Note Making - Note Taking & Summary: Soft Skills and Leadership in the Workplace

 Leadership Skills

The term 'soft skills' refers to a group of skills and personal qualities that present-day employers look for and value in their employees. Soft skills relate to excellent communication skills, both spoken and written, positive personality traits, social skills and personal attitudes. In this sense, soft skills complement hard skills, which have to do the technical requirements of a job. Hence, you may have the right professional qualifications, be academically brilliant and perhaps even have the required work experience, but you will be successful in an organisation only if you know, for example, how to work as part of a team or how to get along with both your senior and junior colleagues. In other words, soft skills are all about how you deal with people. They are very important in the present-day professional context that requires constant interaction and communication. Thus, it is not surprising that very often, an interviewer talking to two different candidates with equally impressive CVs, decides in favour of the one who seems relaxed, open, friendly and well-adjusted. Of course, neat personal appearance and pleasing personality also makes a positive impression in such situations.

While soft skills are acquired early in life and depend to a great extent on the environment in which you were brought up, they can also be consciously learnt. The process could begin either by asking someone who knows you closely to decide whether you possess the soft skills concerned or through an honest self-appraisal. You can begin by looking at some of the soft skills recommended by behavioural training experts.

In short, soft skills are personality traits that determine a person's interaction with others and the ability to be successful at work. Soft skills complement a person's professional skills and affect his or her performance at work, relationships with colleagues and career prospects. Some important soft skills employers look for in the people they employ are attitude, adaptability, goal setting, motivation, time management, stress management, critical thinking and problem solving, team work and leadership.

📝 Note Taking: 

• Soft skills = communication (written/spoken), attitude, social traits

• Complements hard skills (technical)

• Needed for team work, adjusting in workplace

• Recruiters prefer candidates with good soft skills

• Includes neat appearance, friendly personality

• Can be learnt via feedback or self-review

• Affects career growth, relationships

• Examples: motivation, leadership, time/stress mgmt, teamwork

📚 Note Making:

Topic: Leadership and Soft Skills at Work

1. Meaning of Soft Skills

• Set of interpersonal, social, and communication skills

• Related to attitude, personality, and interaction

2. Soft Skills vs Hard Skills

• Hard skills = technical qualifications

• Soft skills = human interaction, team dynamics

• Both are needed for success at work

3. Role in Career Success

• Help build good relations with colleagues

• Important for teamwork and communication

• Often the deciding factor in interviews

4. Developing Soft Skills

• Can be learned

• Methods: self-evaluation, feedback from others

5. Key Soft Skills Needed

• Positive attitude

• Adaptability

• Goal setting

• Motivation

• Time & stress management

• Critical thinking

• Problem solving

• Teamwork

• Leadership

🟢 Summary: Leadership and Soft Skills

Soft skills are how you talk, behave, and work with others. They include good communication, a positive attitude, and teamwork. These skills help you do well at work and get along with people. Employers like workers who are friendly, helpful, and easy to work with. You can learn soft skills by asking for feedback or checking yourself. Important soft skills are motivation, time management, problem solving, and leadership.