The importance of hard and soft skills (II)

Last time we began looking at the importance of skills. Life does not just work of itself; we need certain skills to make life work. It is the acquisition of and correct application of necessary skills that will give us a headway in life. The more skilled a person is the easier life will be and the more likely he will succeed.

The importance of skill cannot be overemphasized.

“Receive instruction in wise dealing and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness, righteousness, justice, and integrity, That prudence may be given to the simple, and knowledge, discretion, and discernment to the youth–The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel [so that he may be able to steer his course rightly]” Proverbs 1:3-5 Amplified.

Skills are needed in every area of life – academics, business, careers, family, society etc.

Skills are generally divided into two broad categories – hard and soft skills. Hard skills are essential to getting any job done but soft skills are vital to creating and sustaining a positive non-toxic functioning work environment.

Success in any endeavor is dependent on how one balances hard and soft skills. Both hard and soft skills are critical to effective operations in any endeavor.

“You cannot continuously improve interdependent systems and processes until you progressively perfect interdependent, interpersonal relationships.” Stephen Covey

We need both hard and soft skills.

“Hard skills refer to the job-related knowledge and abilities that employees need to perform their job duties effectively. Soft skills, on the other hand, are the personal qualities that help employees really thrive in the workplace. Hard skills help you identify candidates who are good on paper, whereas soft skills indicate which of these candidates are good in person, too. This means that you need a good mix of hard and soft skills in every employee so that they can be successful in their role.” Resources.workable.com

“Positive thinking is a good attitude to have. But positive thinking without any skills is a load of crap”. Conrad Dobler

Hard skills

Hard skills are the know-how you gain through education, life experience, training, etc. Hard skills generally deal with competencies like computer skills, fluency of language, technical ability, etc.

A talent gets translated into a skill through consistent training and practice.

Soft skills

Soft skills are personal habits and traits that influence how you work on your own and with others. They are intangible skills but they determine the way you communicate and interact with others. Hard skills will get the job doe but soft skills will help in creating a conducive environment to get the job done.

TO BE CONTINUED