“In 1970, the top three skills required by Fortune 500 companies were the three Rs: reading, writing, and arithmetic. In 1999, the top three skills in demand were teamwork, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. We need schools that are developing these skills” (Linda Darling-Hammond).

I would add soft skills to the above list including demonstrating strong communication skills, being a good listener, understanding the difference between cooperation and collaboration, motivating and encouraging the sharing of ideas, showing humility and respect, and understanding how reflection and self-assessment are critical for successful implementation in any workplace environment. 

While these soft skills may seem like “add-ons” to a coach’s job description, they are actually more important than the hard skills like content proficiency. After all, one can browse the internet and locate a plethora of open source materials for classroom use and build that needed content knowledge. Can one browse that same internet for the abovementioned soft skills needed to establish a working relationship that is non-evaluative and risk free?

Interesting that Linda Darling-Hammond suggested that schools build those soft skills back in 1970. We still need to build those skills for students and for their teachers as well. But, we can’t expect students to know and be able to master those skills if their teachers are not given ample opportunities to grow those skills too.