Although they might be called soft skills, they are the hardest to acquire. But it’s not impossible!

In comparison to hard skills, soft skills are difficult to develop because they are very much linked to someone’s personality rather than knowledge. It takes a lot of practice and commitment to improve your soft skills and it can only be achieved by a continuous focus on self-development.

At Maastricht School of Management (MSM) we have designed various skills-oriented executive education programmes in the area of Leadership & Management, Complex Problem Solving, Public Policy & Administration, and Sustainable Business Development. These programmes provide a practical and action-oriented learning experience to make an immediate impact on participants’ performance.

"This program is very well developed and the tools you receive can literally be implemented in any type of organization. The program consists of a great combination between theoretical and practical knowledge. Throughout the program you work on interactive assignments and have valuable discussions, which will also let you hear the point of view from your peers” – Moreno Jackson, participant in the Executive Strategic Leadership programme.

Insights from the “Why” question

Asking “why” helps explain the importance of creating the balance between hard and soft skills. When travelling the world as Manager Enrolment and Career Services at MSM, looking for MBA talent whose profile matches with what MSM has to offer, Hermina Kooyman always asks potential candidates – all passionate about business leadership and making a difference – “Why do you want to do an MBA?”. Answers vary from “I want to break the glass ceiling” and “I would like to learn about management theories” to “I would like to start my own business, and need more business knowledge”. In the end though, when you analyse the answers, it all comes down to career development and/or growth in one way or another.

The beauty of an MBA is that it helps entrepreneurs and managers to understand the bigger picture of business and management, both in knowledge and skills. It provides people with the tools necessary to make sound business decisions, based on a careful analysis and understanding of the whole situation, rather than on “gut feeling”.

But what is essential to make the learning experience truly impactful?

At MSM, we believe that a balance is necessary between the theoretical knowledge and hard skills and the practical experiences and soft skills. This balance is achieved through curricular activities such as case studies, simulation games, and company visits, but also through extra-curricular workshops provided via the MBA Career and Personal Development Track.

Here are some of the soft skills that MSM puts an emphasis on during their education programmes.

Soft skills are required in all careers to make hard skills valuable

Business schools have gone a long way from focusing business leaders’ education, MBA programmes in particular, on the so-called “hard skill” courses such as Finance, Accounting, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing. In recent years, it has become increasingly evident, as per the article in the Financial Times “‘Touchy feely’ courses are as valuable for MBAs as number crunching”, that soft skills are even more important for business leaders. Some might overlook the value of these “touchy feely” courses, but a professional who has soft skills as well as technical, strategic, and financial knowledge is of high value in the workforce.

A truly good manager or leader needs to know how to interact with and influence people at all levels of the corporate ladder. Leaders, regardless of their level in an organisation, have to communicate, solve problems, work in teams, prioritise tasks, and build relationships. In many jobs, technical skills alone are not enough to get the job done. You can have the best knowledge of your product or service, but it will be hard to bring about a good result without good interpersonal skills. Soft skills are definitely required in all careers to make hard skills valuable.

Soft skills are teachable

At MSM we see it as our responsibility to teach you the skills that matter most. Moreover, soft skills are not only very valuable, they are teachable. Hence, we have incorporated a special programme in our MBA curriculum that focuses on the development of our students’ soft skills. We have developed the Career and Personal Development Track (CPDT), a programme where students are challenged to develop skills in the areas of intercultural communication, team leadership and collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, self-awareness, personal branding, resilience, and time management. This in a setting where students come from more than 21 nationalities to not only learn about business but also to improve their soft skills.

“Workshops on career development, group dynamics, elevator pitch and a peer group development session have helped me to identify my strengths and build my personal brand. With these insights from the workshops, I courageously now get involved in presentations that I initially shied away from. Tracking my progress in personal development through peer reviews has helped me build on my confidence level to freely speak my mind.” - Alice Drazuru, MBA35

Soft skills beyond an MBA

Nowadays, aspiring leaders have to further develop certain soft skills to enhance their performance. Once they have grown into a leadership role, professionals require a different set of skills. After all, we are in the era where lifelong learning is essential to stay relevant. There is a wide range of executive education courses to enable organisations to grow their talent further or for individuals to upskill for higher positions.

Explore the options. MSM’s MBA programme is designed to prepare students to be effective leaders and decision-makers. As an MBA graduate you will leave Maastricht School of Management better equipped to handle tough situations in business. On the other hand, executive education programmes are skills-oriented and help professionals to enhance their management and professional knowledge and skills to make sure you stay up to date and relevant. Change is here to stay. Leaders are here to learn.

This article was provided by the Maastricht School of Management.