Scholarship & Education e-Magazine

Recently, I attended a sharing session that delved into the manager’s role in developing soft skills for junior staff, and it gave me some introspective insights. We all know that managers have the responsibility to nurture or inspire their subordinates to achieve their KPIs and in turn, contribute to the organisation’s business objectives. However, the heavy emphasis on those tangible aspects can cause the other areas of a junior staff’s development to be neglected.

For instance, the ability to network, which entails mastering the art of small talking and bringing an open mindset to the event while exchanging useful contacts. I’ve seen many preferring to hide in the corner of the room, chowing down the F&B and leaving the event as soon as they can. Some also write poor memos, losing the plot mid-stream while being long-winded and even rude.

Personally, I’ve interacted with colleagues and acquaintances who aren’t skilled in the area of “resourcefulness”, crying out for help via Teams and email whenever they encountered problems or setbacks. More often than not, the answer to the problems can be solved via Google.

Can managers help their junior staff develop holistically? Of course the answer is a resounding “yes”. It is also worth noting that there are plenty of articles written about the subject matter and even courses for managers to attend. Although, sometimes you just need to have an open eye and some common sense. So as scholarship seekers, you should also think of how you can contribute to your future organisation rather than being a hindrance. Once you adopt a leadership position, think about how to lift your staff up in more ways than one.



Ong Cheow Eng
Editor