"Sudhir, what’s the ROI of investing in soft skills?"
It’s a fair question—companies always ask this before deciding to invest in soft skills training for their employees. YET, they still go ahead with it. Why? Because they recognize something crucial is missing—and more often than not, it’s the lack of soft skills. With some types of training, the ROI is easy to see. Think about technical training—you can measure it through tests or completed projects. Or compliance training, where success is obvious when mistakes are avoided. Even sales training gives direct results, like increased revenue or more deals closed. But with soft skills? It’s not always visible immediately. For many, it’s just a chance to step away from their desk. They’re there because it’s mandatory, not because they’re eager to learn. But for those who actually care, the impact is massive. Imagine a hiring process. At the entry level, it’s pretty straightforward—a few rounds of screening. If you don’t pass the technical round, the process ends there. But as you climb the organizational ladder, the importance of your technical expertise remains while soft skills start to gain prominence. Because every organization’s success—or downfall—depends on the people driving it. And technical skills alone aren’t enough at the top. When you enter the workforce, your technical knowledge is what gets you through the door. Not a lot is expected beyond that. But as you grow, your ability to communicate, lead, and make sound decisions takes center stage. I’ve reached a point where I can walk into a room, look at a group of people, and immediately sense who’s going to level up and who’s not. It’s not about guesswork—it’s about spotting those intangible traits that set some apart from the rest. With the year coming to an end, it’s high time companies address the elephant in the room. As I often say: “You are hired for your technical skills, but fired for the lack of your soft skills.” But let me tweak that a bit— “You are hired for your technical skills, but promoted for your soft skills.” So here’s my take on the ROI of soft skills: sometimes is visible immediately in terms of behavioral change or team dynamics, but in the long term it results is multifold organizational success. Would love to hear your thoughts!
YET, they still go ahead with it. Why? Because they recognize something crucial is missing—and more often than not, it’s the lack of soft skills.
With some types of training, the ROI is easy to see.
Think about technical training—you can measure it through tests or completed projects. Or compliance training, where success is obvious when mistakes are avoided. Even sales training gives direct results, like increased revenue or more deals closed.
But with soft skills? It’s not always visible immediately.
For many, it’s just a chance to step away from their desk. They’re there because it’s mandatory, not because they’re eager to learn.
But for those who actually care, the impact is massive.
Imagine a hiring process.
At the entry level, it’s pretty straightforward—a few rounds of screening.
If you don’t pass the technical round, the process ends there.
But as you climb the organizational ladder, the importance of your technical expertise remains while soft skills start to gain prominence.
Because every organization’s success—or downfall—depends on the people driving it.
And technical skills alone aren’t enough at the top.
When you enter the workforce, your technical knowledge is what gets you through the door. Not a lot is expected beyond that.
But as you grow, your ability to communicate, lead, and make sound decisions takes center stage.
I’ve reached a point where I can walk into a room, look at a group of people, and immediately sense who’s going to level up and who’s not.
It’s not about guesswork—it’s about spotting those intangible traits that set some apart from the rest.
With the year coming to an end, it’s high time companies address the elephant in the room.
As I often say: “You are hired for your technical skills, but fired for the lack of your soft skills.” But let me tweak that a bit—
“You are hired for your technical skills, but promoted for your soft skills.”
So here’s my take on the ROI of soft skills: sometimes is visible immediately in terms of behavioral change or team dynamics, but in the long term it results is multifold organizational success.
Would love to hear your thoughts!