Developing your soft skills for that harder edge

Ross Geraghty

Traditionally, an MBA’s most valuable skills included leadership, strategic thinking and finance, and nobody disputes that those core elements will remain bastions of the business school education system. However, a 2007 study published this month shows that ‘soft’ skills rank highest with recruiters, and yet this is a key area where MBAs are falling short.

In the 2007 QS Recruiter Survey, 636 of the world’s major international MBA recruiters (including Goldman Sachs, Boeing and Motorola) ranked communication and people skills higher in importance than the traditional skillsets. “We tend to focus less on academic or technical skills,” says Phillip Cho of Lehman Brothers Singapore, “and place emphasis more on communication, interpersonal skills and leadership traits.”

MBAs worldwide hear a lot about soft skills as recruiters ramp up the value of the more touchy-feely aspects of business management. Yet according to those recruiters, too many business school graduates hit the job market lacking essential skills that go beyond a mere qualification.

Mitch O’Brien of Emissary Pharmaceuticals in Australia agrees, noting that, “MBAs represent an interesting pool of potential business leaders with broad business skills, however they often come with an arrogant expectation of career progression. I would like to see more emotional intelligence taught and realistic career counselling provided.”

What are ‘soft’ skills?

Sean Hewitt, a careers advisor, notes the following nine soft skills on the UK-based website askmen.com: “Keep a winning attitude; be a team player; communicate effectively; exude confidence; hone your creative skills; accept and learn from criticism; motivate yourself & lead others; multitask and prioritise your to-do list; see the big picture.”

Easier said than done? Perhaps. Wendy Lyons, an expert in the field, and Managing Consultant at London’s Human Assets, says a mere list is not that simple. “For employers, getting the right people means identifying people with the right skills and qualities to fulfil the role and contribute to the organisation’s success and it’s really important to be aware that different roles have different requirements. You might need to be an amazing communicator for one role but not necessarily for another so it’s important to recognize what is needed by the role in question.”

She continues, “Whichever quality you’re looking to develop, it helps to seek out feedback, observe role-models, reflect on your behaviour and to try out new approaches.”

Basic soft skill development techniques

1. Get specific feedback from colleagues and peers (and clients if you can) on the qualities that are important for the role – consider ways of capitalising on your strengths as well as focusing on areas that need development
2. Identify somebody who you think is particularly successful at demonstrating the skills you want to develop – talk to them/sit in meeting with them and gain an insight into their approach
3. Think back to a recent time when you weren’t very successful at influencing or convincing an individual.  Ask the individual how you came across and what you might have done differently to be more successful.
4. Develop the habit of critically reviewing the impact you have had after any meeting.  Consider ways to increase your impact and put this into practice.
5. Take opportunities to regularly network (within your organisation and externally) – don’t just approach people when you need their help.
6. Spend more time with people who you find difficult to deal with.  Don’t just think about your feelings about them but think about how they might view you.  Try out different approaches with them to see if you can develop a more effective relationship with them.

Honing soft skills can help MBAs to differentiate themselves in the recruitment process. Developing external interests and placing more emphasis them on your CV will bear fruit both on a professional and personal basis.

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