November 10, 2025
Soft skills, such as communication, problem solving or creativity are key skills within every job. Unlike hard skills, these soft skills cannot be easily measured using certificates, degrees or licenses. They can only be demonstrated through our actions and behaviours. This begs the question: can you build new soft skills? Or are they personality traits that we are born with?
The simple answer: you can build new soft skills. While these skills can be innate for some of us, it’s also possible to build such skills by adopting new habits and mindsets in order to rewire one’s brain. This post explains more…
There are many different soft skills that you can develop. Some of the most in-demand soft skills include:
Building new soft skills requires a mixture of self-reflection, real-world practice and smart tools. Some of these steps you can take to build new soft skills are included below:
First, you need to be aware of what soft skills you may be lacking. This requires being open to criticism and gathering insights from others. Listen to pointers as to how you can improve and make an active effort to change your behaviours.
Positive feedback will meanwhile help you identify soft skills that you may already possess. It’s important to remember that you can keep building these skills too. Perhaps you’re already a great communicator, but what if you could become even better at communicating? This is how you can turn a soft skill into an impressive talent that becomes highly sought after.
You can also learn new soft skills by investing in coaching and mentorship. For example, if you want to develop leadership skills, you can hire a leadership coach to teach you skills.
This professional guidance could include teaching behaviours and then practicising these in role-playing scenarios. This trains your brain to then apply them in real world situations.
Certain apps may be able to help teach you soft skills by monitoring your behaviours. A skills intelligence platform can assess your soft skills as you carry out everyday digital tasks and it can provide pointers for improvements and then let you track your progress.
There are meanwhile online courses and materials with quizzes that can help test your soft skills through situational questions. These can be similar to aptitude tests used by some employers.
Soft skills like problem solving, creativity, time management and forward strategy may also be able to be trained through games and puzzles. Games like chess for example can train you to look at things from different angles and think ahead. Video games can meanwhile test resilience and fast decision making. This can be a fun way to build soft skills provided that you keep choosing games that challenge you.
Soft skills are personal attributes that influence how well you can work and interact with others. Unlike hard skills, which are technical and measurable, soft skills include things like communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence. They are demonstrated through your actions and behaviours rather than a certificate.
While some people may have a natural aptitude for certain soft skills, they are not fixed personality traits. Anyone can develop and improve their soft skills. It involves adopting new habits, changing your mindset, and consistent practice to effectively rewire your brain's responses.
Start with self-reflection and be brave enough to ask for honest feedback from colleagues, managers, or mentors. Pay attention to both positive and negative comments. This will help you identify your current strengths and pinpoint the areas that need the most attention for your personal and professional growth.
Yes, developing your abilities is a core part of any successful venture. While this article gives you a great starting point, resources from platforms like Online Business Startup can provide more structured guidance on entrepreneurial skills, which heavily rely on strong communication, leadership, and adaptability.
It certainly can be. Many games challenge you to solve complex problems, manage resources under pressure, and make quick decisions. This kind of mental exercise can directly translate to improved problem-solving and resilience in real-world work situations, making it a surprisingly effective and fun training method.
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