Business leaders are increasingly recognising the importance of ‘soft skills’ – such as emotional intelligence, intuition and the ability to inspire – in driving organisational success. Despite this, many companies often overlook these skills in favour of more quantifiable ‘hard skills’ when recruiting or promoting staff. This is a mistake. Soft skills are key to fostering a culture of innovation, which is crucial in today’s rapidly changing business landscape.

Leaders with high emotional intelligence can better understand and manage their own emotions, as well as those of their team members. This leads to improved communication, increased trust and stronger relationships within the team. Intuition, meanwhile, allows leaders to make quick, effective decisions in complex situations. Finally, the ability to inspire can motivate employees to go above and beyond their job descriptions, leading to increased productivity and innovation.

To harness the power of these soft skills, companies need to prioritise them in their recruitment and promotion processes. This means looking beyond traditional measures of success, such as qualifications and years of experience, and focusing more on a candidate’s emotional intelligence, intuition and ability to inspire. By doing so, companies can create a more innovative, agile and successful organisation.

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