Soft Skills - The Importance of Cultivating Emotional Intelligence

5 Pages Posted: 22 Jan 2016 Last revised: 6 Sep 2022

Date Written: January 20, 2016

Abstract

Organizations hire people for their hard skills, but they end up firing people for their lack of soft skills. In this brief essay, Professor Wheeler, an experienced law library director and personnel manager, discusses soft skills and their importance in the workplace. He posits that emotional intelligence is the basis of what we commonly call soft skills, and although for some these skills are innate, they can be developed and sharpened over time. Wheeler uses personal anecdotes to illustrate how emotional intelligence has enhanced his own professional life.

Keywords: law libraries, human resources, personnel management, soft skills, emotional intelligence, EI, employment, workplace management, law library management, bias, unconscious bias

JEL Classification: K10, K19, K39

Suggested Citation

Wheeler, Ronald E., Soft Skills - The Importance of Cultivating Emotional Intelligence (January 20, 2016). AALL Spectrum, January/February 2016, Boston Univ. School of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 16-06, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2719155

Ronald E. Wheeler (Contact Author)

Boston University School of Law ( email )

765 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
United States

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