Francisco Chabran

For most employers, the so-called “hard skills”—described as learned skills—often remain the most important factor when assessing candidates. But, is this the best approach? With rapidly evolving technology, the hard skills needed for today’s jobs are constantly changing and it’s difficult to keep up. What’s more, as AI becomes more sophisticated, it can increasingly conduct many of the tasks that require hard skills.But that doesn’t necessarily mean the threat of AI taking our jobs will come true. The World Economic Forum suggests that, while 83 million jobs will be displaced by AI and automation, 97 million new jobs will be created. But to succeed in those new roles, businesses will have to shift the types of skills they’re seeking.Why Soft Skills Are Increasingly in DemandTo ensure today’s talent meets the needs of this changing landscape, employers must now focus on “soft skills”—or an individual’s inherent personal traits, motivations, and how they work with other people. Soft skills can include leadership, creativity, problem-solving, innovation, people skills, analytical thinking, and empathy. In fact, our research shows that empathy is one of the most in-demand soft skills today. Not only is empathy one of the main traits separating people from machines, but its value in improving performance and productivity is undeniable.In other words, soft skills are unlikely to ever be replaced by technology and will be essential to working collaboratively with AI. As AI continues to play a larger role in our lives, we’ll need to place a higher focus on those soft skills when acquiring and developing talent. But as more organizations shift to skills-based talent strategies, people with these crucial soft skills are increasingly in high demand. With high competition for strong soft skills, and as talent typically still mainly highlighting their learned hard skills and experience in their resumes and LinkedIn profiles, finding people with the right soft skills can be difficult. How to Develop Your Team’s Soft SkillsRather than struggle to find external talent with the necessary soft skills, another strategy is to develop these skills within your current workforce. While people can be taught or trained to learn hard skills, soft skills are already inherent in them—they just need to be sharpened. That’s why instead of traditional courses or training sessions, coaching may be a better strategy to hone these innately human traits.For example, studies show the vast majority of individuals who receive coaching report increased self-confidence while improving work performance, relationships, and communication skills. And as the AI revolution continues to shift the nature of work, coaching can provide the strengths needed to keep up with the transformation and thrive in the face of immense change. While coaching has traditionally been reserved for executives and managers, businesses will need to sharpen the inherent skills of their entire teams. That’s why more organizations are recognizing the benefits of extending coaching to all employees. This allows employees at all levels to grow professionally, increase their value to the organization, and gain the skills needed in today’s changing workforce.Also, as the types of jobs needed continue to change as well, companies may have more success focusing on internal mobility rather than hiring externally in a competitive environment. Coaching can help employees gain the confidence and motivation to seek new roles internally, while also sharpening the skills needed to be successful in those new positions.Start Coaching for Soft Skills TodayAs AI continues to transform many aspects of work, organizations will increasingly need people with human-focused professional skills. But simply recruiting for those skills will not be enough; it is crucial to build these skills among your existing workforce to ensure your people and business can flourish. Implementing a coaching program that’s accessible to all talent can be the secret to unlocking the potential of your team’s inherent traits, allowing your business to more effectively address the rapidly changing world of work.Learn more about how to develop a robust coaching culture that empowers your people. 

Prioritizing Soft Skills in the Age of AI

A little over a year ago, LinkedIn launched its AI-powered coaching chatbot. You can ask it for advice on workplace issues, and it will help with suggestions on how to build skills, tackle issues, or move your career forward. Could this be the future for coaching at scale?The prospect of deploying an AI-powered virtual coach that could support thousands of employees simultaneously with their workplace challenges and aspirations is an attractive one. Imagine the savings on coaching and the benefits for employees of having access to a coach, round the clock, to respond to their every need almost instantly.Can AI replace a human coach?For incoming, younger employees, this may be just what they’re looking for: A recent survey found 66 percent of 25–34 year-olds would rather talk to AI about their problems than a loved one.And it’s easy to see why. With the power of generative AI, a chatbot can communicate with empathy. People report that the experience feels just like texting with an actual human, leading to concerns that we are rapidly becoming too attached to or dependent on these AI companions.The potential of providing this kind of support to employees is not without risk. While the interactions feel real, we must remember that the chatbot has been trained to mimic empathy. It knows what an empathic response to challenges and vulnerability sounds like and gives a seemingly appropriate reply. But it lacks genuine human empathy. It doesn’t actually care like a person may.Unlike a human coach, AI can’t think, feel, or relate to a person. No matter how sophisticated its language model, a coaching chatbot lacks the nuances of personal connection—and it cannot draw on a lifetime of emotional intelligence to offer support. Without that vital human connection, AI cannot effectively deliver workplace coaching.What are the benefits of AI in the coaching process?Where AI can significantly enhance coaching is by automating some logistical aspects, such as coaching provision and mechanics, making it easier and more efficient to build strong, effective coaching relationships. For example, AI can analyze hundreds of data points to match an employee with a suitable coach, increasing the likelihood that the two individuals will work well together, rather than leaving it to chance or asking an employee to choose from a list of coach bios.AI can then manage administrative tasks, such as scheduling calls, taking notes, and curating personalized content and learning materials from the vast quantity of resources organizations provide to their employees. This helps employees take post-coaching action and removes the administrative burden of managing the relationship, driving greater engagement and improving ROI.When deploying coaching at scale across all levels of the organization, AI platforms can minimize administrative overhead for learning and development (L&D) teams while delivering a seamless, engaging employee experience.AI also has the potential to analyze data from across an organization’s HRIS, recognizing patterns and identifying employees who could benefit most from coaching. For example, AI can detect factors that increase the probability that key employees could become flight risks, thereby creating an opportunity to intervene with career development resources before they decide to leave the organization. What’s next?It’s inevitable that AI will advance exponentially, potentially even creating life-like avatars that mimic human interaction. Until we have artificial general intelligence (where machines can truly think like humans), behind those lines of code, AI-powered coaching misses the spark of humanity that makes coaching so effective.Learn how you can offer scalable, personalized career coaching—that’s powered by people and technology—to employees at all levels of your business within your budget. 