27 Mar Acquire Soft Skills For Success In Construction Industry

Construction industry folks are hardworking individuals who single-mindedly focus on getting the job done. They work day in and day out and put in their very best to complete their work in the best possible way – be it to prepare an estimate, to prepare a project plan, or for any other activity.

 However, over the years and especially in contemporary times, the face of business and industry as we know it is changing rapidly. Success today is no longer just a function of an improved technology, a cost-efficient production technique, or an innovative bidding strategy. Rather it is a combination of communication and inter-personal skills, together known as soft skills that help you build strong working relationships within your workspace and boost your productivity.

What are soft skills?

So what exactly are these soft skills that are in-demand these days? Experts say that soft skills are those skills that relate to how you carry out your day-to-day work and include interpersonal (people) skills, communication skills, listening skills, time management skills, and empathy.  

People with good soft skills are in-demand and companies are always on the lookout for such people as they usually turn out to be more successful than regular candidates in the workplace.

Do soft skills have a role in the construction industry as well?

Absolutely! Like any other industry, the construction industry is also influenced by soft skills. In fact Best Motivational Speaker Dennis Doran says that soft skills have a big role in the construction industry where people are mostly busy in completing the work at hand and miss out appreciating the value that soft skills training brings to the table.

As per him soft skills are your qualities, behaviors and attributes that make you someone people want to work for, work with, and more importantly a person with whom they want to have a relationship with over time.

Soft skills help you build relationships and relationships serve as the building blocks for success in both personal and business life and this rule applies to the construction industry as well.

Is success linked to soft skills?

This is a common question asked by many folks and the short answer to this is yes. Success is directly linked to soft skills. The more sophisticated soft skills you have, the higher will be your chances of success not only in the construction industry, but across all industries. In fact interpersonal and team building skills are so much in demand these days that employers are looking for events where a best motivational speaker is conducting a session in-person, or online.

Research indicates that interpersonal skills are among the ten highest ranking in-demand skills in the workplace today and these skills are witnessing the biggest imbalance in terms of demand versus supply. Related to this are skills such as communication and problem-solving that are also in high demand. Both these skills improve productivity and enhance employee retention. In some cases the reported levels are so high that they have surpassed previous levels by a huge margin.

No doubt then that employers are convinced of the value that soft skills bring to the table and the role they play in boosting employee productivity.

Choice of words and their delivery have a role in soft skills too

What you feel about the people in your work life and how you express those feelings and share them with others also constitutes soft skills.

People in your work life could be either your superiors such as your immediate boss, or the head of your department or a person in the Management; or they could be your juniors, or your peers such as a co-worker, or a team member.

Team interplay and dynamics play a vital role here. A Best Motivational Speaker says that words of encouragement and those that lift your spirits make a lot of difference. Examples are:

• “She’s great to have around”
•  “He has a great sense of humor”
• “She’s a real team player”
• “He’s great to do business with”

The above sentences have a positive impact on the person for whom they are meant and if you, for example, deliver them at the right time and in the right spirit and tone, then they will make the person feel very happy and naturally inclined towards you.  

Soft skill development works at all levels in an organization

One common myth among people is that soft skills are essential only at entry-level. This is not true. A well known best motivational speaker says that soft skills and their usage are essential for people across all levels in an organization and across all industries.

Infact people in top management and those in decision-making roles have a greater need to use soft skills when they are driving forward strategic initiatives of the company on topics such as agility, innovation, digital transformation and others.

In such roles soft skills help them to build strong relationships with individuals in middle and lower management, and it is these individuals who will actually be implementing the initiatives and driving them forward among the rank and file of the organization. Without soft skills it will be impossible to get the buy-in also of the management board or supervisory board.

Soft skills also help you build good relationships with your customers

Apart from helping you deal with your own colleagues, soft skills also enable you to build good relationships with your customers. A strong relationship with a client enables you to grow your business with your clients and be in their good books.

Absence of soft skills means that you are only work-focused and not open to any other discussion. This may look very professional at the start, but over a period of time, will have a detrimental effect on your career as well as your business.

Conclusion:

If you are looking to grow in your career, then look not only at hard skills, but also at soft skills. If you lack soft skills, you may learn them either on the job, or from a best motivational speaker.