Working Wednesday: How to Play Hard Ball About Soft Skills

I was talking to an elementary school volunteer, a mother of 2 children who attend the school. She helped out at an outdoor activity day which is designed to be fun and emphasis the importance of physical health at the same time. The classes rotate from one activity to the next. This volunteer was asked to help the classes stay in line, go to the next activity as pre-determined by the organizers, help those that couldn't find their class, etc.

The volunteer found her responsibility to be tough. The children would not respect her because she was just a volunteer who had no authority. They were rude, told her they would go where they wanted to go, and created chaos because of the disorganization they created.

This volunteer witnessed a boy in one of the older classes run into a teacher and basically bowl her over. The boy continued running until the teacher called him back to her. He did not apologize for his actions. The teacher asked the boy for his name and his teacher's name which he gave and replied he didn't care. The teacher asked why he had hit her. The boy replied the teacher was in his way.

In a few years, this boy and his generation will be applying for jobs in all business sectors. They will be inefficient workers because of their non-existent soft skills such as manners, sense of responsibility (coming to work on time, committing to employment, teamwork, etc.), and their sense of timing (completing work, personal time v. employer time on the clock, etc.).

What can be done? It is a cultural responsibility, not just one part of a culture, but all pieces of the culture. The top 3 would be: parents, educators, and employers. These spend the most time with people. Where do these come together? Not necessarily naturally. Yes, sporting events, neighborhoods, libraries, and perhaps restaurants would have all 3 at any one time. But unless someone organizes them, has a networking event with speakers, time for discussion, and refreshments afterwards for people to mingle, this isn't going to happen.

I believe employers have the most to loose and therefore are the strongest player here. It would take a group of employers to approach the other 2. Parents need to make a list and the same for educators. This blog is about business and since they are the strongest, here are some suggestions:

1. Employers get behind a school tax only and I mean only if schools and parents pledge to work on soft skills. Employers need to emphasize they will find another community that has better prepared generations to work in their businesses. Everyone understands the hard skills, but they are missing about the soft skills. This applies to every job. Come up with a slogan that catches the eye of parents and educators.

2. Businesses sponsor sports teams. What else can you sponsor when it comes to teaching soft skills? What about an ettiquette class just for father/son and one just for mother/daughter? You could also have a father/daughter or a mother/son class. Men need to have manners just as much as women when moving ahead in the business world. The class would emphasize general manners but also include employment related. The class sign-up means parent and child (or adult/child), not just the kid. This is a community effort. Find an award given to the community by a foundation and have the Chamber use it as part of the marketing once so many people take the class.

3. There is a National Professional Certification in Customer Service sponsored by the National Retail Foundation. This would be a great course during the senior year of high school. Businesses in the community commit to giving interview priority to those who have successfully completed the course or perhaps drop probation time by 2 weeks. It is also a plus to have on a resume/application. See: http://www.nrffoundation.com/content/certification-customer-service. Talk about this at PTO meetings, Chamber meetings, have a booth at the local fair, etc. Get the word out: we want to employ people the same way they want to be treated. Aggression and selfishness won't be the way anymore.

4.  Have a meeting with each sports organization, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, YMCA, and really any group that has adult leaders who work with elementary aged and older children. Let them know how serious the situation has gotten. Give anonymous named examples. Tell them your business depends upon reliability and efficiency. Just like their team and non-profit depends upon the exact same things, but you must make a profit to stay in business or you are closing/moving on. It is just that simple.

Small business is the backbone of our economy. You are needed in every town and in every county.
I hope you can stay where you are. Good luck.