It’s a changing world...

Hard skills or professional expertise can only take you to a certain distance in the path towards success. The best programmer can become a tech head, but not a chief executive officer only with coding skills. The same applies to any field you can think of.

You need something more to reach the pinnacle, that will make you stand out in a crowd, establish your value in the company and help you become an asset. To need such skills, you need to take up an appropriate management course. Soft skills enhance your ability to contribute to the company that goes beyond your technical prowess. The way you conduct yourself, how you gel with others and even what you speak during a situation, everything matters in today’s competitive environment.

Here is a list of top five soft skills that you must have in your arsenal which will not only help you achieve professional development but also reach high success:

Nervousness: If you have stage fright, work on it. If you cannot frame words in the common tongue, improve it. Public speaking is one of the must-have skills for a manager, and the top brass companies do look into your communicative capabilities. Be it presenting a new idea or heading a product launch, a press conference or motivating your team, you will need excellent speaking skills to rise above others.

Hone your communicative ability and keep improving. The more you speak, the better you become at it.

Leadership: It is a subjective skill and no two leaders can be the same. You need to have a strong personality while being empathetic. You need to understand and make hard choices. Not everyone can be a leader but you need to find the skill that can make you one.

Build your leadership quality so that you can manage a team. Every company has almost the same employee structure.

Prove that you are capable of helping others and take the company forward, the recruiters will term you as a potential leader and recruit you without a second thought.

Interactive: Negotiation plays an integral role, no matter which specialisation you choose in your MBA. You understand how people buy a product; you are capable of creating a need and then negotiate to sell it at the best price possible. The same concept can work for an
innovative idea, your intention to look for a pay hike or even while switching companies.

Being able to make your case sound, sales skills will help you to move forward in every sphere of your professional life. The best way, again, to develop this is actually getting down on the field and selling an unsalable product. The skills you will get from your failures will be unparalleled.

Time management: While this may seem trivial in this list, time management helps you balance both your professional and personal life. Most of the successful managers hold time management as their reason for productivity and you must start building this ability from a young age. You will be efficient; your time will
be better utilised and you will get a
lot done. Have a fixed routine in your life and develop self-discipline.

MBA colleges reserve sessions to inculcate such habits in their students that help them in their professional life. Managing time is vital and you will recognise its value in the long run.

Body language: The way you express is important in a professional set up. No one will listen to a slouching manager. Your motivating speech will have a negative impact if you do not radiate the same positivity. The way you hold yourself while carrying on task matters in your professional growth and you must work on your body language.

There are numerous books on body language or you may seek an expert‘s help. Get access to online videos or scan through your college library. Do everything to improve your conduct as it has the power to override any other skill that you may be lacking at the time. So, introspect and point out the skills you already have or need to develop. Work on them accordingly with a focus on your ambition.

Choose an appropriate management college that offers you all these skills and helps achieve high professional growth and success.

(The author is with the Institute of Management Studies, Noida)