Why Soft Skills are Important for Effective Leadership

A hard skill is any skill you can measure or certify, such as degrees, certifications. The skills these credentials represent give you the ability to make the right decisions. They contribute to your expertise and to your knowledge base — but raw ability isn't everything.

You also need the chance to make use of what you know. That's where soft skills come in. These are harder to quantify, but they are just as important. Think of them as your ability to create opportunities to lead effectively.

Soft Skills Versus Hard Skills

Soft skills are often underprioritized by leaders. Hard skills tend to look better on paper. However, empathy, listening and organization are often what gets the job done.

These leadership practices empower you to learn and communicate. If you have any formal qualifications at all, including degrees, certifications or awards, you probably exercised soft skills to attain these accolades. In short, soft skills are necessary to acquire hard skills.

It's easier to understand in terms of golf. Your hard skills would include your measurable ability. If you go to the range and consistently hit 300-yard drives, that's great. It's also a hard skill that you have.

A soft skill in this situation might be a technique you use for a putt, that requires just the right touch, something less than that full swing that sent your drive 300 yards. In golf, just like in business, soft skills abound.

The Skills Behind Leadership Traits

It's easy to lump soft skills into categories and call them leadership traits. In practice, most of these so-called traits are sets of skills leaders develop over time and with consistent dedication to improvement.

For example, take judgment. Most people would agree judgment is an important trait for a leader and a golfer. In golf, you have to read the course — to decide when to pull out those big shots and when to control your power. The same goes for when you're on the green. Knowing when to take a penalty and when to play a ball as it lies is also important.

Each one of these examples is a different skill. If you develop all of them, people might say you have good judgment on the course.

The Value of Soft Skills

You can't necessarily measure soft skills, but you can often measure the difference they make in your success as a leader. The good news is you can practice and develop them.

Broadening your leadership practice by developing soft skills takes effort, but it's worth it. Honing abilities like listening, prioritizing and empathizing helps you solve problems — problems that academic knowledge and technical expertise just can't efficiently address.