Overheard my boss say something about 'soft skills' that made me rethink stuff

I was grabbing coffee in the break room last week and my boss was talking to some manager from another department. He said something like "hard skills get you the job but soft skills keep you from getting fired." At first I thought it was just corporate buzzword nonsense but then I started thinking about my own situation. I've been turning down training opportunities at my shop because I feel like I already know enough to do my job fine. But the truth is I've had a few close calls with customers where my tone came off wrong or I didn't explain why their repair was taking longer. Last month a guy almost left a bad review because I was short with him on the phone. So now I'm wondering if maybe I should actually take that communication workshop the company keeps offering. Has anyone else ever blown off something like that and later wished they hadn't?

2 comments

2 Comments

xena_taylor645d ago

That bit about "a few close calls with customers" sticks out to me. How many times have you actually had to smooth things over after a conversation went sideways? I gotta think that communication workshop might give you a script for those moments before they take up your whole afternoon.

jake_kelly245d ago

Did a buddy of mine really mess up a sale because he wouldn't take that same class.