Soft SKills and Business: Yes, they Work
Ok, so how more official can it get? I don’t know about you, but for me The Economist (www.economist.com) is as reputable a publication as they come concerning business theories and when they write a story about the benefits of psychology and the positive impacts on business, one must pay attention.
Now, I know that I have written a lot about the need for “soft” skills and how we have overdone the analytical side of business management. I am not a management theorist and don’t pretend to be one, but some things just make so much sense that we really don’t need to wrap an academic study around it. I try to write on things that track with nature and soul which in turn sort of validates them- I know, kind of a tortured philosophy.
This particular piece appeared in the May 3rd to 9th edition of The Economist titled: Inside a Deal. It is on page 88…Go ahead, check it out. It is further confirmation that “soft” skills are needed in order to succeed well. The key work being: well.
It turns out that after Psychologists analyzed the dynamics of a good negotiation, low and behold, they found that that those people with “perspective-taking” abilities did far better than those without. By far better we mean that 76% of the time a deal was struck by the perspective-takers vs. 54% for the “empathizers.” Now, if you need to ask what perspective-taking ability means, you should probably not be reading this blog (not that many do anyways :-).
But ok, a definition is in order: perspective-takers were those with an ability to understand what the other was “thinking” and what their “interest” and “purpose” were.
There you have it folks. It is true. Soft skills do work and ARE valuable to business.
Now, I know that I have written a lot about the need for “soft” skills and how we have overdone the analytical side of business management. I am not a management theorist and don’t pretend to be one, but some things just make so much sense that we really don’t need to wrap an academic study around it. I try to write on things that track with nature and soul which in turn sort of validates them- I know, kind of a tortured philosophy.
This particular piece appeared in the May 3rd to 9th edition of The Economist titled: Inside a Deal. It is on page 88…Go ahead, check it out. It is further confirmation that “soft” skills are needed in order to succeed well. The key work being: well.
It turns out that after Psychologists analyzed the dynamics of a good negotiation, low and behold, they found that that those people with “perspective-taking” abilities did far better than those without. By far better we mean that 76% of the time a deal was struck by the perspective-takers vs. 54% for the “empathizers.” Now, if you need to ask what perspective-taking ability means, you should probably not be reading this blog (not that many do anyways :-).
But ok, a definition is in order: perspective-takers were those with an ability to understand what the other was “thinking” and what their “interest” and “purpose” were.
There you have it folks. It is true. Soft skills do work and ARE valuable to business.
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