The fundamental power of behavioral skills

Employers are pushing their teams to go beyond their limits in order to produce results that stand out. Teams are overworked and understaffed, and there are many interrelated factors at work, including rising attrition, changing work dynamics, job insecurity, and a constantly shifting business environment, which exacerbates this issue.

With the advent of technology, automation, and evolving work models, the business world is undergoing rapid change. Indeed, over the last two years, the pace of work has increased dramatically across industries, with digital technology driving the speed of execution. As a result, managers are reconsidering job roles in order to get teams to do more than what is standard operating procedure. The most recent manifestation of this shift was seen in McKinsey’s 2021 insights on the future of work in terms of changing functional roles at work. It implies that the world of work is changing at such a rapid pace that, while some jobs will be lost and many will be created, nearly all jobs will change in the coming months and years.

This is becoming increasingly evident. Employers are trapped in a situation in which they compromise quality when hiring, which significantly contributes to the organization’s already existing skill-gap. Even if it is addressed through training, the impact is measured using erroneous benchmarks. It’s a never-ending cycle. The problem that most of these businesses face is that they lack objective data on which to base job performance predictions. The recruitment and training process is highly subjective and based on gut instincts.

Furthermore, employers frequently select new hires based on competencies, which are essentially the ‘what’ of things. But there’s always a “how” hidden in the what. There are crucial skills needed for those competencies to materialize. This is where emotional intelligence and behavioral skills come into play. Persuasion, interpersonal influence, and empathy are all skills that eventually become the “how” for the “what.”

Attributes of behavioral skills and emotional intelligence essentially reflect performance and attitude. They are extremely valuable in the digital age, and rightfully so. They are highly transferable and learnable, and they can assist in navigating changing work dynamics and predicting job potential.

The following are just a few of the important behavioral skills that employers, academics, and industry experts around the world have identified as essential for employability and the future of work. Effective communication, teamwork, motivation, problem-solving, enthusiasm, accountability, and trust are just a few of the others. These skills are essential to defining success at work and are a significant part of the competency frameworks used by many organizations.

These are fundamental abilities, not for their own sake, but rather because of the crucial part they play in ensuring that teams not only survive, but also thrive, in the workplace of the future.

Why are they fundamental skills?

• Building blocks that are important for developing job-specific competencies
• Lifelong skills that are relevant across roles and organizations
• Transferrable in nature and unlock mobility in careers
• Critical for leaders who need to influence and develop other people

There is enough research, and more, to support this. In fact, companies are starting to recognize the importance of these skills for expansion.