The Importance of Soft Skills and the Ignorance of Legislators

There is a fairly significant body of research that shows that people who have strong “soft skills” are more likely to be successful in the workplace. Despite this evidence, too many lawmakers think that by doing away with the courses that actually teach soft skills (or create the conditions in which they can be developed) better prepares the student for success. That’s just plain hogwash and shows, in my mind, how poorly educated and simple minded these people are. Perhaps if they had paid attention in those courses they’d have a better understanding of the value of those courses.

The ONE THING

I love to read and love to learn, so it is no suprise that one of my favorite pastimes is to wander through bookstores. I love perusing the titles, skimming a few pages of those that interest me and maybe marking a few to add to my reading list. It’s a habit I developed probably thirty years ago.

One of the subject areas I generally skim is the business management section. Learning about management styles and techniques is interesting and informative. Last fall, however, as I was skimming titles, I had an epihany. As I skimmed the titles I became aware of just how many titles purported to embue the reader with “the one thing” that they could do to be the best leader, the best manager, to build the most successful company, and … well, you get the idea. As I looked further, I found books of similar types in other subject areas. It seems that everyone one is looking for the ONE THING that gives them an advantagse. The problem was that in skimming the books it quickly became apparent that the “one thing” differed from book to book.

What’s Wrong with Asking for a “Highly Satisified” Rating?

Virtually all businesses today are concerned about how the public perceives them. They recognize – and rightfully so, in my opinion – that customers who have a positive experience, who receive great service, or receive quality, tasty foods are more likely to be repeat customers. They also know that customers who have a poor experience are just as unlikely to return. Thus, measuring the customer experience by asking the customer to complete a survey of their experience is an important means for getting information on how well the company is doing in meeting the customers’ needs and expectations. I’m not sure all managers understand the value of the survey and the need for accurate feedback.