Technical knowledge and hard skills are important for executives in the modern workplace, but soft skills, or social emotional intelligence, are what make good executives become great.
In fact, emotional intelligence is often cited as one of the most important skills that any employee or leader should develop for their career, with the World Economic Forum naming emotional intelligence as one of the top 10 skills for workplace success. However, these skills are not typically integrated into traditional academic programs nor are they often formally developed on-the-job. This makes executive education online programs an ideal space for nurturing these important 21st Century skills.
Soft skills - what are they?
So what really are soft skills? Often viewed as quite a broad category of abilities, soft skills training can also develop personal attributes that allow us to interact effectively with the world around us. Examples include social awareness, communication, emotional intelligence, decision-making skills, and empathy.
Soft skills for executives and other leaders
Soft skills training is critical for leaders such as executives, but also employees at all levels. So much so, in fact, that in 2019, LinkedIn noted in its Global Talent Trends report that 89% of recruiters believe that when a hire doesn’t work out well, it’s likely because of a lack of soft skills. Soft skills are critical for effective leaders for many reasons, but examples include being able to inspire and motivate teams, foster collaboration, and manage conflicts. As executive education online providers aiming to improve leadership skills, it’s therefore important that soft skills are not left out when building your executive education programs.
Here are examples of some of the soft skills we recommend including in yours:
Social awareness and relationship building skills
These skills are especially important in global companies, but a people-orientated sensitivity is crucial for leaders in all types of businesses. Leaders should be able to exert influence effectively and fairly, while building a strong, professional rapport with their wider teams.
Conflict resolution
Part and parcel of relationship building, conflict resolution can ultimately save businesses time and resources. Teaching executives how to handle conflicts constructively and to find solutions as opposed to escalating disputes is crucial.
Decision-making skills
Executives need to be able to make quick decision, consider the impact on other stakeholders, and understand ethics and their role in business decisions - “the ability to draw upon... ethical foundations is what is most required in leadership...” (The Economic Times, 2023).
Empathy and compassion
With data from 15,000 leaders in over 5,000 companies across 100 countries, the Harvard Business Review discovered a clear correlation between higher levels of wise compassion and promotability. In short, this shows that the more compassionate a leader is, the faster and higher they’ll excel in the workplace.
How can soft skills be taught in an online program?
Since a primary component of soft skills is interpersonal interactions, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking they can’t be taught online. However, there are many ways that interactivity and socialisation can be promoted via an executive education online program. Below are just a few ways to incorporate soft skills training into your online learning.
Interactive webinars and workshops
Conducting live webinars and interactive workshops is a great way to encourage your learners to socialise and develop communication skills. For maximum efficacy, ensure the sessions allow learners to engage in discussions to practise and develop those all-important soft skills.
Guest speakers
Another great way to promote soft skills in your executive education online program is to invite industry experts and successful executives to speak to your learners. They could even share their experiences and insights on how these skills have been crucial to their success.
Discussion forums
Fostering a collaborative learning environment with discussion forums is an efficient way of encouraging learners to interact with one another. This is especially great at encouraging people to collaborate across cultures, generations, and industries, all while ensuring communication stays within relevant topics.
Video modules
Videos are a great way for learners to see soft skills in action, especially when opportunities are given to provide analysis and feedback on the behaviours displayed.
Peer feedback
Encouraging participants to give and receive feedback from their peers during their executive education program will help them develop soft skills such as communication, empathy, and compassion.
One-on-one virtual coaching
Individual coaching sessions with experienced professionals can provide personalised feedback and guidance on developing soft skills. If coaches put these skills into practice during sessions, learners can gain insight from real-life examples, too.
Group projects
Projects that require teamwork are a powerful way to improve collaboration, leadership, and communication skills. This is a particularly great way to foster stronger social awareness skills if team members are from different time zones, linguistic backgrounds, and industry sectors.
Role-playing exercises
By incorporating business-related role-playing exercises through video calls or virtual environments, learners can practise skills such as professional communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution. This would be even more effective with peer and instructor feedback.
In conclusion, soft skills are critical for success in leadership roles and navigating the ever-changing corporate landscape we see in the 21st century. Modern executive education must therefore help create modern executives, and soft skills should be included in programs in order to achieve this.
Sources
- Compassionate Leadership Is Necessary — but Not Sufficient. (2020). Harvard Business Review. Read it here.
- Global Talent Trends Report. (2019). LinkedIn. Read it here.
- The Future of Jobs Report. (2018). World Economic Forum. Read it here.
- Why gaining soft skills is equally important in executive education. (2023). Economic Times. Read it here.