Soft Skills - The Importance of Cultivating Emotional Intelligence

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