Beyond ‘Soft: Embracing ‘Power Skills’ for Personal and Professional Mastery

One of my key insights from Laura Huang’s book “Edge – Turning Adversity into Advantage” is the necessity to rethink the term ‘soft skills’.

Consider this instead, ‘power skills’. These include emotional intelligence, adaptability, communication, empathy, resilience, and decision-making. These are essential across various life aspects, such as relationships, leadership, teamwork, and personal growth. The term ‘soft’ significantly understates the profound impact these interpersonal and communication skills can have.

The label ‘soft’ misleadingly suggests that these skills are less critical than technical or ‘hard’ skills. In our tech-driven era, however, technical abilities are often replicable or replaceable and might not be as significant as they once were. For me, interpersonal skills, like the art of conversation, are now more important than ever, which is why I prefer the term ‘POWER SKILLS’.

Contrary to common perception, power skills aren’t inherent but require dedicated development and refinement. Cultivating these skills demands discipline, self-awareness, and continuous learning. Once mastered, they become crucial differentiators in our professional and personal lives, serving as a powerful tool in our career toolkit.

The term ‘power’ effectively highlights the strength of these skills, emphasising their vital role in achieving personal and professional success. It also underscores their transformative, influential nature, aligning with the skills leaders need to inspire, develop, and motivate their teams. These skills are not just advantageous; they are indispensable.

Therefore, when discussing these critical human-centric skills, it’s important to acknowledge their immense value. Next time, refer to them as power skills, not soft skills, to give them the credit they deserve and continually work on strengthening your own.

As the saying goes, “Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field.” #powerskillsnotsoftskills #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #sheisbossingit