11 soft skills to accelerate your career

It is a popular saying in today’s business world:

Hard skills get you hired but soft skills get you promoted.

According to Wikipedia, Soft skills, also known as common skills or core skills, are skills applicable to all professions.

These include critical thinking, problem-solving, public speaking, professional writing, teamwork, digital literacy, leadership, professional attitude, work ethic, career management and intercultural fluency.

Soft skills are the interpersonal attributes you need to succeed in the workplace.

They are how you work with and relate to others—in other words, people skills.

Zain Kahn shares 11 soft skills to accelerate your career:

1. Communication:

• Listen without interrupting.
• Speak with a positive tone.
• Pay attention to your body language.

2. Persuasion:

• Identify what other people care about.
• Create stories that resonate with them.
• Communicate those stories with brevity and emotion.

3. Negotiation:

• Listen carefully.
• Understand what the other side wants.
• Know your worth.
• Then propose solutions that benefit both sides.

4. Relationship building:

• Help others unconditionally.
• Look for common interests.
• Always add value before asking for something in return.

5. Empathy:

• Take a genuine interest in other people.
• Look at things from their perspective.
• Acknowledge their feelings.
• Never judge and always be supportive.
• Be generous with your time and attention.

6. Positive attitude:

• Never gossip.
• Never complain.
• Criticize sparingly.
• Always speak well of others.

7. Teamwork:

• Avoid claiming all the credit.
• Celebrate other people’s wins.
• Praise teammates publicly and praise them generously.

8. Conflict resolution:

• Avoid arguments and accusations.
• Focus on solutions over problems.
• Apologize unconditionally when it’s your fault.

9. Emotional intelligence.

• Never act impulsively.
• Take a step back when you’re upset.
• Understand what you’re feeling.
• Understand the consequences of your actions.
• Then proceed accordingly.

10. Time management:

• Learn to prioritize.
• Learn to delegate.
• Learn to say no.

11. Work ethic:

• Take responsibility for your work.
• Always show up and deliver on time.
• Always keep your commitments.
• Never deflect blame onto others.

Thanks for reading.