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Transparent HR Podcast
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Transparent HR Podcast
Skilling You Softly: Mastering People Skills with Sarita Price | Ep. 17
Soft skills might not show up on your resume, but they often determine how far you’ll go in your career—and in today’s changing workforce, they’re more essential than ever.
In this episode, Coach Sherita Price shares her powerful message of “Skilling You Softly”—a fresh take on developing emotional intelligence, communication skills, and influence that truly elevate careers.
✅ Emotional intelligence as the foundation for leadership and growth
✅ Communicating effectively—especially when choosing the right channel for tough conversations
✅ Building relationships that create trust and drive performance
✅ Managing conflict before small issues become big problems
✅ Using creativity to keep teams engaged, especially younger generations
✅ Understanding why today’s workforce values flexibility and meaningful connection
✅ How younger professionals’ career expectations differ from previous generations
✅ Why companies must develop soft skills at every level to retain top talent
Visit Sherita at FSP Enterprises (fspenterprises.net) or connect with her on LinkedIn to explore her coaching, books, and apparel line dedicated to personal and professional development.
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💼 Connect with Prince Tate
Hey, today's episode is all about something that doesn't show up on your resume but often determines how far you'll actually go. It's called soft skills. You know the quote your technical skills may get your foot in the door, but your people skills open most of the doors to come. That wisdom comes from today's special guest, coach Sherita. She's known for her powerful message of skilling you softly, helping professionals build the kind of emotional intelligence, communication and influence that truly elevate careers. Whether you're just starting out or trying to break through the next level, this episode will give you insight, real talk and practical steps to level up your soft skills and your success. Now let's get into it, hey, and welcome back to the Transparent Nature podcast, where we bring real conversations to help you navigate your career and workplace challenges. It's your host, prince Tate, and today we also have my co-host, mario Hunt. What's?
Speaker 2:going on. Mario, what's up? Prince? Another time to sit down and have a great conversation.
Speaker 1:I'm super excited about it, bro man every time we have these episode recordings, it seems like we hadn't seen each other in months. It's actually true. You know, sometimes it makes it seem like, oh my God, we hadn't done this in a while. But man, I'm so glad that you're here with us today. Look, we're going to have a really awesome episode today and we do have a really special guest that we introduce in just a second. But hey, if you are returning, what are we going to tell them, mario?
Speaker 2:He be catching me off guard. Y'all, welcome back, welcome back. Welcome back If you're returning. We're excited to have you back. And for all of the new people tuning in, come here, make it home and stay with us, okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, make sure you hit that subscribe button, make sure you follow us, whatever platform that you're listening on. Okay, we want to make sure that you also send this out to someone who can benefit from listening to the Transparent Nature podcast. Hey, we're giving you real practical advice in your career, as with, as well as within your workplace. So if you have questions, you, you, you, you have scenarios that you want to talk about, hey, send it to us. You know, send us a comment. Let us know what it is that you want us to talk about and we'll talk about it. Your support continues to help us to continue to bring real conversations and insights that help you succeed in your career. Hey, so let's introduce our guest. Today. We have Sarita Price. How are you doing, sarita? Welcome to the podcast, hey.
Speaker 3:I am awesome. Thank you for inviting me, Daniel. I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So look, we all three of us worked at the same organization once before. We won't say the name of this organization, but what we will do is say that we had a good time.
Speaker 3:Yes, we did.
Speaker 1:We had a good time, hey, so before we get into the topic today, I want to go back down memory lane for just a quick second. Soita, so, look, I think, okay, I believe out of all three of us, I was the first one who started, and then Sarita came and then Mario came right and that. So, look, I want us to go back down memory lane real quick. What, sarita? What was your first impression about us? I want to know what did you? Did you think we were crazy? Did you think like what did you think about it? What was your first impressions?
Speaker 3:well, no, actually my first impression was, okay, this is cool, they're fun, because I mean, I mean, of course I'm an HR professional we come, come across as, but you know, we have to have that. I always called it that poker face, right. But you know, after the orientate knew how orientations and we kind of got to know each other and I'm like, oh, they are so cool, we will laugh. And it was an incredible experience both working with both of you guys, because I'm the guy. I mean you're serious when it's work time, but when it's after the fact, you just laugh, and especially if something happened you're going to orientate, we would just go in. It would be, you know. So you guys make work, you guys made work fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know what I think that's important. I often tell people, especially my co-workers, my peers in HR. I say you have to make HR fun, right? Because?
Speaker 1:a lot of times people, you know they'll say, oh, hr is very diplomatic and you know, and the police Right. But I always say you got to make HR fun because if not it can get stale. Right, Because all we do is hear people's problems or the organization's problem all day long. Right, so you got to make it fun, mario. What about you? What's your first impressions about us?
Speaker 2:OK, well, I'll do ladies first. Sarita, as she stated, poker face. She's well put together, very poised, always looking neat, as she does now Face always together, hair always together, looking perfect, speaks and articulates very well. So I was like, okay, so she's probably going to be super, super you know, twist tight everything together. And then, after we started talking, talk and she kind of let her guard down a little bit and saw it was a safe space.
Speaker 2:Then I got to see more personality and, like now, that huge, beautiful smile more often instead of her looking so business all the time, and it was great. It was really refreshing to see that. You know, in HR, like you said, we have to kind of water it down and bring ourselves off of always dealing with issues. Most of the time we're the fixers. We go through and we coach and groom the leaders. We work with Sarita, work kind of in an area where development and coaching, so we deal with the ER side a lot and we have to work with her to get together to kind of put it all together to work, make it work. So we're always synergizing, energizing, working really hard to try to fix things for the organization as well as the staff and the employees, so we could get so wrapped up in it. Sometimes it's hard to find that area where we can smile and have fun, but it's great when you find people that make it easy.
Speaker 2:And so once we got to know each other. You made it easy, as well as Daniel. When I met Daniel, he was very young. I'm still young. We met at my interview actually and, as he said, I had my three-piece suit on.
Speaker 1:Oh yes, he had a three-piece suit on in the interview I was like, come on with it, Sarita.
Speaker 2:They talked about me so bad. I was so ashamed when they finally got close enough to tell me what they said about me after my interview and I was like y'all did me dirty no Like, really, because I wore my three-piece suit, so I wore my blue suit and I was like y'all did me dirty no like, really, because I wore my three piece suit. So I wore my blue suit and I wore my best too, with my tie and everything. I wasn't thinking about church, but you know it's been in your whole life, it's just been in your whole life and so, if no one else pointed out, it's been in Daniel his whole life. So I know he was the one that started the conversation talking about my three piece suit. No one has to tell me who started that conversation, but I didn't think about the fact that, oh, I'm gonna put on a three-piece suit, I just put on my blue suit. You know you we're in hr, so we're gonna put on those hr coats for interviews gray blue.
Speaker 2:You know those coats I put on my blue suit. I thought I hated all together. They ate me up when I left, but in the, in the end yeah.
Speaker 1:I got the job, he got the job.
Speaker 2:Now, one thing that they did tell me that made me feel good. They was like after I left out, they was like he's the one. They was like it was. No one had to question it. Everybody was like okay, so I did my job in my three piece suit, he did it.
Speaker 2:But once we started Daniel was kind of real, like you, poised, you know you could tell he was just getting groomed, so he had to keep it super professional and I think after a few weeks we slowly, slowly, slowly moved into friends at work and then kind of slowly moved into what we consider like brotherhood, like it's been an amazing journey, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, it's been an amazing journey. But so this organization that we worked at, this was my first full time HR professional job and honestly, I did not know what to expect, right, especially you have, you know, more seasoned professionals coming in, like yourself, like both of you coming in like yourself, like both of you, right, and so I really didn't know what to expect. But, coming in the door, sarita, I mean, we just connected right, we was in orientation and you know, we were talking and, man, we just had a good time right, and it's all about personality, right. Like, yeah, be professional but also bring some personality, because sometimes people they don't come and bring their personality and you don't know, you know how can I approach this person, right. But you came in, like, like Mario said, with that big old smile on your face and, you know, really neat and poised, and but at the same time we had a good time, right, and so we quickly built our relationship and you know, I would say that if it had not been for that relationship, I don't know, mario, I probably wouldn't have been as fun as I am Right.
Speaker 1:But then Mario came in and I'm honestly, I'm gonna say this y'all I was super nervous. When we hired Mario, I just I knew he was really good and, you know, me coming in, I didn't want, I just didn't want to slack, if that, if that makes any sense. And this dude came in and he started mentoring me. He started showing me the ropes. He started showing me, like, how I get organized, how I should, you know, handle certain individuals and certain people talking about you know, how to really navigate in the workplace. I didn't know what to expect and so, man, working with Mario has been really a blessing in disguise and making my experience as my first time, first full time opportunity, just a great one. So, man, it's been an awesome time. And don't get three of us in a room, just don't.
Speaker 2:Right Now, you get three of us on here.
Speaker 1:So, hey, thank you all for just you know, going down memory lane. And hey, if you're listening in to this episode, whether you're on YouTube or whatnot, hey, add some comments about your experience just working with your coworkers, your peers. Let us know how it's going right. Working with your coworkers, your peers, let us know how it's going right. Let us know if you hadn't found that really great environment. We want to talk about it, right? So, sherita, let's get into today's episode. We're talking about skilling you softly, those soft skills that you need to continue to progress in your career. There's a quote that you have on your website that you know your talent will get you in the door, but those soft skills will allow you to those doors to continue to open up, right? So tell us about you. Know what got you into doing coaching, right? And how did this thing skilling you softly came about?
Speaker 3:All right. Well, first, like I say, thank you guys first for allowing me on the show to talk about this. I call it the skilling you softly experience. So, of course, skilling you softly comes from soft skills. So what soft skills are are those transferable skills that do not require obtained knowledge, in other words, they're people skills. So you know emotion, intelligence, conflict management, effective customer service. There's over 21 plus soft skills. And how I actually came? It's really funny because in my career I've always been a people watcher. Didn't know why, but I was kind of watch people's behavior. I started off my career actually as an executive assistant in many different departments. It took me 12 years to get an HR. Wow, after I graduated from college, 12.
Speaker 2:Wow, I hear that a lot though.
Speaker 3:I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:I said, I hear that a lot Like a lot of people that actually go to school for HR. It's really hard for them to get into the field.
Speaker 3:Yes, it was very hard for me to get into HR. But you know it's funny my journey. I was in sales, I was in finance, I was in all those areas and I was just so frustrated because I'm like, hr is my passion.
Speaker 3:But what I did not realize those were setting me up to learn all the operations of a company. So when I finally got into HR but a previous employer, um, I knew every function, the operations part, how it worked, and I just kind of watch people's behavior and I always would watch my leaders, my supervisors most of them were VPs and different levels. I will watch their leadership. And I didn't really understand what soft skills was until after, you know, probably after I got into HR. So you know, and I always say there, I always use soft skills. Just, you know, give you where I am now.
Speaker 3:I don't know, daniel, maybe you can want a little head, but soft skills are really important for leadership because really to be an effective leader you have to have soft skills.
Speaker 3:So that's when I kind of moved in 2015, before I started working in a place of employment where we were coaching and to me, to be an effective leader, or it really to be a great employee, soft skills are necessary. Yeah, so the skilling you softly actually came about during the pandemic after 2020. That's when I kind of shifted, after I left the place of employment where we were and I went full time into my business and I had developed over the years over 17,. I had developed over the years over 17,. I've developed over 17 soft skill courses, curriculums that I've written. Most of my coaching now I focus soft skills methods and practice practices to develop leaders and build high performing teams. So and I always say you know I take a holistic approach because I am a life coach that's what the BCCLA I'm a certified Christian life coach as well as the business side and I take a holistic approach to my coaching and to my development. I like to say I help you take care of your being and your business.
Speaker 3:I'm skilling you softly to live and lead with confidence and boldness.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's awesome. Isn't it amazing how sometimes you just walk into your purpose like that, you know it's like you're, you're able to, and sometimes we don't realize the roles that we work in, the positions that we're in, how it all works together for us to move to where we need to be Right.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, and to me that's always amazing because it's like or even you know, when hard time comes Right, it's like I don't want to go through it. But then later on, after you've gone through it, you realize, oh my God, I needed this skill, I needed to experience this to get to where I am, or to even help other people, and that's really what it's all about I am, or to even help other people, and that's really what it's all about. It's about helping other people, and sometimes it's not about you, right?
Speaker 2:I always say that there's purpose behind everything, even those difficult things. Sometimes, in those difficult times, at that moment you may not understand, but surely down the road you're going to realize I needed that, I went through that for a reason and there's always purpose behind it. So sometimes, even when it seems challenging, I say just ride it out, ride it out. Always, do your part and give your best. And when you've given your best and you know that you've given your best and done your part, then you know that there's no more that you can do but just trust. You know, trust the process, trust God. If you believe in God, trust him, yeah. And that there is a reason why it's going the way that it's going because you've done everything that you can do and when you can't do anything, like the Sunks just stand because it's going to go in the way that it needs to go. It's going to work out how it should work out.
Speaker 1:Excuse my voice, I'm a little under the weather, but we're making it work today. Now are you good man, look Sarita. So you talked about getting into this thing and really coaching and opening up your business. Can you tell us, as it pertains to soft skills, why is it really important, especially for leaders, to have these soft skills to help lead an organization or a team?
Speaker 3:So I always use this example when I am either coaching or facilitating a class. Many times we're so focused on the technical skills, the skills you need. You know there are some skills, like if you're a doctor or engineer, there's definitely technical skills you have to, you know you need. But if you choose to move up into leadership, what to work, just really work and work with your coworkers in general, you have to have soft skills. Because, like you stated earlier, I use this example. Let's just say, if you know someone that's an engineer, top notch, just do their job well, high performing, then they want to.
Speaker 3:Many times we want to promote someone into a leadership role where you're supervising people and they have these great skills as far as technical skills, but yet they have no people skills, they have no soft skills. So you promote them in this role. They're more in a leadership role. You guys know this. It's not the technical skills. Your top skills you need are people skills how you treat your employees. When you have employees, when you have conflict, you always going to have some type of conflict.
Speaker 1:That's true.
Speaker 3:When you're dealing with you know you supervise 10 people, 100, whatever, and your skills need to be top skills, need to be more soft skills than technical skills because, you're going to need them if you want to be a successful leader or supervisor, and I always say that, especially in these times. I am real big on authenticity because your employees, people know fake and they know real.
Speaker 1:That's true.
Speaker 3:Some of the best supervisors I've had. I've learned so much from them supervisors I've had. I've learned so much from them, not necessarily because of their technical skills, but because how they treated their employees, how their employees reacted to them, the respect that they have. And I've had some great employees, great supervisors and when I was in corporate America and I had some not so great supervisors. But here's the thing I still learn from the not so great supervisors what I learn is what not to do.
Speaker 1:That is absolutely correct. You learn what not to do right.
Speaker 3:What not to do? That's right.
Speaker 2:And everything you're speaking is exactly one of the most influential aspects of being in leadership, which a lot of leaders do not understand because you know we work on the coaching side when it comes to ER Right and a lot of the issues, even with the employees. And leadership is not technical skills but more so, finding that commonality on how to communicate properly, how to lead properly. A lot of leaders think that just being in leadership is just telling people what to do all the time, but a lot of time it's more so if you can come in and you have those good people skills, build good relationships with people and you can get a person to do everything you want, even the things that they do not want to do, and get them to do it and feel like they should and that they want to do it just because of the relationship that you've built with them. I tell leaders all the time if you take care of your people when they need you to take care of them when you need to be taken care of.
Speaker 2:you won't have to beg, you won't even have to ask. Sometimes If something happens and you need them to come in at a time that they don't have to come in, they're off work, they don't have to come in, they don't have to hit that clock, but they know that you need them and you've taken care of them. They will volunteer, you will not have to ask. But it's because the lack of people, skills, it keeps a lot of leaders from getting to that point to where they can develop that relationship with their employees and their subordinates, to where they could have that finesse of building a relationship, along with the business part. This is the things that we need to take care of. This is the great area in the room where we can make it fun, where we can make it flexible, where we can. I scratch your back, you scratch your back and you have to be really careful with that.
Speaker 2:But at the same time, build that precedence to where you treat people like people and not like workers.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know, to me it's all about mutual respect, right, like, as people. They're not just robots ready for you know your command, right, and when I really think about this from the ER side of HR, most of the times when employees come and have a complaint, it's because that leader lacks soft skills, and that's the reality of it. Yeah, you know, you're a good worker, you have good technical skills man, you know how to put a spreadsheet. Worker, you have good technical skills, man, you know how to put a spreadsheet together. But how do you talk to your employees, right, and even as peers and coworkers and professionals, sometimes it's not. You know that person don't know what they're doing. It's about, oh, how do they communicate? Do they have emotional intelligence to know?
Speaker 1:You know that the conversation is not going well, right, and so then you have employees coming to HR complaining about I feel like I'm being bullied or harassed, and then we have to look at okay, is it really bullying, is it really harassment, or is it the fact that your leader just don't have soft skills or they're not focusing on how to be really great leaders from a people side, right?
Speaker 1:And so you know, when I think about this again, we have a lot of employees coming to HR because of that right and the employee they're not going to see oh, they don't have soft skills. Since I've been in HR, I hadn't had an employee come and say hey, I want to make a formal complaint on my leader because they don't have soft skills. They're going to go directly to. I feel like I'm being harassed, I feel like I'm being discriminated against, I feel like I'm being bullied. I feel like I'm being discriminated against. I feel like I'm being bullied, right, and so that's what they're going to do. So how do you really help not just leaders, but people from a holistic viewpoint? How do you help them start attaining these soft skills that they need in the workplace?
Speaker 3:these soft skills that they need in the workplace. So, first thing, first you have to do a self assessment. You know, many times I always use, especially when I'm coaching, sometimes it's not about the answer, it's about asking the right question. So, you know, helping them to really, just, you know, first, focus on, maybe, especially it's a situation if you, you know, helping them to really, just, you know, first, focus on, maybe, especially it's a situation if you, you know, dealing with an employee, you know first, you know, become, you know, personable with them.
Speaker 3:I always like to say let's breathe, let's, you know, calm down, let's just have general conversation to get to really thinking about certain things. So I would say, and I think what you're asking me, daniel, is how do you, how saying that the person that is not bullying or whatever? We need to take a self-assessment of ourselves and what are my strengths, what are my weaknesses, and getting clarity. Because, if you know, there are five components of emotion intelligence. The first one I always focus on is self-awareness. Wow, being self-aware, self-regulated, how do I regulate my emotions?
Speaker 3:And I think, with leaders especially, emotion intelligence is to. To me, it's one of the top soft skills that you that is needed, because when you are more aware of yourself and your reactions and how you, you know you can really relate more to other people. So you know whether that's coaching, whether that's some timing, it just depends on what level you are. I always say this I coach people but I don't coach everybody, because I have an assessment that I give the person and sometimes they may need a counselor before they need a coach.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't, just often. Oh, I'm a coach.
Speaker 1:Oh, I'm going to coach you.
Speaker 3:I have an assessment I've actually built myself, because there's a saying where a counselor will actually help you through your mess but a coach will give you a bucket and mop and help you clean it up. So you know, really, self-assessment to me is the worst thing. You got to set clear goals you got to. I'm just always starting with self first, Know and realize. It's just like you don't realize something and you said something early. People don't talk about soft skills because people don't really know what soft skills are. They're more focused on the productivity part and the revenue part and see we as HR, we know that.
Speaker 3:But I always say and I'm trying to get these executives and leaders to understand your lack of soft skills and the things especially you guys know incivility now is top, it's gone. I mean, people can't even get along now and this is causing a high turnover rate. This is causing I'm just like you don't connect the lack of soft skills, incivility with affecting your bottom line. Yeah, I don't know, maybe we're not just doing a good job of trying to tell them, because when you have soft skill issues or lack of that messes with your revenue.
Speaker 2:So go ahead.
Speaker 1:Well, I actually you know you have five top soft skills and I really want us to dive into those top skills, and you talked about one of them, which being emotional intelligence. So what are some of the other top skills, the top five soft skills that we're talking about here, that people need to be aware of and need to be knowledgeable about?
Speaker 3:So and I'm going to put this out here before I say that so what I've learned a lot of the soft skills that I. They're interchangeable, one is on the other. So the second one for me is effective communication. We do not know, as it's one of those soft skills that we don't know, how to communicate with each other. Effective communication how is your listening skills? How are you communicating? Sometimes, like you know, you have the verbal and nonverbal skills. Like I'm practicing both. I use my hands a lot when I'm talking. Listening skills you know, if we would stop and listen, there's a technique to that. Listen before we whip. Sometimes, especially when we're in a conflict management situation, which is another soft skill, we're too busy trying to think what I'm going to say and you're not effectively listening to the person.
Speaker 1:Have you seen that video on Facebook? You say listen, linda, listen.
Speaker 3:I haven't seen that one.
Speaker 2:It's old. We used to do that one a lot.
Speaker 1:Listen, it's a little kid Listen. Linda listen.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, effective communication, emotional intelligence, conflict management oh my god, that's, that's huge. And, um, how to deal with conflict. And one thing I'm noticing now, especially the younger generation, um, that is one of the skills that is so lacking is how to deal with conflict Everybody and to go back and affect the communication you know you have now with texting and all those different types of communication we need to. One thing I'm noticing that we are not really Teaching, or they're not being taught, soft skills on when to use certain tools. If you're in a heated discussion or something, text is not it, it is not.
Speaker 2:Nowadays it is they want to text everything.
Speaker 3:If you want to really resolve a conflict, you need to pick up the phone, your cell phone or person face-to-face, because you can't see body language and tone over a text, and I use that quite a bit when I'm talking about effective communication.
Speaker 2:But you know they can record now and see we're more on the traditional side. I'm with you, serena. You know now they can hold the thing and actually speak to you and tell you what they want to tell you and text it to you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I still said that's still more effective than just the words, because at least if you recording it I do it a lot, you know you can hear my voice, you can hear my tone, you can hear.
Speaker 2:Oh, she got attitude.
Speaker 3:No, she said that would have an attitude. I see where she is, I see where you're at, I'm going to check your temperature. So at least with that, that's better than just a text.
Speaker 2:And you can't hear any of that. But I feel like, honestly, on that point, while we're there, for me, that is not enough for me. Even with that, you know, I feel like sometimes that personable conversation needs to take place and sometimes that is what is the breakdown and miscommunication. When you're texting, when you're assuming based off of something like that, a video or something like that, a lot of times it's just being able to have take five seconds. I remember I used to get told this all the time and then when I say this, you're gonna remember it's not from that institute where we worked yet, but another institute where we worked together, another um. I would. I would always get a call from my leader and she would say, mario, stop emailing and just pick up the phone and call.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah because he'll go in an email war.
Speaker 2:I will give you everything in an email, and, and, but I'm I'm more articulated through conversation. I'm really good with people.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 2:I have those conversations with people.
Speaker 2:But sometimes, if I get an email and I'm like you know, and so all of that buffer from the conversation where you bring it down and you change your tone. You say, hey, sarita, so I got your email and it seems like you may be a little something, may have pressed a few buttons or something like that. So can you kind of give me some insight of exactly what it is that you're saying, because I don't want to take it the wrong way. That little bit of finesse can change the tone, you know, and I feel like that's missing in the workplace with all this AI. Like you said, right now a lot of leaders are just concerned about numbers, metrics, performance, but they don't understand how soft skills can change that, completely change it.
Speaker 2:You know, instead of um managing a person through email, um managing a person through um metrics, having those conversations, sometimes you do have to go personal. Sometimes you have to see if I'm looking at sarita and I'm seeing she looks tired. All the time she comes in she's rushing, yeah, she looks like she's got a lot going on Instead of just pushing numbers and emailing her and saying, hey, sarita, I need you to meet those numbers today. Hey, sarita, I need you to meet those meetings, taking five minutes to stop and say, hey, sarita, how are you? You look like you've been a little stressed or that you got a lot going on. Are you okay Sometimes just letting, just letting a person know that you're concerned, having some empathy, having a little time and giving them some energy, that you care about what's going on with them. You'll find out that some of the things that they need that you won't find out just from watching you'll get from a small conversation.
Speaker 2:So, those soft skills are super, super important and if you think your metrics can turn around by performance it can really turn around through performance management If you touch on soft skills.
Speaker 3:you can get a lot out of people if you just understand where they are and what's going on with them.
Speaker 1:I agree, 1000% yes, and you know it's for me it's not about trying to beat the system or be manipulative, right, but it's really about being intentional, right. And so when people hear this, it's not to be like, oh, how can I get them to perform better, but it's really about authenticity. And people, hey, they know when you're being authentic and they know when you're just trying to pull a wool over them, right? So it's all about being intentional and leading with intentionality, right. Sometimes I can't talk right, I can't be worried.
Speaker 2:Did you catch that Sarita Intentionality?
Speaker 3:I want to add this to, which brings me to the next soft skill relationship building, soft skill.
Speaker 2:It is it's important.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so you know, and this shows how relationship building it ties back to the other soft skills being emotionally intelligent as well as being an effective communicator.
Speaker 3:You've got to have those. If you're trying to build a relationship, you have to have authenticity. You have to need to have a form of transparency as well when you are because, like you great example that Mario gave you know pay attention to your employees, build those relationships. I would say, especially if you are a supervisor, what have you? And, just in general, you know there is a fine line as far as relationship. You don't want to get too personable. However, you want to know enough about that particular employee to build relationship, have them feel comfortable and, like you stated earlier, have a safe space for them.
Speaker 3:I remember I was working at a company. It was the first company organization that I worked for. Actually, it was an HR role. I'll tell you about my journey in HR and it was a particular HR manager. He had been there at this company. I've got 25 something years. Everybody loved this man. It was at a carefree, was at a warehouse and I know there were over hundreds and hundreds of employees. There were over hundreds and hundreds of employees. This HR manager knew every employee name in the warehouse. He knew everything about every one of them. Every morning, when he got to work early, he would go through the warehouse meet greet. Hey, how are you? How's your mother? Did your daughter have her baby? He knew everything about every employee, everything, and that you don't find that anymore.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:You know, I think he's retired now, but he's a. He was part of the baby boomer generation. But it works, yeah, it works in all aspects.
Speaker 2:I'm going to call the name of a old friend of mine but he just got a lot of accolades and it's not in in the workplace as a leader but in academia as a professor. He's over the music department at Cordova High School and his name is Adrian Macklin. He just got awarded with the Grammy Awards awarded him for the practice there. One thing Adrian did and it was a real big thing. I don't know who started it, I don't think he started it, but he picked it up really quickly, or he may have started it, but he did a clip that he posted out where he had learned his students well enough to where he could turn his back and if they spoke he could identify who they were.
Speaker 2:Some very. You know the word intimacy is kind of spread out, but that's a real big relationship and intimacy to build enough with 20 to 25, maybe even 30 different students or even employees and just with your back turned if they say a word to you, you know exactly who you're speaking with, you've paid attention to that person, you know the tone of their voice, you know them when you hear them and you don't have to see them and I think a lot of places have lost touch with that. We don't get to know the people that we work with. We're hiring people in numbers just to get the job done and that affects all of those things from relationship building because you haven't built a relationship, you don't know them to the people skills. You don't know how to talk to each individual differently, because we all are different. Daniel takes conversations and probably coaching, completely different from me, as well as you, sarita. It's not a one size fits all. Oh, I've learned emotional intelligence.
Speaker 2:I've learned how to you know, relationship, building individuals in order to be able to manage them and build different relationships for each one of them, and I think that's where we're losing touch in business, in the professional world. We're bringing in AI and I'm not against AI, because it's great that chat what is it chat GPT?
Speaker 3:Why did you say that I'm traditional? I'm so traditional.
Speaker 2:He said that chat.
Speaker 2:Let me tell you, Daniel speaks about it all the time, and I'm not trying to jump out of country, but Daniel speaks about it all the time. You know, I own a clinic now, sabrina, and just yesterday I had a nurse practitioner that came in. She is actually one of our patients and she's in health care too, and she came in. Tiffany came in and she was. She was like we have a thing where we're doing. If you go on social media, on Facebook, and you check in while you're there, we'll give you a discount for your full service, whatever you're there for. And so she was like say something real nice about us. Say something real nice we want people to see and come over and see us.
Speaker 2:And she said you want me to go to Chad GPT? I was like what? And she said you want me to go to ChatGPT? I was like what? And she said, oh, that's that thing that my friend uses all the time. And she was pulling up and I was like, oh, okay. And I was like, well, I hear about it all the time but I still haven't used it. She's like, oh, you got to get it. It's real neat. So I'm really interested and excited about learning that.
Speaker 2:But, that stuff is great, but sometimes that stuff is not going to take away from that personable interaction, having those conversations, and I know that was a long way to get to the point, but that's basically what I'm trying to say. Sometimes having those tools work great for performance wise and for management, but don't take away the personable side, don't take away those soft skills that we need in the workplace and you know what?
Speaker 3:That's a great segue into the last. The creativity is a soft skill. People don't know that, but I'm like you Now don't get me wrong In all aspects. Actually, I'm in the process of, I'm going to the next level. I'm getting ready to get my certification AI because I use it. I use it a great deal, but I use it more for an academic Because, if you don't know, I'm a college instructor too. I'm an adjunct professor and actually I'm at the University of Memphis now. Oh you go, girl. All right, it's been time. I teach entrepreneurship and innovation at University of Memphis, as well as Grand Canyon, and I'm constantly having to soft skills versus, because a lot of students now want to use this to write their papers.
Speaker 3:I'm like no, ai is for. I'm so not anti-AI. I'm not, because I use it sometimes to help. Sometimes it helps you generate ideas. That's what it's really really good for. But I am a creative so I like to create my own. You're picking shoes, but many times, as far as creativity because someone asked me you think AI is going to fix soft skill creativity I said no, it shouldn't, because if you are original, you like to create things. You have to know the balance between that. And I always say to you know, get in your flow. Whatever you know, be creative, and that's what I love. Now I'm noticing more in the world of HR. Companies are allowing as far as employee engagement. They're allowing their employees to be more part of the team, to bring their creativity to the workforce. It's not like. This is how it is. You're going to do it this way and we don't want your ideas. That's not going to work.
Speaker 1:But you know it's a lot of companies that's still in the past, you know, and they don't want your creativity. I went through an interview interviewing with this company and I provided a lot of great, you know, creative ideas. And when I got to the interview they told me well, you know, we want you to. You know, just learn the organization, see how we do it. You know, see how. And there's nothing wrong with, of course, learning you know how that organization operates. But when you stress that point, that's a red flag for me that hey, there's no creativity at this organization.
Speaker 3:And that's true, that's very true. And it depends on you guys know, it depends on the company culture, because the way I have been, I don't praise God, I don't want to interview anymore when I used to go to different companies and interview. They're interviewing me, but I am interviewing them Absolutely. What I do does not align with their mission and vision and their values they're not the company that I want to work for.
Speaker 3:I think sometimes especially much younger generation, especially Gen Z. I don't know, are you millennial or Gen Z? Daniel, which generation are you?
Speaker 1:I'm right in the middle between both of them.
Speaker 3:I know you're a millennial right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, very much so. He's on the top scale of millennial.
Speaker 3:I'm a Gen Xer myself. He's on the top scale of millennial. I'm a Gen Xer, so I try to teach some of the younger people I kind of mentor, who are born into the workforce, that you interview them as well as have nothing. It's important.
Speaker 3:Have questions. At the end Don't say I don't have any questions, yeah, you listen. Put your effective community listen to what they're saying, so you may determine that you may not want to work for this company because of that. So creativity is very important. A lot of companies are losing out because they do not allow their employees and this one thing and I just got to get this in there we use the term in HR human capital. I detest that word Because when I heard the word human capital, you know what it sounded like. I'm hearing herd of cattle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I get it.
Speaker 3:Seriously.
Speaker 2:I don't like it either.
Speaker 3:I don't like it.
Speaker 2:It's certain words that I do not like.
Speaker 3:That's one.
Speaker 2:I don't like the word or the term boss. Who boss and who? Nobody's? Nobody's boss. We're all adults here, leader, I always Leader, manager, supervisor, but bossing mentor, no bossing. I think that's in their mind when they get in some leadership roles I'm the boss now. I'm the boss now, you know? No, please take that. I don't like it. You want to treat people as people.
Speaker 3:That's true.
Speaker 2:I don't want anybody to boss me around. I want someone to lead me, help grow me. Help me grow so that I can go in whatever direction. I'm trying to go into the field that I want to be in If I want to progress up, if I'm comfortable where I am. But I want to be a little creative with my role and maybe stay at the level that I'm in but move in another role that offers more flexibility, more creativity, me to synergize or energize or use other skills and soft skills as well.
Speaker 2:But a lot of companies now they're investing in AI. You want to know why? Because the new generation have tapped into exactly what you just talked about, sarita creativity. They have realized that I don't want to come in your office and work a regular eight to five every day and dress up in your suit, in your tie. I can make my own money. I can create my own job. I can get right online and get right online and blog. I can get right online. They can do exactly what we're doing right now and make money off of that.
Speaker 2:They can start their own online stores. They are being creative and creating their own job because they do not want to go in and sit. What we have adapted to being as the workforce and the professional environment is not what they want. They want flexibility. They want to progress, they want equal and fair pay and they're not afraid to say it, they're not afraid to fight for it and they are not afraid to walk away, because they can figure out a way to make money on their own, without your business.
Speaker 2:So it's very, very important that they allow these people and especially the youth, to be able to use their creative energy, to be able to come in, have that flexibility, to come in and not be sit or not have to sit in an office from eight to five because they do not want to do that. It's a different workforce now.
Speaker 1:So it's important. Yeah, and you're absolutely right, mario. You know, when I think about that, a lot of the younger generation, they've seen their parents struggle, they've seen their grandparents struggle, you know, especially pensions. You don't even hear that, no more, right.
Speaker 2:Being loyal to a job, but it's only going to give you 3% to 6% every year, and sometimes not even that.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So you know from the younger generation, they don't want to have to go through all of that and then at the end of it they have nothing to see how hard they work for right. So, man, y'all this has been a great conversation today, really really awesome. Sharita, you gave us five soft skills that are really important for today's workforce, not just for leaders, but for professionals as well. Number one with emotional intelligence. Number two effective communication. Number three relationship building, creativity, creativity and conflict management. Sherita, before we get out of here, is there anything else you would like to share about soft skills and why it's really important in today's workforce?
Speaker 3:With everything going on. Yes, in today's workforce, it's kind of like soft skills is becoming. I'm seeing more and more, especially HR SHRM. They're talking more and more about soft skills and it's to the point where, if we want to be a vital, productive working force, we're going to have to start engaging more hiring coaches like me or different people who are soft skill experts to bring it in, because even though with AI, you still got to have people.
Speaker 2:That's true.
Speaker 3:One of the things I always say with the times that we're going through and I use this a lot soft skills get you through hard times.
Speaker 2:Yeah, prince, if you may, or if you will, sarita, can you just take about 60 seconds, because I know we're coming towards the ending of the show? Take 60 seconds and, with all the information that you've given us, all the details that you've given us about your wonderful business, come on, give us a little bit of sell us, sell us on it. Let the people know what you bring to the table, tell us about your business, where you can be reached, what you bring to the table so that, after this is done and they see all of these skills that you have, what all you have to offer, they'll know how to reach out to you and maybe we can get you a little bit more involved and help these people understand how important it is to have those five things that you just brought up today.
Speaker 3:So I am actually on all social media platforms LinkedIn, I'm on Facebook even. Alignable is another platform that's up and coming. Linkedin is where I do majority of you can reach out to me. I also have a website and it's FSP, like FSP which stands for from Sarita's pen that's my writer's name. Fsp enterprises dot net is my website, and as far as what I can bring to the table, I have worked in every industry. I've worked in the medical industry, the telecommunication industry, logistics, supply chain management, so it's not any industry that I am. Even in education. I am not only, you know, academics, I actually work with the school system too as well. So, like I said, soft skills are so needed and people don't realize it would help you to really really With your turnover rate and it's really really important as far as if you want to keep your employees happy as well. So it's that's how you can reach me and everything. I actually have an apparel line too. I don't know if you knew that Come on apparel line too.
Speaker 3:I don't know if you knew that. Come on, my company is multifaceted, it's just not only coaching, but I actually have an apparel line. You can find everything that I do. I'm an author. I've just written a new book, last year as well. Everything is self-development. So you can find everything that I do on my website, because I'm all things, all things Memphis as well. I just created a brand new apparel, new shirt called I Am. It's ask you a question and make a statement. I'm fighting for Memphis, are you?
Speaker 2:And what's the name of that book? Sarita?
Speaker 3:The book that I have. I have a copy. I don't have a copy here. It's called Wisdom from Sarita's Pen for Daily Living in the Workplace. It's inspirational quotes that I wrote work in your daily life and I talk a lot about soft skills in the in the book and there's a lot of spiritual information, because I have learned how to connect ministry to the marketplace as well.
Speaker 1:Man, that's awesome. Thank you so much, sherita, for joining us, and that was going to be the last question how can people connect to you? So thank you. Thank you, marcy. I have an awesome co-host right we here. So if you've enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe to the Transparent HR podcast, share it with a friend and leave us a review. Remember this your talent might get you noticed, but it's your people skills that build trust, open doors and keep opportunities flowing. Coach Sarita's message of skilling you softly is a powerful reminder that emotional intelligence, presence and how you treat others matter more than ever before. So take inventory of your soft skills, speak up, listen well and lead with empathy, and if you know someone that's trying to level up, send this episode their way. Let's keep building careers that aren't just successful but sustainable. Again, it's your host, prince Tate, along with your boy Rio.
Speaker 1:Along with Mario, and until next time, keep navigating your career with clarity. And until next time, keep navigating your career with clarity and with confidence. See you then.
