At the zenith of the old paradigm there was a reaction to anything that was deemed “soft.” This included feelings, relationships, empathy, and anything that was “touchy-feely.” This is a strange norm, because being alive and human involves relationships, feelings, and connecting with others. However, the value was facts and figures—“hard” stuff! Even though such rock-ribbed disciplines as physics now report that facts are relative, the bias continues.
Organizations still talk about human resources and training as the “soft” side of management. But not only are people issues as real as financial and production figures, they require just as much skill and strength. In addition, they require authenticity and the risk of self-disclosure. This is much more difficult than hiding behind a memo or stack of figures.
The good news is that, despite all the reasons that organizations discount “soft” helping skills, there is a slow but steady revision in progress. Organizational leaders are finding that interpersonal competence is in high demand in the new paradigm, and as they make this discovery, they are not only picking up useful skills, they are realizing a new sense of personal relevance as they discover new behavioral options and plumb the depths of their own repressed capabilities
