Soft Skills - Their Importance For Leadership and Management

Lynelle Briggs, Australian Public Servicewanted her people to bring their hearts and souls
Commissioner, when asked what she saw as theto work, rather than leave them in the car park.
important leadership and management skills said:She was lamenting the fact that so many people
I think these days what makes a qualitativejust bring their bodies and their minds to work.
difference for leaders, beyond a vision and settingOur employee's hearts and souls are where the
out where they're going, is how you can influenceessence of themselves is. This is where their
behavior and attitudes for the good. And a lot ofpassion, creativity, imagination and their values
that influencing happens around the soft skills,reside. This is where what they uniquely have to
focusing on the heart and soul of people thatgive resides. When people bring these parts of
work in your organization.themselves to their work, dynamic, innovative
This is an important message coming fromand energized workplaces result.
someone in Lynelle Briggs's position.But people will not do that, they will not give their
Can you imagine the mood, ethos, culture of anhearts and souls to their work, unless they can be
organization where leaders are acknowledging thatassured that they will not be trampled upon, that
it is important to attend to what's in the heartstheir organization, their leaders and managers and
and souls of their people?their colleagues will value and respect their unique
Some years back, Ann Sherry, when she wascontribution.
CEO of Westpac Bank Australia, said that she