Soft Skills or as Seth Godin calls them Real Skills are critical to being successful in a career or role.

Sometimes these can be lofty or unattainable at first glance. If “leadership development” or “soft skills” make you hesitant or unsure where to proceed, start with Hard Skills or Technical Skills.

While working through these Technical Skills looks for ways to add in and enhance your soft/real skills. Growing in specific, technical ways give you an avenue to practice the essential real skills.

These Technical Skills will vary in your role but consider these three areas to make your own list:

Technique: what specifics are required for you to perform your job. Procedural understanding. Improvement or innovation ability. Troubleshooting. Specific functions.

Team: which tasks or abilities do you need to function in your team or with other people. Communication. Other awareness. Self awareness. Etiquette. Delegation.

Work Standards: what aspects of your work need to be at a specific level. Quality. Integrity. Client service. Effective decision making.

If you notice a lot of this overlaps with Real Skills. That’s the point. Considering Technical/Hard Skills makes Real Skills…well…real.