HARDSELLING MY SOFT SKILLS
Ioccupy a corner in the office. If you’re suddenly envious of me and have begun to think I occupy prime estate, then let me tell you, you think wrong. It is literally a corner. The kind kids in school get sent to when they don’t behave. You get the picture? Other than staring at two walls coming together, I don’t have much of a view. (Oh, I am able to see the Dubai canal, but only when I make a deliberate effort to look right.) All the action, quite literally, happens behind my back. And if you think I’m complaining, then you think wrong again. I love it.
It is my sanctuary, my go-to place when I want to escape the everyday stresses of life. I put on my headphones and listen to some soothing music (it may sound ironic, but I have a soft spot for Angus Young’s guitaring skills) and jab away at my keyboard. Bliss. And once I’m in my snow globe-like world, I’m guilty of not talking – neither to my colleagues nor on the phone, not even checking my Whatsapp – unless it’s something important, of course.
I apologise if some of you think I’m being rude, considering the profession I am in, but there are days when just like many of you I too seek isolation.
Does this mean I lack any of the soft skills we talk of in the feature ‘The hard facts about soft skills’ on page 20? I would let my colleagues be the judge of that, but I think I’m OK. I can always be better, but I’m not so bad.
Does this mean I am trying to build a defence for those who believe that when it comes to being successful, soft skills are not as vital as conventional hard skills? Then you couldn’t be more wrong.
However hardwired this world might be to the use of technology in communication, nothing can substitute an honest smile and a genuine warm greeting from a colleague first thing in the morning. In my snow-globe world,
Despite all the technology in communication, nothing can substitute a smile and a genuine greeting from a colleague in the morning
that makes for a better pick-me-up than any coffee, or whatever your go-to might be.
The only scepticism I have is whether soft skills can be taught.
According to experts in the feature, yes they can be, and considering how vital they are to the development of a child’s personality, the experts say, these skills ought to be taught. In fact they should be an integral part of every school’s curriculum, they believe.
Does this mean I need to turn around and hold conversations more often? Sorry, I don’t want to talk about this any more. I’m going back to my corner.