Soft Skills Needed!

Hello All,

I hope your holidays were wonderful! And that this new month/year/decade has started well. Our Christmas was both hectic and filled with heart. Bob and I had a quiet New Year’s – thank goodness! we actually stayed up to watch the ball fall. Will wonders never cease!

The beginning of the year is always a time of reflection for me. I have been thinking a lot about leadership – what it takes to be a great leader. Energy, commitment, vision, passion. (Isn’t passion required in many parts of our lives?) There are many “hard” skills required – financial acumen, business strategy, managing productivity, etc.

But these are just not enough. As I was reading, I came across this quote in the January 6, 2020 edition of the HealthLeaders-Nursing newsletter:

” ‘Soft skills, which are communication, listening, empathy, teamwork, problem solving, flexibility; these are the things we need in the healthcare environment times 10,’ says Julie Kennedy Oehlert, DNP, RN, Chief Experience Officer at Vidant Health in Greensville, North Carolina.”

I wholeheartedly agree with this list. I would also add creativity. These “soft” skills are needed by leaders and staff alike; but I believe they are critical skills for leaders.

We face unprecedented change in our healthcare environment (dare I say our world at this moment). Rapid fire changes in technology, artificial intelligence and drugs – ethical issues that will test us in many ways – desires of our shrinking workforce – evolving societal norms – and the ever increasingly important social determinants of heath. The skills that got us there in the past are not going to work in the future.

Communication needs to be the cornerstone of our work. We must communicate the “why” in all we do, albeit policies, decisions, the needed work. Then our actions must reflect the “why”. If our actions do not match the why, then there is no trust. We must listen to our customers, our communities and our staff. They will tell us what they want and/or need. They will have solutions that we have not thought of, solutions from different cultural and life experiences.

Empathy is critical. We all carry burdens on a daily basis. As leaders, we need to listen to understand. We must walk in other’s shoes to experience their journeys. This will broaden our perspective and allow us to think differently, about life and solutions.

We need to devise and evaluate solutions that we have never considered before. Problem solving, flexibility and creativity will be critical. We must look at broader and more inclusive strategies. Look at how many hospital systems are exploring healthy “food prescriptions”. We must bring together community-wide coalitions to address health issues – it will take all of us to truly create healthy communities. Our goal should be to keep people as healthy as possible. We also need to look at innovative strategies to support our workforce. We must create innovative orientation programs – the classroom setting no longer reigns! We must find ways to allow different work strategies for progression so people remain energized and engaged. We must figure out strategies to address workloads.

The importance of the team can NOT be underestimated. No one does it by his/herself. Each member of the team is critical – the role they play instrumental to the success of the organization, and for healthcare to the care of the patient. It does mean that we need to help the team become the team! This may mean primers in how to communicate, handle conflict and appreciate the beauty of our differences. The team’s health and wellbeing are the key. If the team is not healthy, success will not occur.

“Soft” skills are not really soft. They can be hard. They can require change. They are critical to success. Evaluate your own skillsets, what might need to be changed or tweaked. I have begun to work on mine!