Bridging the Soft Skills Gap: How to Teach the Missing Basics to the New Hybrid Workforce

Description

Nurture and develop well-rounded team players by focusing on soft skills development People entering the professional world are better educated than ever before. Their technical skills are often off-the-charts, helping them make short work of even the most challenging tasks. At the same time, however, many of these very same people lack soft skills we’ve often taken for granted. In the newly revised second edition of Bridging the Soft Skills Gap: How to Teach the Missing Basics to the New Hybrid Workforce, veteran business advisor, speaker, and consultant Bruce Tulgan delivers a practical and incisive roadmap to developing crucial professionalism, critical thinking, and teamwork skills. You’ll also find: A collection of 92 instructive lesson plans designed to break soft skills down into their component parts and teach them one manageable piece at a timeAn exploration of the soft skills gap, including what it means and how its impact on your organization will be feltExplanations of why you can’t hire your way around a soft skills gap An essential leadership handbook for executives, managers, and other business leaders, Bridging the Soft Skills Gap is a must-read resource for human resources professionals, team leaders, and front-line employees who deal with promising, but unpolished, talent. Cover Title Page Copyright Page Contents Part One The Soft Skills Gap PrologueMeet the Workforce of the Future Chapter 1 The Soft Skills Gap The Soft Skills Gap: Growing Steadily from Gen X to Millennials to Gen Z to Whoever Comes Next Something Much Larger Is Going on Here: The Post-Boomer Generational Shift Soft Skills Are – Sort of – About Conforming in an Age of Nonconformism The Soft Skills Gap: The Missing Basics in Today’s Workforce Face the Hard Realities of the Soft Skills Gap Chapter 2 You Can’t Hire Your Way Around the Soft Skills Gap Staffing Strategy and Hiring Onboarding and Up-to-Speed Training Performance Management and Talent Development Ongoing Training The Human Element: What Role Are You Going to Play? Become a Teaching Style Manager Take It to the Next Level Chapter 3 Unlocking the Power of Soft Skills Drill Down: The Missing Basics Unlocking the Power of Soft Skills Unlocking the Power: The Rest of This Book Part Two Teaching the Missing Basics Chapter 4 Teaching the Missing Basics of Professionalism Teaching Self-Evaluation Self-Evaluation: Lesson Plan #1 Self-Evaluation: Lesson Plan #2 – Evaluating Yourself on Ability, Skill, and Will Self-Evaluation: Lesson Plan #3 – Evaluating Yourself on Productivity, Quality, and Behavior Self-Evaluation: Lesson Plan #4 – Evaluating Yourself on the Key Soft Skills Competencies Self-Evaluation: Lesson Plan #5 – Drill Down on Understanding the Key Soft Skills Competencies Self-Evaluation: Lesson Plan #6 – Explore Your Own Successes with the Key Soft Skills Teaching Personal Responsibility Personal Responsibility: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction Personal Responsibility: Lesson Plan #2 – All the Factors That Get in Your Way Personal Responsibility: Lesson Plan #3 – Considering the Most Common Factors, Mostly Outside Your Own Control, That Get in the Way at Work Personal Responsibility: Lesson Plan #4 – Response Power Teaching Positive Attitude Positive Attitude: Lesson Plan #1 – Considering Theories of How to Be Your Best at Work Positive Attitude: Lesson Plan #2 – Defining “Good Attitude” Behaviors Positive Attitude: Lesson Plan #3 – Considering the Most Common Bad Attitudes Positive Attitude: Lesson Plan #4 – Considering Good Attitude Behaviors Positive Attitude: Lesson Plan #5 – for Individuals Who Need an Attitude Adjustment Teaching Good Work Habits Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #1 – Overview: Wellness, Self-Presentation, Timeliness, Productivity, Attention to Detail, Follow-Through, Initiative Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #2 – Self-Assessment Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #3 – Self-Improvement Planning Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #4 – Wellness Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #5 – Planning a Wellness Initiative Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #6 – Self-Presentation Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #7 – Using a Time Log to Learn to Start Living by a Schedule Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #8 – How to Make a Basic Project Plan Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #9 – Taking Notes and Making Checklists Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #10 – How to Do a Time/Motion Study on Your Own Work Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #11 – Spotlight on Follow-Through Good Work Habits: Lesson Plan #12 – Going the Extra Mile Teaching Interpersonal Communication Skills Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #2 – Self-Assessment Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #3 – Learning to Use the “People List” Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #4 - Put More Structure into Your Communication Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #5 – Put More Substance into Your Communication Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #6 – Preparing for Meetings Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #7 – Email Best Practices Interpersonal Communication Skills: Lesson Plan #8 – Communicating Remotely Chapter 5 Teaching the Missing Basics of Critical Thinking Teaching Proactive Learning Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #1 – Knowledge Work Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #2 – Open Mind Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #3 – Suspend Judgment, Question Assumptions, and Seek to Learn Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #4 – Question Assumptions: What Do You Know? What Don’t You Know? Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #5 – Seeking Out Information, Technique, and Perspective Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #6 – Studying Information to Build Knowledge Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #7 – Practicing Technique to Build Skills Proactive Learning: Lesson Plan #8 – Contemplating Competing Perspectives to Build Wisdom Teaching Problem Solving Problem Solving: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction Problem Solving: Lesson Plan #2 – Preventing or Avoiding Problems Before They Happen Problem Solving: Lesson Plan #3 – Ready-Made Solutions to Commonly Occurring Problems Problem Solving: Lesson Plan #4 – Common Denominators and Underlying Principles Problem Solving: Lesson Plan #5 – Applying the “After-Action” Review Tool Problem Solving: Lesson Plan #6 – Using the After-Action Review Tool to Learn from Others Teaching Decision Making Decision Making: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction Decision Making: Lesson Plan #2 – Information Analysis: Simple Pros and Cons Decision Making: Lesson Plan #3 – Cause and Effect: Positive Outcomes Decision Making: Lesson Plan #4 – Cause and Effect: Negative Outcomes Decision Making: Lesson Plan #5 – Applying the After-Action Review Tool Decision Making: Lesson Plan #6 – Using the “Decision/Action Tree” Chapter 6 Teaching the Missing Basics of Teamwork Teaching Respect for Context Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #2 – Reading the Structure, Rules, Customs, Leadership Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #3 – Where Do You Fit? Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #4 – What Do You Need to Do to Adapt? Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #5 – Context-Limiting Factors Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #6 – Complicated Relationships Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #7 – Positive Contexts Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #8 – Negative Contexts Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #9 – Dealing with People with Bad Attitudes Respect for Context: Lesson Plan #10 – Dealing with People with “Great” Attitudes Teaching Citizenship Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #2 – The “Respect” for Others Model Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #3 – The “Best Interests” Model Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #4 – The “Civic” Model Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #5 – The “Communitarian” Model Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #6 – The “Common Sense” Model Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #7 – The “Solid Standards” Model Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #8 – The “Personal Sacrifice” Model Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #9 – The Theodore Roosevelt Model Good Citizenship: Lesson Plan #10 – Create Your Own Model Teaching Service Service: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction Service: Lesson Plan #2 – Common Myths About “Service” in the Workplace Service: Lesson Plan #3 – Realities About Service in the Workplace Service: Lesson Plan #4 – Myths Versus Realities in the Workplace Service: Lesson Plan #5 – The “Be a Great Employee” Model of Service Service: Lesson Plan #6 – The “Service” Approach to One-on-Ones Between Managers and Direct Reports Service: Lesson Plan #7 – The Service Approach to Meeting Attendance and Participation Service: Lesson Plan #8 – Helping Your Boss Monitor Your Performance Service: Lesson Plan #9 – Putting Yourself on a Performance Improvement Plan Teaching How to Play Your Position Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #1 – Introduction Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #2 – Defining the Dimensions of Playing Your Role on the Team/Teamwork Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #3 – Your Role in Relation to the Mission Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #4 – Coordinating, Cooperating, and Collaborating with Others Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #5 – Supporting and Celebrating the Success of Others Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #6 – Identifying Your “Go To” People and Building Relationships with Them Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #7 – Becoming a “Go To” Person for Others Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #8 – How to Use Influence to Get Things Done Playing Your Position on the Team: Lesson Plan #9 – Consider the Lessons About Teamwork from This US Air Force Special Operations Team Lesson Plan List: 92 Different Lesson Plans Acknowledgments About the Author Index EULA