6 'soft' skills you need for success

Rukmini Iyer | June 30, 2005 | 12:09 IST

A reputed software company in India is all geared up for a client visit.

The clients have indicated that, after? inspecting the progress of the project they have outsourced, they
would like to meet? the team members working on it.

Why? To select one team member for a stint onsite -- something? almost every software engineer? aspires
for.

Ravi has been one of the most active members in the project and has done a wonderful job. He is
technically brilliant, but has some concerns:

 Will he able to communicate his performance to the client in an impressive manner so that he is
chosen?
 Why do his team mates not prefer to come to him for solutions and go to less capable people
instead?
 His project manager doesn't seem to be very warm towards him either, although he does drop in
those occasional mails appreciating his work.

Here is a?typical scenario in an IT company; or for that matter, any organisation where interpersonal
communication is involved. Or, like in Ravi's case, where an employee suffers from?a lack of interpersonal
skills.

Are technical/ job-related skills enough?

Technical and job-related skills are a must, but they are NOT sufficient when it comes to progressing up the
ladder.

With the traditional paternalistic style of leadership becoming pass?f essional managers expect their teams
to be proactive and communicate openly.

"Soft skills are very important in business. It is essential to be technically sound, but one should also have
the ability to convey the idea to the masses in the simplest possible manner," says Mayurkumar Gadewar,
an ERP consultant with Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

With the boom in outsourcing taking root across industries, many professionals and subject matter experts
directly deal with their clients on a regular basis.

Their approachability and people skills are what ultimately sustain the contract their employers have bagged.

"Planning is necessary but execution is also equally important.? And it takes soft skills to execute any idea
because it involves dealing with people directly,"? says Gadewar.

6 soft skills for every hard-nosed professional

Behavioural training experts say there are several soft skills are required in these circumstances. Some of
them include:

i. Interpersonal skills

ii. Team spirit

iii. Social grace

iv. Business etiquette

v. Negotiation skills

vi. Behavioural traits such as attitude, motivation and time management

Do you have these? If your answer is yes, good for you.

But if your answer is no, then you know it is time to approach either a?training organisation or a training?
consultant.

Will formal training enhance your soft skills?

There is a lot of argument in the industry as to whether it is possible to enhance soft skills in a few hours of
training, especially when one considers the fact that?a person has lived with those traits all his life. To this,
the answer is harsh but real -- a professional who wants to do well in his/ her career does not really have a
choice.

In the initial years of your career, your?technical abilities are important to get good assignments. However,
when it comes to growing in an organisation, it is your?personality that matters, more so in large
organisations where several people with similar technical expertise will compete for a promotion.

Training on soft skills becomes all the more relevant in a country like India where the education system does
not delve into personality development.

"Soft skills training is essential because we do not have it in our academic curricula. Therefore, corporate
houses have to take up the task of grooming employees who are the link between the company and the
external world, so that they are able to present themselves better, " says Sumeet Mehta, an equity research
analyst with Fortis Securities Ltd.

Be your own trainer!

While organisations are definitely investing in augmenting their staff's people skills, here are some inputs for
professionals and students who would like to initiate the process themselves:

i. Be a part of team activities

It could be?either as a part of your church choir, or an NGO, or your local youth circle.

Observe your own behaviour in the group and how you relate to others.

ii. Ask?family members or close friends to write down your best and worst traits.

Ideally, have at least four to five people do this for you.

Evaluate the common traits all of them have mentioned. Thus, you can be aware of your strengths and work
improving your weaknesses.

iii. How well do you manage your time?

Think.
Can you do more in life? Or is your day too crammed with activities? Effective time management is very
essential in the corporate world.

iv. Introspect on how you react to feedback.

In organisations, people skills mostly come into the picture when there is feedback given -- be it for an idea,
an executed project or a presentation.

You are judged by the way you respond to feedback.

Do you get defensive?

Do you insist you were right?

Do you meekly accept criticism?

Remember, people tend to be judged and stereotyped according to their responses.?You will, too.

v. How good are you at critiquing?

While responding to feedback is one side of the coin, giving feedback is the other side.

Are you aggressive? Pessimistic? Do you believe in constructive criticism? Or prefer to be the yes-man?

vi. Live consciously

Any organisation is manned by people, therefore soft skills are all about how you deal with people and
present yourself.

Though it may be easier said than done, soft skills can be enhanced simply by being aware of oneself and
living consciously.

Rukmini Iyer is a corporate trainer and instructional designer. She?writes regularly on business
etiquette, communication, language enhancement?and grooming.??
How to deal with workplace negativity
Shifra Menezes | June 06, 2007 | 11:39 IST

Is your workplace rife with negative vibes? Do you drag your feet to the office hoping for a
sudden squall that'll have you headed back home instead of the office where you are destined to
encounter hostile colleagues? If your answer is yes, then this article is for you.

Working in an office weighed down by negativity is more common than you think. Which of us
doesn't have tales of a co-worker who refused to help even though you were just hours away
from a deadline or a teammate who started an ugly rumour about you? Though negativity is
usually unavoidable at most workplaces, there are some things you can do to control or influence
that negativity.

Look inward

Are you part of the problem? The first thing to do when faced with a problem is to examine your
role in it. Once you identify your role, it may be as simple as just tweaking your attitude or taking a
more positive view. For instance, you have a colleague that pushes your buttons. Constantly
griping about being over-worked or underpaid, he just gets your goat. As a result you spend the
rest of the day complaining to friends and co-workers about his attitude and his negativity. In
effect, you have become exactly what you thought was the problem.

So, take a step back and make a conscious decision to not let things bother you the way they do.

Communicate to alleviate
?
The most effective tool when it comes to combating negativity is communication. Open, honest
communication can go a long way in gaining the confidence of your seniors and colleagues.
When a nasty rumour about you is doing the rounds, instead of cowering behind the cubicle wall,
take a more pro-active approach. Confront the rumourmongers and state your case in a
confident, yet non-aggressive manner.

Pallavi Pant* has a success story. "My boss and I used to stay in the same area, so we used to
travel to and from work together. Before we knew it, the rumour doing the rounds was that we
were having an affair," says Pallavi, a sales executive with a BPO. "We ignored it at first, but I
asked around and finally found out that my colleague had started the rumour out of spite. So one
day, I confronted her and we had it out. Granted we didn't end up much fonder of each other but
at least we had our say and now we maintain a respectful distance."

 Control your emotions at work

Belling the cat

Negativity could also stem from discontent over the company's policies. If employees are
unhappy with a new policy that has been introduced or a change in one they were particularly
fond of, chances are they will let the matter simmer over coffee-break conversations. The matter
will be discussed in great detail and with even a few solutions thrown in, but as is usually the
case, the discussion will stay just that and discontent will just fester.
But the problem here is, simply put, one of how to bell the cat. You and your teammates want a
solution but none want to go up to the boss and talk the issue through. And that's just where the
problem lies.

When your team finds itself in a similar predicament, it is suggested that all those affected by the
change come together and discuss the problem. Try to have a broad-based discussion,
attempting to address all sides of the issue: how it affects them, the motivation behind the change
and possible solutions or compromises. Once that is done, you might want to vote for?one or
two?spokespersons who will communicate the concerns of the group to the boss or the HR
department. Remember, organisations want happy employees and (more often than not) will
welcome dialogue on issues or problems employees might have.

It is important, for both you and your organisation, that you make a sincere effort to control
negativity in your workplace. After all, your job is a large part of what you do and if your job
makes you unhappy, chances are that discontent will flow into other spheres of your life.

 6 ways to celebrate your work

Steer clear

Though getting involved might help, sometimes the best strategy is to keep your distance. A
negative or pessimistic colleague may just be out to gain sympathy or attention. Don't let it bother
you. It takes all sorts, and you'd be better off focussing on the positive people around you than let
one sourpuss bring you down.

"One of my colleagues would see the down side to everything," says Meghna Nagpal*, who
works at a call centre. "Whether it was team get-togethers or the temperature in the office, the
world was just against her! At first I'd try and talk to her, get her to see the lighter side of life. But
most times I'd just get dragged down myself. So, after speaking to friends, I just decided to stay
away from her. I realised I couldn't change the way she felt and instead I was letting her grey
mood bring me down."

So don't be just another sad face in the crowd. Remember, only you are responsible for the way
you feel. Don't be afraid of what your colleagues will think of you if you take the lead. As long as
your motives are clear and your methods honest, chances are you will win them over in the end
while making your office a more positive place to work in.

*All names have been changed to protect privacy.

If you been subject to negativity?at work or even in your personal life, and if you have
battled it effectively,?we want to know about it. Share your?experiences and?advice with
other readers. Write in to getahead@rediff.co.in.