Get the Basics Right

As important as skills’ development is, we should remember that many of the skills needed today may not be needed tomorrow, while many of the things we may need tomorrow are not being envisioned today (something that one bank in Singapore is currently grappling with). That’s not to say we should not upskill our employees and make sure they can do the jobs we expect them to do, but it does mean that functional skills training should not be the only thing we do, and may not even be the most important.

We should consider focusing our attention on “soft skills” development. While functional skills are important for a particular job, soft skills are those things that will be useful in ANY job. Think about things like public speaking, designing useful presentations, writing, listening, time management, providing feedback…all of these will be useful no matter what role you find yourself performing.

Both you and your employees benefit if you emphasize the development of soft skills. For your employees, it provides some feeling of security that, as the world around them changes, they will always have the basic professional skills that will help them transition to something new. For you, it helps you feel comfortable that, as things change, it will be easier for you to transition the employees you already have rather than going out and finding all new ones, new people who will need time to get up to speed before they are truly productive.

Going to classes on how to be a good listener, or being coached in how to give useful feedback, may not initially seem as valuable as learning specific skills for a particular job. But as those jobs change, and as the need for some of those skills start to vanish, the basics will always be important.