Many years ago in my nursing profession, I was charged with being in charge in the operating room where I was working. I was very young and had no management or leadership training. I had no clue about the pictures staff had in their head about their work, etc. All I knew was it was up to me to set the time schedules for all staff and to make sure we had supplies and that things ran as they were supposed to.
I did the best I could do at the time with what I knew at the time. I often think, I had I known then what I know now, how different it could have been. It might have even been fun! Whe!n the head nurse came back from sick leave, I was so relieved. It was not a bad experience, but it could have been so much better.
How often are we thrust into leadership or management positions because people think you can do it. After all you are a very good working. But working in a job is not the same and being a manager or leader. The manager or leader is all about working with people. What people skills do you have? Do you wish you had more? Working with people is not the same as knowing how to do a job.
Today we hear a lot about learning “soft skills.” I am not sure where this name came from. I looked online and this is the first definition of hard vs soft skills:
“ Soft skills are those skills that come naturally and uniquely to everyone. These include leadership, effective communication, teamwork, time management, motivation and adaptability. On the other hand, hard skills are those that are gained through hands-on experience, training, or education.”
Here in lies the issue. Do soft skills come naturally and uniquely to everyone? If they did, why is there a call for people to learn soft skills in leadership? Choice Theory®, Reality Therapy® and Lead Management training will give you the best skills for dealing with people that you will ever need.
