5 Soft Skills You Need to Practice to Succeed in the Workplace

When you share your workspace with others, your job is to contribute to the development of a healthy work atmosphere. There should be an open communication between you and your colleagues, regardless of your position. Whether you’re the employee, supervisor, team leader or CEO, you need to be able to maintain positive relationships with everyone.

This doesn’t mean everyone at your workplace should be your best friend. It simply means you need to practice soft skills to create genuine professional relationships in the workplace. Soft skills will help you succeed in the workplace in terms of communication, collaboration and overall sense of belonging.

So, what are soft skills and which ones should you practice?

What are soft skills?

In the business world, the skills you bring to the table in your workplace are divided into hard and soft.

• Hard skills

Refer to your knowledge and ability to perform the job you’re assigned. For example, it could be: accounting, languages, web design, typing, simultaneous translation etc.

• Soft skills

Refer to the way you act in the workplace and interact with others. It is how you treat others and how others treat you. Let’s take a look at the most desirable soft skills for ensuring success in the workplace.

1. Confidence

We’re kicking this off with self-esteem and believing in yourself.

In order to ensure respect from your colleagues, you need to respect yourself first.

However, confidence doesn’t just fall from the sky, for most people. It is something that you gradually build and adopt over time.

This means that you need to:

• Know your qualities
• Pin down your weaknesses and work on removing them
• Challenge yourself
• Confront your fears
• Seek feedback from those you trust

Once you get a hold of your self-esteem, you’ll justly participate in all that’s happening in your workplace and be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with your colleagues.

2. Humility

You may be wondering: How can I be self-confident and modest at the same time?

You can! Those are not two ends of the same spectrum.

Being a modest leader doesn’t mean letting people step all over you. It implies being able to:

• Admit your mistakes
• Receive negative feedback as constructive criticism
• Seek for guidance and help
• Acknowledge other people’s skills and qualities

Although it may seem that modesty collides with confidence, it doesn’t. They work together to help you become strong and independent in your workplace.

3. Flexibility

Your workplace is not your battlefield.

It can be a place of different opinions and possible disagreements. However, you need to work your way towards eliminating argument and confrontations.

This is why it’s important that you practice flexibility and learn when it’s time to step aside.

Being flexible allows you to:

• Adapt to changes
• Accept the differences
• Work efficiently in a team
• Contribute to the overall work experience

Marie Fincher, head of Trust My Paper content department agrees that there’s no room for stubbornness in the workplace: “When you’re a part of a team, there are bound to be some disagreements. Sometimes, you need to step aside and leave room for other people’s opinions. You can’t be right all the time.”

4. Enthusiasm

This might sound a bit forced to you, but let’s make it clear: we don’t want you to run around your office wearing colorful clothes and a huge smile on your face if that’s not your natural inclination.

Enthusiasm is not only an outward expression, it’s also something you feel.

It’s about creating a positive mindset and applying it to your everyday tasks. This will make you feel better and possibly inspire your colleagues to follow your example.

Here’s what we mean by enthusiasm:

• Find the sources of negativity and work on removing them
• Be passionate
• Get excited
• Be energetic

Simply put: work on loving your job and that will reflect in your overall success.

5. Communication

The final touch to your soft skills election is the way you talk to people.

Being communicative in the workplace implies you are:

• A great listener
• Honest
• Open
• Empathetic
• Respectful

Your colleagues need to feel free to approach you at any moment, share their thoughts and receive quality feedback. Be welcoming and friendly to ensure quality relationships.

Conclusion

Practicing soft skills in the workplace is something we all need to strive for. A workplace needs to feel safe and warm in order for everyone to perform at their very best. The key is creating a professional yet open atmosphere where everyone’s opinion matters.

The skills listed above will help you solve problems easier, avoid conflicts and stand out as a confident and professional member of the team. Start practicing your soft skills one step at a time and you’ll be able to feel the difference in your workplace in no time.

Author Bio: Marie Fincher is the head of the Trust My Paper content department and an enthusiastic blogger interested in writing about technology, social media, work, travel, lifestyle, and current affairs. She shares her insights through blogging.