Importance Of Non-Cognitive Skills Development In Your Career
What do you picture in your mind when I say, “Skill Development”?
For most people, a skill means developing or building something, fixing something or gaining professional training. Such as being a skilled Engineer, Doctor, Programmer, Lawyer, Chef, etc.
What if I tell you that it’s just one aspect of a skillset; technically known as “Cognitive Skills” and another aspect of skill-set is called “Non-Cognitive Skills”. In the current era of technology and global economy, its essential to have a strong hold on your Cognitive as well as Non-Cognitive Skills.
Noncognitive or “soft skills” are related to motivation, integrity, and interpersonal interaction. They may also involve intellect, but more indirectly and less consciously than cognitive skills. Soft skills are associated with an individual's personality, temperament, and attitudes.
The current state of most education institutes
What is the method of instruction in mainstream schools? A teacher stands in front of the classroom, gives a monotonous lecture and writes key points and formulas on the blackboard. Meanwhile the students yawn away and robotically copy off the blackboard. This method was highly influenced by the first and second industrial revolution where mass production of talent to perform mechanical and repetitive tasks was paramount.
The direct instruction method with emphasis on memorization is a form of passive learning. Most of us don’t remember what we learnt in school because passive learning does not create strong neural networks in our brains that can be used in future to recall lessons.
Most of the current education systems focus on teaching “what” to learn: Math, Science, English, etc. However, they don’t do a very good job of helping children master the art of learning “how” to learn.
Why is learning “how” to learn important?
The only constant in our world is change. And this change is happening at a much faster pace now than ever before thanks to globalization, advancements in technology, climate change and pandemics. In an ever changing economy, where new and different skills are required everyday to succeed, mastering the art of learning “how” to learn has become mandatory.
The third and fourth industrial revolution demand a complete overhaul of the skill sets and transform the methods of instruction from passive to active.
The top most skills required for the 21st-century knowledge economy are: Communication, Growth Mindset, Collaboration, Empathy, and Creativity.
So, how do we master the art of learning “how” to learn?
Non-cognitive skills for long-term success
The more I researched this question, the more I discovered about non-cognitive skills. Non-cognitive skills are the invisible, intangible and non-measurable skills that lay the foundation for all types of cognitive learning. These skills are oftentimes referred to as “soft skills”. Children and adults who develop these non-cognitive capabilities are more likely to learn new cognitive skills and that too at a faster rate.
Researchers around the world have identified the following nine non-cognitive skills that are essential for long-term success not just in people’s professional lives, but also in their personal lives.
Self-Awareness: Understanding and being aware of one’s strengths, weakness, beliefs, emotions, passion and values.
Growth Mindset: Developing a mindset that is open to learning, experimenting, failing and receiving constructive feedback.
Grit: Integrating the power of perseverance with passion.
Self-Control: The ability to delay gratification today for a bigger and better reward tomorrow.
Optimism: the power to see the glass half-full in adverse situations.
Gratitude: Being thankful and humble in every situation.
Curiosity: Developing a mind that always asks the ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions to challenge the status quo.
Empathy: The ability to put oneself in another person’s shoes to deeply and emotionally understand them, their pain and perspective.
Zest: Bringing a high-level of enthusiasm in your mission.
Are we born with these skills or can these skill be developed? The good news is that you can learn these skills through effort, dedication and patience.
Importance of building non-cognitive skills at an early age
Picture this: a child might have a high IQ, but due to poor teaching methods where there is a lack of focus on developing non-cognitive skills such as self-awareness, growth mindset and grit, the child does not get the opportunity to learn actively. As a result, his motivation levels drop and with time teachers label him as a “poor student”.
Even though the child has the caliber, he/she fails to live upto the potential because nobody focused on developing the child’s foundational non-cognitive skills
These issues, if left unchecked, can persist well into adulthood, leading a sharp mind into oblivion and on a path to self-doubt and failure.
How to build non-cognitive skills
Developing your non-cognitive skills requires a personalized approach and effective coaching. Non Cognitive Skill Building is done on an individual level. After studying the gap in the skills and professional requirements for the students.
It is not just me, but leaders and forward-thinking organizations are all demanding a transformation of our education systems to build active learners and leaders with the power to adapt and learn new skills quickly.
Connect with Coach Nerice on a 15-minute FREE Career Coaching Session and understand the best suitable non-cognitive skills to boost your career.