What are soft skills and why are they important for a project manager?

Soft skills are skills related to interpersonal communication, emotional intelligence, time management, and other intangible aspects of work. It is important to develop these skills because they allow you to effectively interact with colleagues, clients and stakeholders, and manage the project in general. An article was published in the Higher Education in Europe magazine back in 2008, which proves that flexible skills are no less important than applied or hard skills.

The International Journal of Managing Projects in Business published a study that shows that the main difficulties in working on a project are created by the human factor. Researchers are studying the importance of soft skills in solving these complexities.

What soft skills are important to develop for a managerial position?

1. Communication

Communication skills play a crucial role in the role of a leader. A good manager must be able to clearly and clearly express his thoughts, listen and understand others. The ability to communicate effectively with the team and stakeholders not only reduces the possibility of interpersonal conflicts, but also helps build successful working relationships.

2. Time management

Time management is a skill that allows a manager to effectively plan and organize work, as well as consider project deadlines and risks. A good manager must be able to optimize his time, set clear frameworks and deadlines, as well as respond effectively to changes and surprises.

3. Conflict resolution

In the process of work, a manager often encounters conflicts between team members or other stakeholders. The ability to resolve conflicts and reconcile different points of view is a key soft skill. A good manager must have mediation skills, be able to find compromises and argue his point of view in the negotiation process.

In many cases, conflict situations arise because of incorrect feedback on completed tasks, namely because of criticism. Criticism can be constructive or destructive.

Constructive criticism is a type of feedback based on the desire to improve the existing situation, develop relationships and better understand each other.

How to understand that you are given constructive criticism?

– the person is benevolently disposed;

– he does not cross social boundaries and does not invade the personal space of the criticized;

– He is interested in developing some new solution and is ready to give up his positions for the sake of consensus;

– feedback is given in a timely manner, i.e. when correction of the situation is possible;

– A person can clearly explain what he wants.

Unconstructive criticism is a form of aggression. The main purpose of such criticism is to feel the best by humiliating the opponent. There is no question of seeking consensus here, one’s own emotional needs are satisfied by pouring negativity onto the criticized. At the same time, the critic usually cannot properly explain that he does not like exactly what needs to be done in order to like it. His criticism sounds like an order and an insult. Such criticism is often based on an assessment of the personality attributed to the criticized.

What does destructive criticism look like?

– It is given too late (you should have done…);

– Expresses her incompetent face (if I were a developer …);

– it cannot be applied to a specific situation (for example, you are told what to do with a difficult situation in the project without understanding why such a situation arose);

– criticism may contradict the desire of the criticized (the critic and the criticized have different goals or expectations from a specific situation, then criticism is aimed at achieving certain goals that do not coincide with the desire or expectations of the critic);

– Its basis is someone else’s experience, the value of which is doubtful (here is my great-grandfather in 1812…).

4. Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage one’s emotions, as well as to feel and understand the emotions of other people. Without it, it will not be possible to interact effectively with the team, to be attentive to the needs and mood of colleagues, as well as to maintain a comfortable working atmosphere.

5. Ability to work with information

Critical thinking allows us to make informed decisions based on the analysis and evaluation of facts. It helps us filter information, distinguish fact from opinion and conjecture, allows us to examine a problem or situation from all angles and make informed decisions that are most effective and in line with goals.

Sounds great, but where do you learn it?

1. Books

“The book gives a person the opportunity to rise above himself.”

Andre Maurois

I will divide my recommendations into two categories: books for learning about yourself and books for learning about others. The most useful thing that I learned for myself from the literature is that it is easier to resolve the conflict and reduce the degree of aggression when you understand the reasons for a person’s behavior and treat them with empathy.

Books for self-discovery and self-development:

Greg McKeon “Essentialism”

Kerry Patterson, Joseph Granney, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler “Difficult Dialogues”

Alexandra Levit “They Don’t Teach Corporate in College”

Maryna Alekseeva “My next version is I 2.0. Conscious management of professional development”

Brené Brown “Get Stronger”

Peter Bregman “Emotional Courage”

Mark Manson “The Fine Art of Pofigism”

Brene Brown “Gifts of Imperfection”

Jenny Miller, Victoria Lambert “Personal Boundaries”

Books for studying others and the reasons for their behavior:

Thomas Erickson “There are only idiots around”

Gitta Jacob, Hanni van Genderen, Laura Seebauer “Destroying Negative Thinking Patterns”

Robert Sapolsky “The Biology of Good and Evil”

Michael Twohig, Michael Levin, Clarissa Ong “Acceptance and Responsibility Therapy” (sophisticated version)

“Acceptance and Responsibility Therapy for Dummies” Freddie Jackson Browne, Duncan Gillard (simple version)

2. Courses

Yes, yes, you did not hear! Finally, educational platforms began to pay attention to both the study of programming languages, the basics of analytics and project management methodologies.

Flexible leadership skills from Netology

Time management from Skillbox and HSE

Critical thinking from Yandex. Practicum

Argumentation skills from Yandex. Practicum

Basics of effective communication from Netology

How to make contact with yourself and the world from Skillbox

As a separate item, I will single out Mindspa self-therapy courses

Finally, I leave a source that may cause you resistance.

3. Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a process that includes consultations with a psychologist or psychotherapist, the purpose of which is to improve the mental and emotional state of a person, as well as the development of his personality

In therapy, you can develop stress management skills, learn to effectively cope with emotions, learn to listen, express your thoughts clearly and clearly, and effectively resolve conflicts.

Attending psychotherapy can help you better understand yourself and your motivations, identify your strengths and weaknesses.

Going to psychotherapy is primarily an investment in your mental and emotional state. A project manager who cares about his own well-being and development as a professional increases his effectiveness, his ability to manage projects and teams, and also improves his relationships with others.

It is important that the choice of psychotherapist and the format of psychotherapy should be based on individual needs and preferences. I want to remind you: to ask for help, it is not necessary to wait for a critical point. There is no shame in taking care of your mental health, but it is just as important as taking care of your teeth, hair, and skin, and it is better to do it regularly, preventively, without starting problems. Services for the online selection of psychologists that I and my friends use:

YouTalk

Sigmund. Online

Alter

Clear

Instead of imprisonment

It is important to remember that the development of soft skills is a long-term process that requires constant self-improvement and openness to feedback. The more you invest in developing your skills, the more you can achieve in project management.

I hope this article helped you understand what soft skills are important for a manager. Developing these skills will contribute to your success in management and achieving better results.

Thank you for the wonderful illustrations Hand-drawn comics.