Michael J Bolam’s post originally published on trainingindustry.com

Each day brings new perspectives on the topic of soft skills — diverse expertise and knowledge particularly in the selection of soft skills that can transform you, your team and your organization for the better. Despite the clear advantage of soft skills in the workplace, it can be confusing knowing how to apply this knowledge to your people.

Even the term “soft skills” can take on a different connotation depending on the author or source in an attempt to describe their importance or impact to work performance and productivity. Organizations are recommended to take this and that approach, do this and do that. The volume of suggestions is almost overwhelming, and it’s time-consuming digesting all the advice.

Stop there! Let’s go back to the beginning and take a simpler and more logical approach to the use of soft skills in the workplace. Take the term soft skills for starters — why use the phrase “hard and soft skills” when comparing technical and non-technical skills?

Non-technical skills are soft skills — but they’re just as robust, impactful and important as technical skills when it comes to improving performance at an individual, team and organizational level. Measuring business outcomes can demonstrate this point time and time again.

So, why not refer to these skills for what they primarily represent? Soft skills are human-centric skills, ranking equally alongside technical skills. Bury the term soft skills once and for all. Keep the focus on human-centric skills. This way, everyone has clarity on what exactly soft skills are and their purpose in impacting the workplace. Next, we need to define what these human-centric skills encompass. Here, confusion abounds, too! Most days there is a new article or report identifying the “3 Most Important Skills” or “5 Key Skills.” In essence, these references are only a snapshot of what exists in reality.

Soft skills are non-technical skills — but they’re just as robust, impactful and important as technical skills when it comes to improving performance at an individual, team and organizational level.

Human-centric Skills Model

In 1996, Michael Bolam, a human resources (HR) consultant asked James Noon, an academic and author to carry out an 18-month research project to identify the important characteristics and traits that related to performance in the workplace, outside of technical skills. Noon’s research identified some 240 directly relevant drivers that had a direct impact on an individual’s ability to work at a consistently high level of competency. From this treasure chest of research data a model of abilities was developed and which today, comprises 262 abilities in the performance areas of “Self, People and Work.”

The table of human-centric skills is shown below:

A further model was developed as the “Leader-Manager Development Framework” with an emphasis on leadership performance development. The Self performance area remained the same composition of skills and the Leader and Manager performance areas included the following skills, as shown below:

Together the human-centric skills shown in these tables form clusters of skill sets and capabilities. This makes the models unique and powerful development tools. The skill model also helps with selecting the relevant skills for career development and identifying areas for improvement.

For example, an individual in the Self performance area has a requirement to improve their personal organization skills and can refer to the personal organization cluster to identify the skill sets associated with this skill development. In this example, it would be information management, objective setting, priority management and time management.

This same process applies to all 30 human-centric skills contained in the two models. After identifying what skills to improve on and to develop, we must consider the developmental pathways for these human-centric skills.

The foundation for all human-centric skills begins with SELF:

  • Self-performance – life planning, behavior and productivity.
  • Leadership performance – decision-making, process output, structural development, integrity, visioning and engagement.

It’s imperative that individual contributors are competent in self-management before progressing to the next level of development. Throughout the employee lifecycle, learners can continue to build their foundation of human-centric skills. Learning and development (L&D) professionals can facilitate training on these skills with blended learning activities like job aids, quizzes, and eLearning courses. You can measure performance improvement and outcomes against clearly defined objectives.

Don’t let the term “soft skills” confuse you. Soft skills (I.e., human-centric skills) are impactful skill sets that are imperative in today’s business world. With the human-centric skills model, you can customize your employee’s development in these skills, and assign their L&D according to their performance needs. You clarify the importance of human-centric skills in employee development and strengthen your organization’s workforce.

Michael J. Bolam

Mike Bolam’s career has encompassed every aspect of human resource management up to director level as well as considerable experience in managing, developing and implementing capacity building and other performance development programs over a period of some forty years.

Skillogy PERFORM™ Human-Centric Skill Courses By Performance Area

All courses recognised by CMI

 SELF

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to manage oneself and one’s relationships with others in a mature and constructive manner. Research indicates that EI is closely related to workplace success at all levels of the organisation. In this course we look at six key aspects of EI in order to help develop your skills and abilities in managing yourself and your relationships in the workplace.

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Estimates show that some 70% of your work time is spent in some aspect of communication. With so much practice and experience, it would appear that we are all experts, but that is not the case. This course looks at your ability to reach a shared or common understanding with another person and how you apply your verbal and written abilities as well as your capacity to listen and understand.

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What you achieve at work is dependent on the contributions you make to your team. This is the sum of the skills that you willingly give to others or you add towards a common goal or result. This course looks at the key areas of contribution that you are required to make in order to achieve team objectives and results.

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Personal organisation seems to have a considerable effect on feelings and moods. You have good and bad days. If you feel well organised, you have a positive sense of well-being and in control. This course looks at your ability to arrange and control all aspects of your work so that it flows smoothly and efficiently. This skill depends upon your inherent drives to control events and circumstances.

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Managing priorities often causes a potential source of conflict. The correct work behaviour is summarised as ‘what you do second is equally important to what you do first’. This routine is achieved if time is controlled in terms of priority management. This course looks at your ability to focus on priority of job objectives and conflict between priority of importance and priority of time.

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Work stress has been described as the ‘wear and tear’ caused by your working life. In recent times, stress at work has seen a rapidly rising trend. This course looks at your ability to avoid work stress and to control and manage it. Excessive and continuous work stress problems stem from excessive workloads and impractical deadlines, relationships with colleagues and future job insecurity.

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Your ability to think is probably your greatest asset at work.  Everything  you say and do will be touched by what is going on in your mind. Performance and achievements are a direct function of your thinking abilities. This course looks at mental agility, conceptual and analytical thinking, in allowing you to conceive and form ideas, in a practical sense and draw the right conclusions.

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Time, like capital or human skills, is a resource that has to be managed effectively. It is also a limited resource. This course looks at your ability to manage job objectives, priorities and activities within the available time. Effective time management is criticalwhen time is at a premium and workloads are on the increase. In essence, the aim is to achieve the right things, at the right quality, on time.

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Wellness is not a new concept. The ancient Greeks believed that a truly healthy person possessed a keen intellect, a well-developed will and a disciplined body. Their ideal of excellence of any kind, was considered a noble state of human functioning, representing the merging of body, mind and spirit. This course focuses on making you aware of and making choices towards a more successful life.

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Your work personality brings together all those parts of you that have an influence on your performance at work. This course examines those qualities of your personality that you consistently demonstrate in your work and by which you become known by your colleagues. The main issue is whether you possess and use those positive qualities normally associated with good performance.

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MANAGER

Change is an inevitable part of life. Nothing remains static and the way we respond to change varies from individual to individual. Approximately one half of the population resists it, while the other half welcomes it. This course examines the change management process and the ways in which an understanding of the causes of resistance can be turned to positive advantage.

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This course looks at the step-by-step process of decision making from problem definition to implementation. It highlights the importance of qualitative information in decision judgement and the impact of unstructured decisions. It emphasises that judgement takes a higher priority when the impact of the decision is greater, more complex or the potential risk is higher.

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Time, like capital or human skills, is a resource that has to be managed effectively. It is also a limited resource. This course looks at your ability to manage job objectives, priorities and activities within the available time. Effective time management is critical when time is at a premium and workloads are on the increase. In essence, the aim is to achieve the right things, at the right quality, on time.

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This course examines the ability to plan and control the allocation of work within team members in order to maximise resources. Good delegation is based on clear objectives, regular reviews and solid feedback. It shows how delegation can provide a sound basis on which to improve productivity, engender ownership and responsibility, whilst fostering individual growth and development.

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People are a vital element in any organisation and managing and leading people is criticallyimportant for every manager. This course describes the key people management skills that contribute fully to individual performance improvement and organisational effectiveness.

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Information encompasses every aspect of your job. Throughout the work process you use it, produce it, pass it on and communicate it. This course examines the ability to store and the retrieve the essential information required to carry out your job efficiently.

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An interesting aspect of job knowledge is that the majority of people believe they understand their job until they are asked to explain it. This course sets out to examine your professional, specialist or expert knowledge and understanding that are especially required in your job.

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Objective setting is the foundation of good management. Without objectives, you will never be able to focus on achievement, nor manage the various aspects of your work and working relationships. This course covers your ability to think through and define the results you and your team wish to achieve, through an eight-step process, which is constantly subject to change and review.

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Project Management is a combination of steps and techniques for keeping the budget and schedule in line. This course follows the five stages of the project cycle, which provides a clear process and system for project tracking. A successful project manager demonstrates team building skills and develops a thorough knowledge of the team’s strengths and the project’s needs.

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Each team has a unique  ‘team  personality’ made up from the individuals that form it. It is this aspect that determines how effectively the team works together, the quality of their performance  and what they are capable of achieving. This course looks at how teams work together to achieve team objectives. Effective teams have a common ‘team spirit’ which directly impacts on their results.

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LEADER

Management is about finding creative solutions to problems and identifying the appropriate course of action. Creativity and originality explores the power of the mind, in bringing things into being, from original thought or basic concepts. This course sets out to show how the power of imagination can build on original thoughts to create solutions and plans, which contribute to work performance.

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Ethical leadership involves the way that managers and leaders carry out their decision-making in terms of moral issues and choices. This course examines the role of the ethical leader and the influence that he or she can exert in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and improving an organisation’s ethical climate.

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Innovation is a special and highly regarded ability in people at work. The organisations that are the most successful at innovation, will gain leadership in their market. This course focuses on the role of the corporate innovator, in larger scale project development and highlights the importance of building innovative teams, in order to maintain a competitive edge.

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A manager can spend 50% of their work time in meetings, of one type or another. This course looks at your ability to plan and control meetings and make effective use of your time. Meetings involve planning, preparation, selection of participants, adherence to issues and time schedules. Meetings involve the maintenance of teamwork, supporting relationships and superior work performance.

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Leaders and managers will not be effective, if they do not understand the theories and practices of motivation. What you believe about people, affects the way your team reacts to you and your leadership. This course looks at the inherent needs of people and how to improve productivity and motivate a workforce. The level of motivation displayed by a team reflects the skills of the leader.

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In achieving optimum performance and long-term success, all organisations have to respond and adapt. Similarly, all jobs are conditioned by plans that require change. This course addresses your ability to have the knowledge and understanding of your organisation’s objectives, strategies, plans and the external environment in relation to political, social, financial and market competitive forces.

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Personal character is the sum of your moral and ethical qualities. It is these same qualities that provide the foundation for your working relationships. This course helps you to reflect on your work behaviour and integrity. Without this, it is impossible to lead and manage a team with any degree of success. Nor is it possible to survive in an organisation, which is not dedicated to ethical standards.

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Much of what you achieve depends on your ability to persuade other people. In many respects, persuasion is the highest form of communication. This course looks at the ability of persuasion and negotiation, in producing successful outcomes and moving towards a convergence of opinion and understanding. Negotiation depends on your attitudes in approach and devoting time to planning.

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Managers and leaders use power every day. Using power effectively, is an important skill and by developing influencing techniques, can lead to increased team effectiveness. This course describes the sources of power and strategies and assesses your abilities in line with these. Power contributes to organisational goals, respect human rights and conform to standards of equality and justice.

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Transforming leadership involves having a transforming approach to your work and life. Leaders operate from a set of core beliefs about people, that motivates them to perform and engage in the organisation. This transforming improves personal development and the productivity of all involved. This course explores seven key areas to help you become more effective as a leader.

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