‘Power Skills’ are the skills that are essential to success and agility in any workplace. These skills enable you to make judgments and decisions, manage interactions and navigate through social and professional situations effectively. The workplace continues to change rapidly, and soft skills or power skills are becoming increasingly more important in order to navigate these changes. As a result, individuals who possess these skills also possess strong leadership qualities and have long-term success in their careers.

What are Power Skills?

They are ways of thinking and being that allow us to manage our own mental health as well as interact with and navigate through social situations with others. Where hard skills require doing, soft skills are often more focused on ways of being or thinking.  These skills include but are not limited to:

• • Conflict Resolution
  • Influencing & Negotiating
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Leading
  • Teamwork
  • Critical Thinking
  • Time Management
  • Effective Communication
  • Planning

Why call them Power Skills?

You may have heard these particular skills being referred to as soft skills, but why call them power skills rather than soft skills? The term soft skills comes from the US military in the mid-20th century where they were seen as less important than ‘hard’ or technical skills, but this couldn’t be more wrong in the current working climate. Because of the increased value and importance of these skills in the business world, we are now moving away from the term ‘soft skills’.

How to develop Power Skills?

One of the most effective ways to develop your skills is through continuous learning in your role within your organisation. Although they don’t come naturally to everyone, it is possible for everyone to develop them through ongoing reflection, learning, and practice.

A great way to enhance your development of these skills is by attending courses and programmes aimed at specifically developing a skill. Ingenium offer a number of options for those looking to enhance power skills including half-day facilitated programmes and online self-paced learning opportunities. Contact us today to find out more about Power Skills development from Ingenium.