A Christmas Carol of soft skills

In an attempt to remind the elders and educate the youngsters, today’s reference, A Christmas Carol (1843), is a world-famous novella by Charles Dickens. Scrooge, the protagonist, is a cold-hearted miser who hates Christmas, which he associates with reckless spending. On the night of Christmas Eve, three spirits, the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come visit him on a journey for his redemption. What if Scrooge was a stingy, rude, and self-absorbed old man, but the causes were deeper…

What if…

…Scrooge’s soft skills were gone missing?

Fourth spirit: Mr. Soft

Let’s teleport to the third spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appearance. The spirit shows Scrooge a Christmas Day in his pessimist future, where he is disliked, until his very last breath. Scrooge, sobbing, pledges to change his ways.

Then, instead of the standard ending of the tale, we magically add the fourth spirit. He pops in, looking like a giant freshly washed teddy bear. His first name is Mr. Soft and his last name is Mc Skills. He seems to observe sad Scrooge and feel his pain (empathy). He doesn’t have to speak to feel the silence (active listening). He is just present to the moment.

When Scrooge finally calms down, he asks Mr. Soft if he is going to take him to another sad Christmas day of his life, as the previous ghosts did. Mr. Soft, with a tiny smile on his face, explains “Scrooge, my friend, I am here with you, we don’t need to leave this moment, because this moment is ours now!” Scrooge seems a bit confused. “Okay, Mr. Soft, what is it that you are trying to teach me? I don’t get it. At least the other ghosts had names that gave hints of where we were going”.

Mr. Soft, understanding the frustration of Scrooge (emotional intelligence) then explains: “I am the father of the most important, yet sometimes neglected human skills. I am the father of soft skills. This shocking night with my three colleagues visiting you in your sleep could have been avoided if only… if only what? You tell me! (critical & structural thinking)”

Scrooge thinks for a moment and replies: “…if only I could communicate deeply with my loved ones, if only I had been actively listening to what they were saying, if only I was a team player, supporting and motivating everyone around me, if only I was self-aware, instead of self-centered. I am a lost cause”, he sighs.

Mr. Soft then reminds him that the magic thing about soft skills is that they can be learned and practiced! It is never too late to begin! If you are 5 or 95, you can still be part of a better, more empathetic world. Let this be the Christmas Spirit this year… let the season be merry- it only takes soft skills!