Soft skills matter

Branding is important for the long-term success of a business. Therefore companies spend a lot of time and efforts building and developing a strong and credible brand. Companies have realized that their employees are their brand ambassadors not only in the workplace, but on the outside as well. In all corporations, especially in those where employees deal directly with the clients/customers, it is crucial that the employees “live the brand”. This means that they have to embody the brand’s qualities and deliver on the brand’s promise. In sum, the employees are the brand. Reduction of turnover in the workforce is a major area of focus of companies. Studies have shown that job satisfaction, which leads to the reduction of turnover, is closely linked to career development. Thus, most companies develop elaborate training sessions which are aimed at increasing employees’ proficiency. Unfortunately, most concentrate on developing technical skills, and seldom address the soft skills which are critical to an employee’s career advancement. The unarguable advantage of soft skills training is that it teaches people to be aware of organizational politics and about the advantages of self promotion.

Reprinted with kind permission from Kali Evans-Raoul of The Image Studios (www.theimagestudios.com) from her article entitled Why Soft Skills are important during tough economic times