I noticeably cringe when I hear the term “soft skills.”  Especially when it is positioned as being secondary in importance and value to commonly termed “hard skills.” In today’s world of business, these labels and distinctions minimize the very skill sets that are sought in all aspects of individual and organizational success. 

Quit minimizing the value of skills such as communications, leadership, influence, critical thinking, empathy, decision making, and problem solving, just to mention a few. There’s absolutely nothing soft about these skills. . . which is why they can be hard to master.