It's the Soft Skill, Stupid !


What is soft skill ? When banbhatta was lying on his death bed, ready to embrace death, he got concerned about how to get his kadambari(book) completed. He summoned his two sons to assess whether there was any hope of getting it completed through his sons. He asked the elder son to describe a parched tree in the courtyard, and the elder son obliged in a harsh tone, "shushko vrikshastishthtyagre"( a dry tree stands ahead). Banbhatta immediately lost any hope that his work could ever be completed posthumously. Just when he was about to heave his last sigh, the younger son replied sweetly and promptly, "neeras taru niwasati puratah" ( a parched tree, thirsting for water, resides in front !). Banbhatta immediately got elated, as if he got a new lease of life, and asked his younger son to complete his work, happily resigning himself to the "hug of death".

 

Though both sentences mean the same thing, the latter one is softer as it leaves a savory impact on the reader's mind. In corporates or in any other field where human interaction is required, it is not enough to get things done, rather it should be done in an agreeable manner! It is not only about the "what", but also about the "how". It is not only about the "hard skills" of talent, communication, knowledge and wisdom, but also about the "soft skills" of compassion, empathy and camaraderie, as people are not robots and AI is not yet so advanced 😉 In fact, even if you are the most suitable candidate, if people get irked in your presence, your future is shadowy, as up the ladder, leverage comes through popularity, not through suitability. You may be a genius in your own right, but in order to materialise value, you require assistance of people, therefore people skills become paramount!

 

Sadly, the laws of achievements taught at schools and colleges get upturned in corporates and real life, and many geniuses become failures while many not-so-geniuses(at schools and colleges) become CEOs😉. The reason being, nobody likes a cruel talented boss; everybody wants a lovable, likable leader. It's about the people, stupid! Interestingly, you can become more productive by working with and through people, rather than confining talents to yourself, as it is beyond one person to solve any real life problem within real-life constraints.

 

But, there is a twist to the tale. Merely having soft skills will not get you far. It is the delicate interplay of hard and soft skills, that distinguish the true achievers from the also-rans. Moreover, without hard skills, people tend to resort to politics, dishonesty, gimmicks to move ahead, which is even more damaging. To conclude, if you want to become anybody's boss, make sure he is not talking behind your back😉

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