We have a variety of different employees working with us at allsynx. This ranges from the Account Representatives and Implementers that you likely talk to the most, all the way to our Developers who are working behind the scenes to help THEbenefitsHUB do what it does best. It should come as no surprise that our brains all work very differently. This same is likely true within your organization! In the past, a lot of business success was credited to the development of employee hard skills. These skills are focused on technical achievements, and can be thought of as any skill that can produce a statistic. They could be data analysis skills, project management skills, design, any computer technology skills, and so on. Over the last several years, soft skills have re-emerged on the scene with a renewed focus. Managers have come to realize these soft skills are needed in order to reach an organizational goal as efficiently and effectively as possible. Soft skills include time management, leadership, conflict resolution, and so many more. These soft skills are more difficult to learn and measure, so it’s up to you to develop them for yourself. Below we have included a short list of key tips to further develop your soft skills. No matter your industry, no matter your job title, the growth and development of these soft skills will help push your to the next level. Take a look!

1. Determine Your Strongest Competency Area(s)

As an employee (and human person) we all have strengths and weaknesses. We believe that anyone can grow when you focus on developing the strengths you already have. This thought is the ammunition for the first tip to you. Understand and define what exactly are your strengths. What are your strongest core competencies? You’ll know these competencies are your strength because you naturally gravitate toward the work projects that focus on them. While these projects may pose a challenge for you, you still feel more confident working within those realms. With that confidence often comes a lot of good; being more creative, being able to implement things quickly, and being excited to do the work itself!

To determine your strongest competencies, reflect on what parts of work make you the most satisfied. Ask yourself:

•  What part of your day do you feel the most excited to get to?
•  What part of the day do you feel like you produced the most work?
•  What part of the day do you feel the most productive?

2. Determine Your Weakest Competency Area(s)

On the flip side, it’s equally important to determine your weakest competency areas. By using that self-reflection, you’re able to focus on what areas are your weakest! Our recommendation is to lead with your emotion and ask yourself questions opposite to those you asked when finding your strongest competencies.

Things like:

• Within my projects, what makes me feel the most vulnerable?
• During my day, what makes me want to run away and hide?
• What do I feel least confident accomplishing during my week?

By understanding your weakest competency areas, you can better focus your energy on developing the competencies most important to you. Before doing your research and gathering information from your company or outside sources, understand what you want to be learning. What is that you want to develop? Your strengths and weaknesses can help determine that!

3. Ask for Feedback

Whether or not you enjoy constructive feedback, it’s important you seek it occasionally! It’s not always easy to hear constructive criticism, especially when it comes to your soft skills. This type of feedback has the potential to feel more personal. Our advice to you is to find someone in the company who you can trust. It might be your direct supervisor, a manager, even a c-suite executive – really anyone who ranks above you! Whoever it may be, ask this employee to give you another perspective on the skills you are trying to improve. They will be able to share insights which you may have never considered otherwise. This feedback can come in a quarterly or annual review, in a one-on-one meeting, or even at a casual business lunch. Develop that relationship so both of you feel comfortable expressing true details and thoughts that will ultimately better your targeted soft skills.

4. Join an Online Community in Your Field

It’s a good idea to find resources outside of your organization for professional development. It’s the outside resources that open your eyes to new areas of improvement. Maybe there is a soft skill that has never been on your radar before. Find a local networking group or an online community page to become a member of. Even if you only go to one event, or read one article, you may be exposed to all sorts of new skills and development techniques.

5. YouTube, Streaming Services, and Podcasts

Between YouTube, streaming services, and podcasts, you have learning at your fingertips. Use these tools to your advantage! Set aside some time and put on Brene Brown’s Netflix special and learn about vulnerability. Or maybe listen to The Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher to learn how to professionally set yourself apart. You could even YouTube popular TED talks to learn how professional communicators or critical thinkers went from square 1 to where they are now. The possibilities are endless and always available to you. Take advantage of this accessible learning and dedicate yourself to progress!

6. Practice Your Strengths

Practice your strengths. You should never feel that you have done enough. Continue to practice your own strengths, get creative in how you’re using these soft skills, and don’t lose sight of why these skills are so important. One way you can practice your soft skills is to set one goal for yourself at the beginning of each month. For example, I set a goal to emulate adaptability to my team this month. Determine a goal based on what you know is relevant for the month you’re in. This will help drive your motivation to reach that goal and develop your soft skill.

7. Don’t Shut Down

When developing your soft skills, there are circumstances when feedback can be taxing. Soft skills are much more personal than hard skills. If you work in sales and you don’t hit your quota, your feedback is to hit that quota next month. On the flip side, if you work in sales and someone tells you your sales pitch is bad, it’s easy to take immediate defense. While it is easy to take offense, I challenge you not to put up those walls! Instead, ask questions to understand why you may receive certain feedback. The more open to information you are, the more your soft skills will develop.

8. Remember Why It’s Important

When developing your soft skills, it’s easy to stray away from the reasons why they’re important. This can lead to a lack of motivation and stunt your professional growth. Soft skills are so near and dear to my heart because they are the skills that will set you apart from the next person. Generally speaking, there are 1000’s of people who have the same hard skills as you have. They can produce the same numbers, within the same time frame, just as efficiently as you can. It’s the soft skills that make you different and special in the eyes of an organization. Grow those skills, continue to develop them, and stay on track because they are what ultimately makes you, you.

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