As a result of the digital revolution and the corresponding changes in consumer behaviour, the objectives of human resources departments in companies from every industry have also evolved. The development of soft skills as part of executive training is becoming increasingly relevant, and even decisive.
Soft skills refer to the set of interpersonal abilities, attitudes and intentions associated with the emotional intelligence of an employee, that define his capabilities to work well with others and to help a company reach its goals. These kinds of skills, such as empathy, communication, creativity, adaptability, and commitment, are now regarded as equally important to technical competences, or “hard skills”. Deep knowledge or proficiency in performing a specific task can become useless without the appropriate human skills to convey results to coworkers, prospects, and clients.
What soft skills must an executive master in order to succeed in the digital world?
COMMUNICATION
There are numerous tasks in digital marketing, some of which can prove to be quite complex. One of the most important skills for a manager is the ability to convey a message in a concise, clear and attractive manner. A good leader needs to guide a multidisciplinary team and maintain channels of effective and open communication at many levels. Hence, besides communicating objectives, it is essential to be a good listener, maintain continuous feedback, and inspire the team to ensure that challenges are faced together.
Aside from internal communication within the company, a high executive should also be prepared to develop a strong connection with costumers, by fashioning an adequate social media strategy, for example.
Since social selling depends on building a perception of trust in potential clients, it is important to develop solid communication skills that help to disseminate relevant content towards a specific target audience, in order to reach the buyer persona.
It is equally important to strengthen communication feedback channels to identify potential windows of opportunity on internal training and corporate coaching programs.
ADAPTABILITY TO CHANGE
In the digital age, there is a constant change in customer behaviour, as a result of new technologies arising every day. A good leader should be able to become aware of new challenges and quickly adapt to adjustments, showing the way to the rest of the team towards new ideas and approaches through continuous learning. Keeping an open mind to new technologies can provide a significant opportunity to attain success while displaying perseverance and patience to reach the expected results.
TEAMWORK
Another trait of a great leader in the Digital World is the ability to manage and organize the activities and responsibilities of each and every team member, making the most out of the time spent at the workplace.
Project management software and new technologies foster collaboration in the working place, as they bestow leaders with tools that facilitate alignment among all team members. They allow the team to work simultaneously with a common goal, to share information among them and with other departments, and to combine their individual skills in a synergic environment.
EMPATHY
Empathy is one of the most important soft skills in a professional environment. A successful executive must make an effort to get to know his coworkers, read people´s emotions and motivate employees, creating a climate of trust and confidence among team members.
Externally, it is crucial to identify the existing context of the industry in order to provide customers with what they need.
CREATIVITY
In a digital context, competition may prove to be quite aggressive. Consequently, it is necessary to continuously develop innovative strategies and content that help to attract the ideal client. Social selling requires a company to make a strong impact on the audience that leads to frequent conversions. Since an unimaginative campaign can mark the difference between motivating interest or indifference in the client, creativity is considered to be one of the tops of soft skills in marketing, with the purpose of providing unique and personalized solutions to common problems.
LEARNING ABILITY
A good leader needs to constantly keep updated and incorporate new knowledge and resources to help his strategy and decision-making abilities. He needs to be familiar with market information, economy, politics, and society technology trends to produce a direct, lasting impact of digital campaigns.
ANALYTICAL AND CRITICAL THINKING
A modern leader must be able to use his intuition and analytical thinking to scrutinize and interpret useful data that lead to smart decision making and developing the right strategies for their business.
Companies can now have access to an enormous amount of information on consumer behaviours, such as their wishes, expectations, and reactions, as a fruit of their interaction with market offers. While new technologies play a fundamental role in the analysis of these data, analytical thinking enables a manager to make the most out of the available information, evaluate the strategies and take appropriate decisions to optimize business results. A good leader needs to be willing to acquire new knowledge and implement new technologies to manage large quantities of data and automatize processes.
How to Avoid Getting Left Behind in the Digital Revolution?
These are just some of the many soft skills required to succeed in the digital world. While they are harder to teach and develop than most technical abilities, or hard skills, they can be fostered and reinforced every day. It is crucial to keep oneself updated and to have an open mind towards learning new things and trying new methods.
If you want to learn how important it is to enhance your digital selling and marketing in your business, join our next webinar ‘Scaling Digital Selling’. This online meeting is prepared by Tricycle Europe, especially for today’s CEOs, CMOs, and digital leads. Register today
