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Whether we are an employee, independent consultant, or entrepreneur, technical competencies are necessary, but not sufficient, for personal success and fulfillment. This observation applies whether we serve in the private, public, academic, or volunteer sectors. Non-technical or “soft side” competencies enable us to work more effectively with supervisors, supervisees, colleagues, clients, customers, students, the public, other stakeholders, and members of our community, neighborhood, and family. Augmenting technical competencies with “soft-side” knowledge, skills, and attitudes is the key to earning career security, a much more viable life strategy than chasing job security.
Using my knowledge of and experience with non-technical knowledge and skills, I help individuals and organizations engineer their futures.
See the bottom of this page for over 60 of my essays, professional papers, and other documents. These complimentary offerings touch on a wide variety of mostly non-technical (professional practice) topics and are arranged in 9 categories (e.g., Communication, Creativity and Innovation, Leadership and Change, Personal Development) for your convenience.
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"Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right."
-Henry Ford
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WEBINAR FOR ONLINE ETHICS CENTER (OEC) -- I have been invited by the OEC to speak during the Center's fall program. My November 8 webinar is titled "Ethics: Some Finer Points." Click here for information about OEC and its upcoming program.
COMMUNICATIVE ENGINEER -- I am pleased to announce that John Wiley & Sons recently published my text and reference book, The Communicative Engineer: How to Ask, Listen, Write, Speak, and Use Visuals. Engineering faculty and practitioners, click here to learn about the book. Its focus on five modes of communication is unique.
EARN CEUS AND LEARN USING ARCHIVED WEBINARS -I have presented 340 webinars as part of the continuing education program of the American Society of Civil Engineers. ASCE archived 17 of my "road-tested" personal development,leade rship, management, communication, and ethics webinars. They may be purchased at individual, group, ASCE member, and non-ASCE member rates. For topics and prices, click here.
By taking and passing a post-test, users earn CEUs with the number based on the
webinar length.
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So called nontechnical, “soft side” competencies are often devalued or diminished. They are said to be of little importance or easy. “Soft side” competencies are neither.
Too many professionals fail to advance in their careers – to acquire career security – because they lack “soft side” knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Sometimes they do not realize their liability. We need to know something is “broken” if we are to “fix” it. In other cases, individuals know they have “soft side” deficiencies but fail to see the value in taking corrective action. Either way, the result is the same – failure to realize individual potential, to find and release the leader within.
If you recognize the value of “soft side” competencies you also know that they are not necessarily easy to acquire. Mastering nontechnical competencies requires knowledge of best practices and then thoughtful application of them. This website provides resources to help you practice improved stewardship with your gifts and your personality profile and make better use of who you are and what and who you know.
You are responsible for the development of supervisees and others. You are also busy. Please consider two suggestions.
- If study of specific nontechnical or “soft-side” topics is likely to be of value to certain supervisees and others, refer them to this website or specific portions of it, such as the Managing and Leading Books.
- Some “soft side” needs or deficiencies may go beyond individuals, that is, many individuals at one or more locations need help. For example, individuals may be working extra hard but not achieving as much as you and they would like. In this case, perhaps an on-site, face-to-face seminar or workshop about time management, effectiveness and efficiency, goal setting, and/or team essentials would be appropriate. Another option, and often a very cost-effective approach for simultaneous delivery to two or more locations, is a webinar, that is, use of the internet and a telephone conference call for which no one needs to travel anywhere. If the group mode of education and training interests you, for examples, please refer to the web page Tailored Education and Training. If you would like to discuss the feasibility of tailoring a seminar, webinar, or workshop to your organization’s needs, please call me at 219-242-1704 or contact me at stu-walesh@comcast.net.
We seem to be under ever-increasing pressure to increase productivity, to accomplish more with what we have and, sometimes, to do more with less. At a deeper level, many of us aspire to be even better stewards of our time and talents. At the very deepest level, we yearn for more than personal success; we seek significance in what we do. We want to get beyond ourselves, positively affect others, and make a difference. This requires managing and leading ability.
You can improve your managing and leading knowledge, skills, and attitudes – your “soft side” competencies—so that you can remain employable, earn career security, and enjoy success and significance.
Stuart G. Walesh
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