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Bridging the Soft Skills Gap: How to Teach the Missing Basics to Todays Young Talent
Solve the number one problem with today's young workforce — the soft skills gap The number one challenge with today's young talent is a problem hiding in plain sight: the ever-widening soft skills gap . Today's new, young workforce has so much to offer—new technical skills, new ideas, new perspective, new energy. Yet too many of them are held back because of their weak soft skills. Soft skills may be harder to define and measure than hard skills, but they are just as critical. People get hired because of their hard skills but get fired because of their soft skills. Setting a good example or simply telling young workers they need to improve isn't enough, nor is scolding them or pointing out their failings in an annual review. However you can teach the missing basics to today's young talent. Based on more than twenty years of research, Bruce Tulgan, renowned expert on the millennial workforce, offers concrete solutions to help managers teach the missing basics of professionalism, critical thinking, and followership—complete with ninety-two step-by-step lesson plans designed to be highly flexible and easy to use. Tulgan's research and proven approach has show that the key to teaching young people the missing soft skills lies in breaking down critical soft skills into their component parts, concentrating on one small component at a time, with the help of a teaching-style manager. Almost all of the exercises can be done in less than an hour within a team meeting or an extended one-on-one. The exercises are easily modified and customized and can be used as take-home exercises for any individual or group, to guide one-on-one discussions with direct-reports and in the classroom as written exercises or group discussions. Managers—and their young employees—will find themselves returning to their favorite exercises over and over again. One exercise at a time, managers will build up the most important soft skills of their new, young talent. These critical soft skills can make the difference between mediocre and good, between good and great, between great and one of a kind.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2015
56 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
Bruce Tulgan
43 books41 followersBruce Tulgan is internationally recognized as the leading expert on young people in the workplace and one of the leading experts on leadership and management. Bruce is a best-selling author, an adviser to business leaders all over the world, and a sought-after keynote speaker and management trainer.
Since 1995, Bruce has worked with tens of thousands of leaders and managers in hundreds of organizations ranging from Aetna to Wal-Mart; from the Army to the YMCA. In recent years, Bruce was named by Management Today as one of the few contemporary figures to stand out as a “management guru” and he was named to the 2009 Thinkers 50 Rising Star.
On August 13, 2009, Bruce was honored to accept Toastmasters International’s most prestigious honor, the Golden Gavel. This honor is annually presented to a single person who represents excellence in the fields of communication and leadership. Past winners have included Stephen Covey, Zig Ziglar, Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, Ken Blanchard, Tom Peters, Art Linkletter, Dr. Joyce Brothers, and Walter Cronkite.
Bruce’s newest book is IT’S OKAY TO MANAGE YOUR BOSS (Jossey-Bass, September 14, 2010). He is also the author of the recent best-seller IT’S OKAY TO BE THE BOSS (HarperCollins, 2007) and the classic MANAGING GENERATION X (W.W. Norton, 2000; first published in 1995). Bruce’s other books include WINNING THE TALENT WARS (W.W. Norton, 2001), which received widespread acclaim from Fortune 500 CEOs and business journalists; the best-seller FAST FEEDBACK (HRD Press, 1998); NOT EVERYONE GETS A TROPHY: HOW TO MANAGE GENERATION Y (Jossey-Bass, 2009); and MANAGING THE GENERATION MIX (HRD Press, 2006). Many of Bruce’s works have been published around the world in foreign editions.
Bruce’s writing appears regularly in human resources, staffing and management journals, including a new regular column in TRAINING magazine called ‘Sticky Notes’ and a regular column in the New York Enterprise Report. His writing has also appeared in dozens of magazines and newspapers such as the Harvard Business Review, BusinessWeek, HR Magazine, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. As well, his work has been the subject of thousands of news stories around the world.
Before founding RainmakerThinking in 1993, Bruce practiced law at the Wall Street firm of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn. He graduated with high honors from Amherst College, received his law degree from the New York University School of Law, and is still a member of the Bar in Massachusetts and New York. Bruce continues his lifelong study of Okinawan Uechi Ryu Karate Do and holds a fifth degree black belt. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut with his wife Debby Applegate, Ph.D., who won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Biography for her book THE MOST FAMOUS MAN IN AMERICA: THE BIOGRAPHY OF HENRY WARD BEECHER (Doubleday, 2006).
Since 1995, Bruce has worked with tens of thousands of leaders and managers in hundreds of organizations ranging from Aetna to Wal-Mart; from the Army to the YMCA. In recent years, Bruce was named by Management Today as one of the few contemporary figures to stand out as a “management guru” and he was named to the 2009 Thinkers 50 Rising Star.
On August 13, 2009, Bruce was honored to accept Toastmasters International’s most prestigious honor, the Golden Gavel. This honor is annually presented to a single person who represents excellence in the fields of communication and leadership. Past winners have included Stephen Covey, Zig Ziglar, Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, Ken Blanchard, Tom Peters, Art Linkletter, Dr. Joyce Brothers, and Walter Cronkite.
Bruce’s newest book is IT’S OKAY TO MANAGE YOUR BOSS (Jossey-Bass, September 14, 2010). He is also the author of the recent best-seller IT’S OKAY TO BE THE BOSS (HarperCollins, 2007) and the classic MANAGING GENERATION X (W.W. Norton, 2000; first published in 1995). Bruce’s other books include WINNING THE TALENT WARS (W.W. Norton, 2001), which received widespread acclaim from Fortune 500 CEOs and business journalists; the best-seller FAST FEEDBACK (HRD Press, 1998); NOT EVERYONE GETS A TROPHY: HOW TO MANAGE GENERATION Y (Jossey-Bass, 2009); and MANAGING THE GENERATION MIX (HRD Press, 2006). Many of Bruce’s works have been published around the world in foreign editions.
Bruce’s writing appears regularly in human resources, staffing and management journals, including a new regular column in TRAINING magazine called ‘Sticky Notes’ and a regular column in the New York Enterprise Report. His writing has also appeared in dozens of magazines and newspapers such as the Harvard Business Review, BusinessWeek, HR Magazine, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. As well, his work has been the subject of thousands of news stories around the world.
Before founding RainmakerThinking in 1993, Bruce practiced law at the Wall Street firm of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn. He graduated with high honors from Amherst College, received his law degree from the New York University School of Law, and is still a member of the Bar in Massachusetts and New York. Bruce continues his lifelong study of Okinawan Uechi Ryu Karate Do and holds a fifth degree black belt. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut with his wife Debby Applegate, Ph.D., who won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Biography for her book THE MOST FAMOUS MAN IN AMERICA: THE BIOGRAPHY OF HENRY WARD BEECHER (Doubleday, 2006).
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 11, 2020
I am a millennial. And as such, this was a hard book to read as the author critiques every issue about your upbringing and ideology.
That said Tulgan is writing about the millennials for the Boomers or Gen Xers who are trying to work with them. He is playing up the horror stories of today's youth to commiserate with managers in order to help them deal with the millennial generation. In essence he is helping to re-frame the conversation from "Kids these days have no respect" to "Kids these days were taught to solve problems first themselves then to ask for help" or "Kids these days lack social skills" to "Kids these days have been taught 7 kinds of social skills and are having problems navigating which one is best in which situation."
A good read for managers who don't know how to reach kids these days. Tulgan lays out cookie cutter advice to specific issues and areas. A good book to come back to now and again when something your intern or new hire did that just leaves you puzzled.
That said Tulgan is writing about the millennials for the Boomers or Gen Xers who are trying to work with them. He is playing up the horror stories of today's youth to commiserate with managers in order to help them deal with the millennial generation. In essence he is helping to re-frame the conversation from "Kids these days have no respect" to "Kids these days were taught to solve problems first themselves then to ask for help" or "Kids these days lack social skills" to "Kids these days have been taught 7 kinds of social skills and are having problems navigating which one is best in which situation."
A good read for managers who don't know how to reach kids these days. Tulgan lays out cookie cutter advice to specific issues and areas. A good book to come back to now and again when something your intern or new hire did that just leaves you puzzled.
March 14, 2016
I wanted to like this book, but it ended up being a bit middle-of-the-road for me. It made some great points about behaviors which we aren't teaching people before they enter the workforce (in high school / college), and how to train those behaviors to employees once they do join our teams, and I appreciated that it pointed out that complaining does no good - you have to find effective ways to correct the behaviors.
However, I get frustrated when behaviors are blamed on a generation of people (those darn millennials), and I wish the book had spent a little more time talking about how all generations can lack skills needed for the workforce, as well as being aware enough to highlight that those deficiencies might have to do with the people who raised / taught the millennial generation. In addition, I think the book missed a great opportunity to point out how some behaviors shouldn't be expected, and how in addition to training for better behaviors, employers can also take a long hard look at their expectations to see if they are realistic and purposeful before spending time and money to enforce them.
However, I get frustrated when behaviors are blamed on a generation of people (those darn millennials), and I wish the book had spent a little more time talking about how all generations can lack skills needed for the workforce, as well as being aware enough to highlight that those deficiencies might have to do with the people who raised / taught the millennial generation. In addition, I think the book missed a great opportunity to point out how some behaviors shouldn't be expected, and how in addition to training for better behaviors, employers can also take a long hard look at their expectations to see if they are realistic and purposeful before spending time and money to enforce them.
May 7, 2018
The research appears valid, and the solutions seem functional. The tone when talking about Millenials and Generation Z annoyed me. It seemed to completely ignore the responsibility of Baby Boomers for our current culture.
December 31, 2018
Good, applicable information. Bring a social skills teacher I appreciate the lesson plans and the encouragement in these pages. Going to make sure my team at school reads it for sure!
June 23, 2021
Mr. Tulgan seems to be writing for the young people in today’s workforce who are more apt to send texts and emojis than to carry on coherent conversations in team meetings or focus groups.
Both new employees and more senior executives can benefit from reading this book. It may help span that “gap of social skills” in the younger generation. We see every day, in every walk of life, how difficult it can be for senior managers to work with their younger employees. This book identifies the “soft skills gap” and offers new skills and ideas to help managers teach the basics of professionalism, critical thinking, and being a team player.
Both new employees and more senior executives can benefit from reading this book. It may help span that “gap of social skills” in the younger generation. We see every day, in every walk of life, how difficult it can be for senior managers to work with their younger employees. This book identifies the “soft skills gap” and offers new skills and ideas to help managers teach the basics of professionalism, critical thinking, and being a team player.
January 5, 2016
I was asked to review this book from the Nursing Times Journal.
Title: Bridging the Soft Skills Gap
Author: Bruce Tulgan
Publisher: John Wiley and sons, 2015
This book is another great book from the author Bruce Tulgan. This is a book for all young professionals. In this day of text speak and employers who are consistently vexed in the gap of social skills in young people this is an absolute must. In nursing today we often hear about some staff who will not do- they do not want the opportunity of getting the experience as they do not feel they are being paid to do so, or willing to work shifts. Personally this is not just the younger generation I feel all levels of staff can benefit from this and strengthen the team dynamics. All too often there appears a bad apple in the team and everyone questions why they get away with this – simple no one wants to rock the boat.
Highlights:
This author knows what he is talking about and has a business head on his shoulders. This is a well researched subject whereby the author has gained the inside knowledge from surveys, interviews and focus groups, talking to managers but also more importantly to the young professionals themselves. The author breaks own the generations and begins with generation X (1965-1977 – I just come under the generation previously) to generation Z (1990-1999). Communication is part of this – and as an investigator there is always an element of poor communication. Is it that my generation are starting to retire and we are part of the old work ethic? We did derive from a non digital age and were neither imperial nor metric. At the same time is not to be dismissed that generation Z has a wealth of skills in the technology field and fantastic energy.
Strengths and weaknesses:
The strengths are the positiveness that comes from the book the lesson plans are positive and can be achieved in easy steps. Although this is not a nursing or medical textbook the skills can be applied to all workforces.
The reader will find the book easy to read and not jargonistic, and down to earth. These concepts can be easily applied to training courses.
The only weakness I felt from a nursing literature review was the lack of references at the end of each chapter. I also felt parenting was not mentioned and is that part of the lack of social culture today and a nanny state where children do not go out to play as my generation did.
Potential Readers:
This book is apt for all junior members of nursing and medical staff, nurse manages, trainers and recruitment within the healthcare setting
Title: Bridging the Soft Skills Gap
Author: Bruce Tulgan
Publisher: John Wiley and sons, 2015
This book is another great book from the author Bruce Tulgan. This is a book for all young professionals. In this day of text speak and employers who are consistently vexed in the gap of social skills in young people this is an absolute must. In nursing today we often hear about some staff who will not do- they do not want the opportunity of getting the experience as they do not feel they are being paid to do so, or willing to work shifts. Personally this is not just the younger generation I feel all levels of staff can benefit from this and strengthen the team dynamics. All too often there appears a bad apple in the team and everyone questions why they get away with this – simple no one wants to rock the boat.
Highlights:
This author knows what he is talking about and has a business head on his shoulders. This is a well researched subject whereby the author has gained the inside knowledge from surveys, interviews and focus groups, talking to managers but also more importantly to the young professionals themselves. The author breaks own the generations and begins with generation X (1965-1977 – I just come under the generation previously) to generation Z (1990-1999). Communication is part of this – and as an investigator there is always an element of poor communication. Is it that my generation are starting to retire and we are part of the old work ethic? We did derive from a non digital age and were neither imperial nor metric. At the same time is not to be dismissed that generation Z has a wealth of skills in the technology field and fantastic energy.
Strengths and weaknesses:
The strengths are the positiveness that comes from the book the lesson plans are positive and can be achieved in easy steps. Although this is not a nursing or medical textbook the skills can be applied to all workforces.
The reader will find the book easy to read and not jargonistic, and down to earth. These concepts can be easily applied to training courses.
The only weakness I felt from a nursing literature review was the lack of references at the end of each chapter. I also felt parenting was not mentioned and is that part of the lack of social culture today and a nanny state where children do not go out to play as my generation did.
Potential Readers:
This book is apt for all junior members of nursing and medical staff, nurse manages, trainers and recruitment within the healthcare setting
April 27, 2022
It is so hard to read this book & take it seriously when all the author does is condescend to anyone in a younger generation. This book feels like fodder for people who already hate the younger generations and want things to "go back to the good ole days". Give me a break, there were a million other ways to get your point across. He also loves to crap all over Gen Z, who were born 1997-2012. Keep in mind that at its publish date of 2015, this means he's essentially talking about a group of children.
July 16, 2016
Tulgan scores again! A very useful how-to on dealing with Millenials. Some of his scenarios seem more real than others but his advice is useful and I have found some real good advice that will serve my company well looking towards the future. I highly recommend any of Bruce's books. he is writing some of the best advice books out there for the person in business.
April 30, 2016
Great perspective, good for both millennials to understand themselves and how they are being viewed as well as for non-millennials to gain a better understanding of where miscommunications lie. Also has great interactive lesson plans at the end! If you're sick of the 'millennial' label this is a good read. :P
March 15, 2023
Important information on often overlooked skills.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews