October 16, 2019

DatePublished: 10-16-2019 04:47:17

DateModified: 10-10-2025 09:09:28

Time to change how we think about soft skills, starting with the word “soft.”

In this unprecedented age of digital disruption, what is inescapable to leaders is the growing and acute need for “soft” skills within their leaders and teams. The soft skills shortage is a real issue that companies such as Subaru are investing heavily in. The real problem, however, is that executives see soft skills as "soft" - when in fact, soft skills have an impact on hard numbers such as talent attraction and retention.

Perhaps if we didn’t historically think of soft skills as “soft,” organizations would have an abundance of leaders who could empathize, show compassion, be vulnerable, and show resilience - all coveted soft skills that contribute to building company cultures where employees feel like they belong and are free to be themselves. Soft implies that such skills are not as valuable as hard skills, and the investment in soft skills is often the first to be cut when organizations face a crisis. Ironically, a crisis requires the very soft skills they need to have leaders galvanize their organizations toward renewed success.

Across Fortune and Global 500 organizations, so-called "soft" skills have been shown to meaningfully impact key measures such as alignment, retention, efficiency, revenue, and profitability. The logic isn’t complicated. Employees are more compelled not only to follow, but to do exceptional things for leaders who they feel great around. Leaders with exceptional soft skills foster teams that feel safe, are free to voice their ideas, and are quick to execute. Soft skills need investment, and while leaders can evolve, change rarely happens overnight. Continuous investment in developing superior soft skills is therefore important to building a sustainable capability in an organization.

It’s time we stop calling soft skills "soft". Leaders who develop strong soft skills are priceless in the impact they can make on a company’s culture and performance. It's time we replaced “soft” for “precious” or “priceless.”