business Review and yet again be confronted with multiple articles referring to “soft” skills (defined by the Oxford dictionary by the way as “those personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people”).

Sure, the articles all point to the importance of acquiring and continuing to develop these skills, but again, I can’t help but think that the terminology itself is undermining the good intentions of those of us advocating the benefits of those very same skills.

Perhaps my angst stems partly from my experience growing up, playing and being surrounded by lots of competitive sport, where calling someone “soft” was not exactly a compliment. In this context the term was intended to reflect a lack of dedication, commitment and contribution, that you were somehow less valuable than others on the team. You were soft and weak, yet to win you needed to be hard and tough.

Having spoken with a number of other people, from all sorts of backgrounds, it seems I’m not alone and that the term “soft” has similar, derisive connotations for many.

So I’m proposing here and now that we abandon the term once and for all, relegate it to the used parking lot of terminology (along with “business transformation” and “personal journey” perhaps?) and start using the term “personal effectiveness skills” to reflect these vital skills that contribute so significantly to determining our individual and collective success. Maybe then, they’ll get the time and attention they deserve.

How about you? Does the term “soft skills” get on your nerves also or is it just me getting old(er) and cranky(er)? And what of the term “personal effectiveness skills” - is it a goer or do you have an alternative to suggest?

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts….

Greg Mitchell is a Workplace Culture, Leadership and HR Consultant. He is the Principal Consultant and Founder of HR Success and a Partner in the Inform Consulting Group. His professional passion is helping build sustainable, profitable workplaces that are also great places in which to work.