• Empathy
• Time management
• Negotiation
• Storytelling
• Persuasion
• Confidence
• Courtesy
• Honesty
• Patience
• Humility
• Collaboration
• Critical Thinking
• Creativity
• Conflict resolution
• Self-awareness
• Dedication
• Dependability
• Willingness to learn

The list can go on. When did we start calling them ‘soft skills’? Most jobs come with a certain set of skills deemed to be required for a job, however all jobs need soft skills. In fact, most hard skills are much more teachable than the so called soft skills.

Seth calls them ‘real skills‘, others give them other titles. Whatever we call them doesn’t matter too much, but ‘soft’ is inappropriate. We’d be hard pressed to find a job not requiring them. They are essential.

Change is all about these skills. It relies heavily on them. In fact, without them, change never happens. Understanding the ‘real and essential’ skills is often key to unlocking change. We ignore them or think of them as ‘second tier’ skills at our peril.

Photo by Jandré van der Walt