Hard Facts on Soft Power

Unlike the past, the 21st century will divide nation-states into two categories: Soft Power and Hard Power. According to Nye, ‘Soft Power’ is the power of persuasion where as ‘Hard Power’ is one of coercion. Military power is the best form of ‘hard power’, whereas a country’s soft power comes from democracy, legal system & rule of law, divergent cultures, multilateralism, multi-religious groups, quality educational opportunities, institutional infrastructure and integrity, transparency, quality of press, richness in history, arts, sports, spiritualism, music, culture, cuisine and so on. Needless to predict that soft powers like India will conquer the hard ones.

Similarly on an individual scale, the success of future employees and leaders will depend more on ‘soft skills’ rather than ‘hard skills’. The delivery attributes of individuals are going to be the key differentiators rather than payload or functional attributes. Whether we call it IQ vs. EQ or ability vs. attitude, quality soft skills, both on individual and enterprise scales, are must to derive full benefits from the available hard skills.

The 12 Soft Skills for future employment:

1. Teamwork
2. Communication
3. Initiative
4. Vision
5. Problem Solving
6. Adaptability
7. Passion for Change
8. Fast Decision Making
9. Creativity
10. Learning Ability
11. Organization
12. Leadershiip

Ten Action Steps to improve Soft Skills:

1. Cross-train yourself within the organization and in your current position
2. Get involved in as many task forces as possible
3. Initiate new ideas and improvements
4. Ask questions frequently and share your thoughts
5. Confront co-workers and bosses on tough issues
6. Invest enough time and resources on ‘Lateral Thinking’
7. Take regular stock of your improvement in soft skills
8. Seek managerial and peer review and feedback
9. Volunteer your service to a NGO
10. Explore arts (right brain faculties) – the breeding ground of creativeness