Episode 67 - The impact of self-limiting beliefs on soft skills training The Soft Skills Guy

Let's define what is meant by soft skills in the workplace. Soft skills refer to interpersonal abilities that enable staff members to forge genuine connections, foster trustworthiness and ultimately create lasting, trust-based relationships with customers and fellow colleagues. Pretty important stuff don’t you think! These skills include effective communication, empathy, active listening, conflict resolution, and much much more.

However, today's podcast is about self-limiting beliefs. These are internal beliefs that staff members may unknowingly hold onto, which can impede their ability to effectively apply these critical soft skills. These beliefs can manifest in many different ways, such as a fear of failure, a lack of confidence, or a belief that they're not good enough.

So, how do these self-limiting beliefs affect staff training in soft skills? Well, the first and most obvious effect is that staff members may be resistant to learning new skills if they believe they're not capable of mastering them. This can lead to a lack of engagement in training programs and a reluctance to put new skills into practice.

Additionally, self-limiting beliefs can create a self-fulfilling prophecy, where staff members don't even attempt to apply soft skills in their interactions with customers because they don't believe they'll be successful. This can result in missed opportunities to create meaningful connections with customers, which can ultimately impact the success of the business.

Self-limiting beliefs can lead to a lack of confidence in staff members, which can make them less effective in their interactions with customers. When staff members don't believe in themselves, it can be difficult for them to establish trust with customers and build lasting relationships.

So, how can businesses address these self-limiting beliefs and empower their staff to develop their soft skills? The first step is to create a culture of growth and continuous learning, where staff members feel comfortable taking risks and making mistakes. This can help to break down the barriers created by self-limiting beliefs and encourage staff members to embrace new challenges and opportunities for growth.

Additionally, it's important to provide ongoing support and coaching to staff members as they work to develop their soft skills. This can include regular feedback sessions, on going coaching sessions and opportunities for staff members to practice their skills in real-world scenarios.

Overall, the key to overcoming self-limiting beliefs and developing soft skills is to provide staff members with a comprehensive and integrated training program that addresses both the internal barriers and the external skills necessary for success. With the right training and support, staff members can break free from their self-imposed limitations and achieve their full potential, benefiting both themselves and the business as a whole.

With competition ever increasing, some businesses believe that lowering their prices will increase sales and be their point of difference, however, highly skilled staff in soft skills will be your businesses point of difference and Damien has been advocating this for years!