By: Christina Nguyen
The past two years have demanded a lot of the workforce in order to adapt. As we shifted to working from home, new soft and hard skills rose to prominence. Not having to drive to work, a lot of us spent our extra hours developing new skills to make our businesses or teams more desirable in the new job market. Many of us learned how to code, design or speak new languages. But these are just the hard skills ‒ certain soft skills also saw a rise.
Unlike hard skills, most soft skills are applicable to a wide range of jobs and just throughout general life. They’re not as universally quantifiable as hard skills and are often left up to interpretation on how strongly an individual showcases them. Most soft skills relate to interpersonal skills and will give you a similar boost in most professions across industries. Soft skills are already among our everyday interpersonal interactions ‒ we exercise soft skills every day!
Here are some soft skills that are especially important as of 2022:
Critical thinking.
Recent events have clearly shown that the world is volatile. Adapting to change requires the ability to think outside the box. Consumers are also more concerned about the ethics of the companies they’re buying from, so critical thinking can help you assess what kind of societal impact your business is making. The more you can think critically, the more you can reconcile all sides of an issue.
Creativity.
Many of the businesses that were able to thrive during the pandemic were the ones that found creative ways to maintain their business throughout the restrictions, whether it was by altering their business strategy or finding appealing ways to transform their delivery methods. With creativity, you’ll be more prepared to find ways to adapt to any new circumstances. While artificial intelligence is being developed to mimic human creativity, it’ll be a while before it’s capable of the variety humans can deliver.
Organization and time management.
One of the main downsides to working from home is that our work-life balance can be disrupted by the fact that our work is physically present in our personal space. When there’s no official time to step out of the office, it can be easy to let work bleed into personal time, affecting other people you’re connected to.
It’s also easy to get distracted when you’re constantly surrounded by personal things, such as your kitchen to cook in and a living room to clean. The better you can organize your schedule and manage your time, the more efficient you’ll be in getting your work done. Leveraging these skills is also crucial when engaging with remote team members.
Digital communication.
Working remotely means most of our communication is digital. While it’s fun to send memes and emojis to convey our emotions, online chat tools and Zoom can only replace a small part of real-world, in-person interactions. It’s a lot harder to chat about non-work things to a random coworker when you’re no longer physically running into them in the kitchen or crossing paths in the hallway.
And over messaging, a lot of meaning may be lost and words could be misinterpreted. Sometimes we even forget to check our messages, causing panic when you realize a team member has yet to make the changes you requested days ago.
You can see our recent blog post to see how you can be a better communicator online.
What are some soft skills that you think are crucial for today’s business climate or at least in your industry? Let us know in the comments below!
Want to receive more informative content like this?
Sign up for our monthly newsletter today!
About Stingray Advisory Group LLC: Stingray Advisory Group LLC is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is a proud member of Local First and the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. We help businesses grow. By creating customized solutions, we empower businesses and entrepreneurs with the tools to further their development.
Email us at info@stingrayadvisorygroup.com to schedule a consultation. Follow us today on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more helpful tips!
To learn more, visit us at www.stingrayadvisorygroup.com.
