Managers’ skillsets are a key determining factor in their workers’ career success, according to a new study by STEM specialists SThree.
The SThree study, “How the STEM world works”, found that 6 in 10 (58 per cent) workers believe high performing teams are headed by leaders with stronger soft skills – such as communication, emotional intelligence and teamwork – over technical ability.
A further 56 per cent think that promoting individuals into leadership positions based on hard skills alone can hinder business growth. Meanwhile, nearly two thirds (63 per cent) believe teams led by strong leaders are able to innovate more effectively, and 7 in 10 (68 per cent) see ability to inspire and motivate as a more important leadership skill than technical expertise.
Rakesh Patel, Managing Director – UK and Rest of Europe at SThree, said: “These findings highlight a major shift in the traditionally hard-skill-focused STEM industry, as professionals widely acknowledge the immeasurable value that soft skills can bring.
“It’s a wake-up call for businesses and managers that soft skills must be invested in from the outset of people’s careers – overlooking their importance risks both career and business stagnation,” Rakesh added.
All respondents felt some sort of change was needed within their organisation to better balance soft skills with hard skills in promotion practices, such as mentorship programmes pairing technical experts with experienced leaders (32 per cent), reviews and updates of promotion policies to reflect changing needs (29 per cent), and mentoring of leaders by younger and more junior members of the workforce (26 per cent).
Rakesh commented: “The UK’s STEM industry is full of professionals with immense talent, and so we must make sure that when employees are ready to advance, their managers have the necessary tools to support them.”
SThree surveyed more than 500 STEM professionals in the UK to unveil what the sector wants for a new era of leadership.
