Today, as the gloom of economic uncertainty envelopes countries across the world, business leaders, who are relentless in their pursuit of magical formulas for success, are troubled by questions like: What skills are of paramount importance to lead the followers and organizations to success? What qualities distinguish a good business leader from a great business leader? For, it is an indisputable fact that those who reach and excel at the upper echelons of corporate ladder are those who have an excellent blend of hard and soft skills. Unlike the managers who use the hard skills of planning, organizing, directing and controlling, the leaders also need to be endowed with soft skills, as leadership is primarily a process of influencing and inspiring the followers towards accomplishing the goals. The emerging trends in research on leadership indicate that acquisition of soft skills, in addition to the hard/technical skills, is slowly and steadily emerging as an important factor that distinguishes great leaders from mediocre ones. However, many organizations woefully underestimate the importance of soft skills leading to negative effects on organizational performance.

Till recently, possession of hard skills was seen as the sole reason for an individual’s success. However, with technical talent getting highly diffused and readily accessible, mere demonstration of expertise in the domain is not adequate to excel in this intensely competitive environment. Employees, who have sound technical skills but fail to interact, inspire and deal effectively with customers, subordinates, colleagues and bosses, no longer seem to make a mark in their careers. Lack of soft skills can be one of the central obstacles to career success. Hence, the industry is not only stressing on the importance of soft skills, but also making efforts to improve the soft skills of employees and managers. This issue presents interesting articles that offer profound insights and experiences from business to sports to emphasize the importance of soft skills.

Today, the world is witnessing a roaring current of change, which offers exciting opportunities to those who take advantage of change. Leaders who have a systematic, structured and planned approach to tackling inevitable aspects of change emerge more effective than their counterparts who do not. In the first paper, “Managing the Dimensions of Ethos, Pathos and Logos of Change Through Transformational Leadership”, the author, Ruta Vyas, conveys the difference leaders make while dealing with exponential changes in business landscape. The paper discusses the stages in terms of the challenges individuals face to their values and identity (Ethos), their intellect (Logos) and their emotions (Pathos), and puts forward a road map of behaviors and ideals that transformative leaders demonstrate to address each of these to bring about a successful change.

The spark that ignites organizational excellence lies in innovation which results from organizational commitment. Commitment plays an unparalleled role in the effectiveness of an organization. Employees’ willingness to exert best efforts, commitment to goals and values of the organization, and their loyalty to the organization come from unwavering commitment. In the second paper, “The Commitment Conundrum”, the author, Lalit Kumar Yadav, discusses the critical issues that Human Resource (HR) faces to induce or build commitment in employees towards achieving the objectives of the organization, and emphasizes the role of transformational leaders in ensuring organizational commitment.

When it comes to cricket, players like Donald Bradman of Australia, Vivian Richards of West Indies, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar of India, and many more, have touched the peak which is impossible for many other cricketers to scale. However, many, who could not score prolifically or bowl magically, have proved to be successful leaders. In the third paper, “Mike Brearley: Leadership as a Soft Skill”, the author, R Venkatesan Iyengar, brings out the dazzling greatness of leadership skills hidden in the not-so-well-known English cricketer of the past, Mike Brearley. It is indeed true that the insights gained from Mike Brearley’s success as a cricket captain can be used to build winning employee teams and successful organizations.

Many a time, candidates facing interviews are clueless about what specific or unique skills that the employers expect in a prospective candidate. While it is hard to come out with a list of skills applicable to all sectors, one can definitely enumerate a few necessary generic skills and competencies. In the fourth paper, “X Factor: What Big Brands Look for in You”, the author, Abhinaya Rao, focuses on the new and emerging concept ‘X Factor’ and highlights how the candidates who are proficient in X factor predictably emerge triumphant in interviews conducted by flagship companies.

Soft skills training in India has largely been planned and executed on the lines of western models, and the cultural context is seemingly ignored or given inadequate importance. In the fifth paper, “Soft Skills Training in the Indian Context: Need to Prevent Cultural Hegemony”, the author, Alankrita Mahendra, asks pertinent questions like—Are we relegating our own culture to the background? Are we in the danger of losing our moorings once again to cultural hegemony, barely six decades after freeing ourselves from one?—and warns us against another cultural hegemony.

In the last paper, “Using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a Pedagogical Tool for Teaching Written Business Communication”, the author, Preeja Sreedhar, explains and applies how Bloom’s taxonomy could be effectively used as a tool of education. The paper examines the conceptual framework of Bloom’s taxonomy and its objective in today’s education, especially in the areas of curriculum designing and practical aspects of delivering the course.

The issue also includes a review of the book, Communication Strategies for Today’s Managerial Leader, authored by Deborah B Roebuck, which offers excellent ideas to hone one’s communication skills. The reviewer, Tulika Sharma, has examined the contents of the book, highlighting its merits and demerits.

-- M Showry
Consulting Editor