Introduction

Regardless of whether you may have just landed your first technical job or been in the industry for years, you'll eventually discover that you'll need soft skills to succeed. But where do you start, and more importantly, what soft skills should you focus on in 2023 and beyond? Today, I'll take you on a journey of soft skills that I'm personally focusing on and provide real-world examples that you can start today to build relationships, work effectively in your team, and contribute to a positive work culture that lasts generations.

Communication

Communication is a core skill set in all soft skills, no matter the list. Communication is the foundation of solid relationships that allows you to build trust, resolve conflicts, and strengthen your connections with others. It is easier to exchange information and ideas and achieve common goals if you have them.

Making eye contact and having upbeat body language and tone can make an impact no matter who you talk to. It is contagious. Try arriving at a meeting with a positive attitude, no matter the task. I've also found that giving a clear and concise update in three bullet points ensures that it is easily read and digested and can be copied into other communication methods such as emails, Slack, instant messaging applications, etc. Finally, I recommend having a team "lunch and learn" and putting together a slide deck explaining a feature, product, etc. By doing so, you'll learn more about the program as you plan to explain it to others and be regarded as someone who wants to share it with their team.

Leadership

An effective leader inspires and motivates others to work towards achieving a common goal. They also set a clear vision and strategy on how to get there. People often confuse the term management with leadership. A company or organization typically appoints management, whereas a leader doesn't need an official position to demonstrate this.

You can become an effective leader by trusting your team when you ask them to do something. Give them a chance to complete the task first before following up. Also, take time to understand your team's strengths and weaknesses and assign work accordingly. If you have someone on your team who loves documentation vs. coding, let them do it! It is straightforward to motivate someone if the work aligns with what they are passionate about. Finally, lean on others when making a decision that impacts them. You aren't in this alone, and selecting or delaying a decision can cause confusion.

Interpersonal Skills

We use Interpersonal Skills every day when we communicate and interact with other people. They include skills such as listening as well as the ability to control and manage your emotions. It shouldn't surprise you that they tend to work well with other people and foster better relationships at home and at work.

I'd start by "lightening up" to start working better with other people. While taking your job seriously, you should also know when to have fun and laugh. This will also help reduce burnout, which is relevant in our industry. I'd also suggest ways to get better at giving constructive criticism versus just saying that "it is all wrong." Take time to understand why they did it that way. Was there some information that was missing that would have helped them? Finally, learn to be assertive but not aggressive in your asks or comments. By becoming assertive, we show confidence in our asks vs. demanding.

Mentorship

Mentorship is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. Being a mentor, offers a self-reflection opportunity on your career as you prepare to advise your mentee. It can also be used on your performance review to grow your career since you take the time to develop others.

I have been both a mentor and a mentee, and before I was a mentor, I would read books or articles on the topic to gain insights into what a great mentor looks like. One book I'd recommend is "Mentoring 101" by John C. Maxwell as he has spent a lifetime being a Mentor to several prolific people. I'd also spend time becoming an advocate for less experienced developers (or teammates), and they might come to you for more formal mentorship. Finally, you must have the desire to help someone reach their potential - even if that means putting yourself second to elevate them.

Problem-solving

Problem-solving is essential because it helps individuals and organizations identify and resolve issues and challenges promptly and effectively, which leads to a sense of accomplishment and job satisfaction.

Being a valuable member of a business is all about moving the project forward, no matter what. Here are some tricks I use whenever a piece of work seems to get stuck: take a break, work backward and create an outline of necessary steps to completion (like pseudocode!), identify all current blockers, or ask a colleague to give the problem a fresh set of eyes. Asking for help is especially important, as looking at a problem from another viewpoint can present a solution you would have never imagined.

Conflict management

Conflict management is vital because conflicts and disagreements are a natural part of human interaction. By dealing with conflict management appropriately, you can help build trust and strengthen relationships within a team, fostering a sense of collaboration and community.

Clarify the source of the conflict to ensure how the issue came to be surfaced in the first place. It is sometimes best to use a third-party source to facilitate the conversation between two individuals. Look for common ground and helpful solutions when presented with a conflict. You should listen actively and let everyone have their say before moving to an outcome. Finally, never let a conflict go unaddressed or unresolved. Agree on the solution going forward and how each team member plays a part.

Wrap-up

We've only scratched the surface of several soft skills that you should have in 2023 and beyond. Several honorable mentions are:

• Networking - This is a way for individuals to grow their professional or personal lives by building a network of people working in the same industry as they do. This is beneficial for several reasons, with someone to reach out to in case they need a job being the first. You can begin building your network with LinkedIn by adding all of your coworkers and doing searches of others who are working in your particular industry.

• Public Speaking - Some people fear public speaking, but I typically use it as a motivator to learn something well enough to explain it to others. While you don't have to do it in a conference setting, the skillset translates to running internal meetings or organizing your thoughts. Keep in mind that you don't have to be a developer advocate to practice public speaking! Find something that you are passionate about and share it with your team.

• Time Management - Do you sometimes feel like you can't get anything done? I'd suggest creating a prioritized to-do list with 3 "must-do" items for the day, regardless of how little (or big) they might be. Setting clear and attainable goals gives you something to work towards, and checking an item off gives you a sense of accomplishment.

By learning these soft skills, you'll show your employer that your education and technical abilities are just the start of the skillset they will acquire when they hire you.

If you have questions or feedback, join us on the Vonage Developer Slack or send me a Tweet on Twitter, and I will get back to you. Thanks again for reading, and I will catch you on the next one!