Why develop personal effectiveness ("soft") skills?

During the past couple of decades, there have been significant changes to working practices throughout the UK.

In order to keep pace with increasing competition, many companies are requiring higher levels of productivity and higher quality from their employees than ever before. This, together with the trend away from traditional  office-based hierarchical structures to team-based working, and working from home, has brought about a greater need for new skills and strategies amongst employees at all levels.

It is now widely accepted that the overall competence and skill of the workforce is vitally important for any organisation's success. Indeed, it is our experience that the 'holy grail' of sustained success in any business requires the development and application of key skills - particularly in the areas of teamwork, leadership and communication.

There is compelling evidence that suggests that The value of 'human capital' increases through education and experience (Crook et al., 2011). Companies that consistently value and invest in the personal effectiveness of their staff are more likely to:

• achieve their strategic objectives
• meet the increasing challenges of national and/or global competition
• maintain a more motivated and committed workforce
• free up time and energy for greater creativity and innovation
• tackle the root-cause of many stress related problems.

"The development of an organisation's people lies at the heart of its overall development and growth." Investors in People

So if you are a manager or a business owner who wants to achieve any or all of the following:

• Improve staff morale
• Build better partnerships with other directors or key stakeholders
• Raise levels of self-awareness and self-confidence
• Tap hidden talents
• Become more engaged with your customers
• Enhance internal communication
• Build stronger, more productive teams
• Improve efficiency
• Reduce costs

... consider how you might invest in your people in order to turn your ambitions into reality.