Do you have soft power?
Soft power is a concept used in geopolitics.
According to Wikipedia, it’s defined as “the ability to attract and co-opt, rather than coerce. Soft power is the ability to shape the preferences of others through appeal and attraction. A defining feature of soft power is that it is non-coercive; the currency of soft power is culture, political values, and foreign policies.”
One can apply this concept to the world of work.
Hard power can be considered position, such as employees getting things done because the boss said so or through brute force. Soft power is influence, the ability to move things through an organization and the ability to bring a team along in a powerful, positive way. So, one might ask—can you hit above your title? Can you operate up, down, and across your organization? Can you do so leaving people feeling good vs. leaving a path of destruction? Do you represent not only yourself well, but also your company or your brand? Do you attract people and pull them in or push them away?
Soft power can also refer to the “soft skills” that HR professionals claim they are looking for in candidates today yet are struggling to determine how to assess when hiring.
According to a study by LinkedIn, 92 percent of talent professionals say that soft skills matter as much or more than hard skills when hiring talent, and 80 percent say they’re increasingly important to company success. A study by McKinsey suggests that because of the changing world of work and a move towards automation and AI, soft skills such as social and emotional skills demand will increase by 24 percent.
Thus, soft power is important in today’s business world and will be that much more important in the decade to come. What soft skills should you think about to build your Soft Power?
Consider these 10 soft power skills:
Persuasion & influence. Do you have a defined voice and character? Do people stop to listen to what you have to say? Are you able to make a case and bring people along?
Personal leadership brand. Have you defined your personal leadership brand? Do you know your purpose, your values, your beliefs, your decision-making philosophy? Have you built leadership capital?
Creativity. Are you able to generate new ideas? Do you naturally problem solve? Are you open to new approaches and methods?
Communication, storytelling, and negotiation. Are you able to communicate clearly? Can you tell compelling stories to get your points across and drive decisions and results? Do you know the art of negotiation?
Emotional intelligence. Are you aware of and can you manage and productively express your own emotions? Are you able to understand and have empathy for others’ emotions and build productive interpersonal relationships? Are you able to manage productive conflict? Can you provide and take in constructive feedback?
Build positive culture. What is the culture you create around you? Is it positive and productive? Do you lift others up?
Collaboration & teamwork. Do people want to work with you? Are you able to cross divides? Do you seek win wins? Do you look out for others or just yourself? Do you appreciate that great things can only happen when you engage others?
Initiative. Are you proactive? Do you take personal ownership and move organizations forward?
Adaptability, continuous learning, and change management. Do you proactively embrace change and lead your team through organizational evolutions? Are you adaptable and agile in your responses? Do you seek out learning and growth opportunities?
Time & productivity management. Do you manage your energy? Have you figured out what tools work best to manage yourself and your time? Are you able to prioritize and delegate? Do you concentrate and not multi-task nor task-shift? Do you carve out time for the important matters? Do you assess your actions, which illuminate your priorities?
If you’re curious how you stack up, rate yourself against the ten.
Admittedly with no scientific basis for this assessment, simply consider giving yourself a score of 1-10 (1 low 10 high) with a total possible 100 points. A possible breakdown might look like:
70-100 – High
40-70 – Mid
0 – 40 – Low
Depending on where you fall, consider efforts to increase your soft power in the skill areas you are weakest.
When one considers this list, it feels daunting. These skills are not the easiest to develop and take concerted effort to build. But the times demand the investment in ourselves, especially for leaders. These are the types of skills you should be focused on mastering. In doing so, you’ll be more powerful, have more impact, and be happier in your work, as will your co-workers.
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