We think of smart skills as the skills that require people to respond to situations and challenges with intelligence and diplomacy. Smart skills are co-developed in collaboration with humans as they require constant social interaction, engagement, and intense reflection. One cannot become “smart” in theory alone…

Dictionaries define the word “soft” with words like smooth, mild, gentle, quiet, tender, and weak. However, there is nothing soft in navigating competing perspectives and cultures, handling and delivering critical feedback or dealing with office politics.

Smart skills are more important than ever because we live in a world of extreme diversity: generational, ethical, value-based, gender, etc. Gone are the days when giving an order was an effective act of leadership. We need to increase our investment in learning about them in action, especially as smart skills are more difficult to develop.