Bridging the Soft Skills Gap

BRUCE TULGAN is a sought-after speaker, leader, and advisor to businesses and executives around the world. He is the Founder of RainmakerThinking, Inc., which works with top companies on improving their management practices, as well as the bestselling author of It’s Okay to be the Boss, Managing Generation X, and Not Everyone Gets a Trophy.

Part One the Soft Skills Gap 1

Prologue Meet the Workforce of the Future 3

Chapter 1 The Soft Skills Gap 9

The Soft Skills Gap: Growing Steadily from Gen X to Millennials to Gen Z to Whoever Comes Next 11

Something Much Larger Is Going on Here: The Post- Boomer Generational Shift 11

Soft Skills Are – Sort of – About Conforming in an Age of Non conformism 14

The Soft Skills Gap: The Missing Basics in Today’s Workforce 17

Face the Hard Realities of the Soft Skills Gap 24

Chapter 2 You Can’t Hire Your Way Around the Soft Skills Gap 27

Staffing Strategy and Hiring 28

Onboarding and Up- to- Speed Training 33

Performance Management and Talent Development36 Ongoing Training 38

The Human Element: What Role Are You Going to Play? 43

Become a Teaching Style Manager 45

Take It to the Next Level 48

Chapter 3 Unlocking the Power of Soft Skills 49

Drill Down: The Missing Basics 52

Unlocking the Power of Soft Skills 54

Unlocking the Power: The Rest of This Book 59

Part Two Teaching the Missing Basics 61

Chapter 4 Teaching the Missing Basics of Professionalism 63

Teaching Self- Evaluation 63

Self- Evaluation: Lesson Plan #1 68

Self- Evaluation: Lesson Plan #2 – Evaluating Yourself on Ability, Skill, and Will 69

Self- Evaluation: Lesson Plan #3 – Evaluating Yourself on Productivity, Quality, and Behavior 70

Self- Evaluation: Lesson Plan #4 – Evaluating Yourself on the Key Soft Skills Competencies71

Self- Evaluation: Lesson Plan #5 – Drill Down on Understanding the Key Soft Skills Competencies76

Self- Evaluation: Lesson Plan #6 – Explore Your Own Successes with the Key Soft Skills 80

Teaching Personal Responsibility 84

Personal Responsibility: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction 86

Personal Responsibility: Lesson Plan #2 – All the Factors That Get in Your Way 87

Personal Responsibility: Lesson Plan #3 – Considering the Most Common Factors, Mostly Outside Your Own Control, That Get in the Way at Work 88

Personal Responsibility: Lesson Plan #4 – Response Power 90

Teaching Positive Attitude 92

Positive Attitude: Lesson Plan #1 – Considering Theories of How to Be Your Best at Work 94

Positive Attitude: Lesson Plan #2 – Defining “Good Attitude” Behaviors 95

Positive Attitude: Lesson Plan #3 – Considering the Most Common Bad Attitudes 96

Positive Attitude: Lesson Plan #4 – Considering Good Attitude Behaviors 98

Positive Attitude: Lesson Plan #5 – for Individuals Who Need an Attitude Adjustment100

Teaching Good Work Habits 101

Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #1 – Overview: Wellness, Self- Presentation, Timeliness, Productivity, Attention to Detail, Follow- Through, Initiative 104

Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #2 – Self- Assessment 106

Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #3 – Self- Improvement Planning 108

Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #4 – Wellness 109

Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #5 – Planning a Wellness Initiative 110

Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #6 – Self- Presentation 113

Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #7 – Using a Time Log to Learn to Start Living by a Schedule 115

Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #8 – How to Make a Basic Project Plan 119

Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #9 – Taking Notes and Making Checklists 121

Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #10 – How to Do a Time/Motion Study on Your Own Work 123

Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #11 – Spotlight on Follow- Through 124

Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #12 – Going the Extra Mile 125

Teaching Interpersonal Communication Skills 126

Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction 129

Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #2 – Self-Assessment 131

Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #3 – Learning to Use the “People List” 133

Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #4 – Put More Structure into Your Communication 137

Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #5 – Put More Substance into Your Communication 139

Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #6 – Preparing for Meetings 141

Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #7 – Email Best Practices 142

Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #8 – Communicating Remotely 144

Chapter 5 Teaching the Missing Basics of Critical Thinking 147

Teaching Proactive Learning 147

Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #1 – Knowledge Work 151

Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #2 – Open Mind 155

Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #3 – Suspend Judgment, Question Assumptions, and Seek to Learn 158

Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #4 – Question Assumptions: What Do You Know? What Don’t You Know? 160

Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #5 – Seeking Out Information, Technique, and Perspective 161

Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #6 – Studying Information to Build Knowledge164

Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #7 – Practicing Technique to Build Skills 166

Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #8 – Contemplating Competing Perspectives to Build Wisdom 168

Teaching Problem Solving 170

Problem Solving: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction 173

Problem Solving: Lesson Plan #2 – Preventing or Avoiding Problems Before They Happen 174

Problem Solving: Lesson Plan #3 – Ready- Made Solutions to Commonly Occurring Problems 175

Problem Solving: Lesson Plan #4 – Common Denominators and Underlying Principles 177

Problem Solving: Lesson Plan #5 – Applying the “After- Action” Review Tool 178

Problem Solving: Lesson Plan #6 – Using the After- Action Review Tool to Learn from Others 180

Teaching Decision Making 181

Decision Making: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction 184

Decision Making: Lesson Plan #2 – Information Analysis: Simple Pros and Cons 186

Decision Making: Lesson Plan #3 – Cause and Effect: Positive Outcomes 188

Decision Making: Lesson Plan #4 – Cause and Effect: Negative Outcomes 189

Decision Making: Lesson Plan #5 – Applying the After- Action Review Tool 190

Decision Making: Lesson Plan #6 – Using the “Decision/Action Tree” 191

Chapter 6 Teaching the Missing Basics of Teamwork 193

Teaching Respect for Context 193

Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction 196

Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #2 – Reading the Structure, Rules, Customs, Leadership 197

Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #3 – Where Do You Fit? 199

Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #4 – What Do You Need to Do to Adapt? 200

Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #5 – Context- Limiting Factors 201

Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #6 – Complicated Relationships 202

Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #7 – Positive Contexts 203

Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #8 – Negative Contexts 204

Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #9 – Dealing with People with Bad Attitudes 205

Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #10 – Dealing with People with “Great” Attitudes 207

Teaching Citizenship 208

Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction 211

Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #2 – The “Respect” for Others Model 213

Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #3 – The “Best Interests” Model 215

Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #4 – The “Civic” Model 216

Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #5 – The “Communitarian” Model 217

Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #6 – The “Common Sense” Model 218

Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #7 – The “Solid Standards” Model 220

Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #8 – The “Personal Sacrifice” Model 222

Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #9 – The Theodore Roosevelt Model 224

Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #10 – Create Your Own Model 225

Teaching Service 226

Service: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction 230

Service: Lesson Plan #2 – Common Myths About “Service” in the Workplace 232

Service: Lesson Plan #3 – Realities About Service in the Workplace 233

Service: Lesson Plan #4 – Myths Versus Realities in the Workplace 234

Service: Lesson Plan #5 – The “Be a Great Employee” Model of Service 239

Service: Lesson Plan #6 – The “Service” Approach to One- on- Ones Between Managers and Direct Reports 240

Service: Lesson Plan #7 – The Service Approach to Meeting Attendance and Participation 243

Service: Lesson Plan #8 – Helping Your Boss Monitor Your Performance 245

Service: Lesson Plan #9 – Putting Yourself on a Performance Improvement Plan 248

Teaching How to Play Your Position 249

Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction 253

Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #2 – Defining the Dimensions of Playing Your Role on the Team/Teamwork 255

Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #3 – Your Role in Relation to the Mission 257

Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #4 – Coordinating, Cooperating, and Collaborating with Others 258

Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #5 – Supporting and Celebrating the Success of Others 260

Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #6 – Identifying Your “Go To” People and Building Relationships with Them 261

Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #7 – Becoming a “Go To” Person for Others 262

Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #8 – How to Use Influence to Get Things Done 263

Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #9 – Consider the Lessons About Teamwork from This US Air Force Special Operations Team 264

Lesson Plan List: 92 Different Lesson Plans 267

Acknowledgments 273

About the Author 277

Index 279