What happens to the training budgets and staff when a company is in financial trouble? They are cut, right.

What kind of budget does a small company (1-100 employees) have for training there workers on soft skills?

Where is the average employee getting their soft skills training today?

Are colleges and universities specifically developing self-awareness knowledge in their curricula?

These are the questions we need to think about and answer. We need leaders. We need good employees that won't leave due to poor management or unhealthy work cultures. This can't change unless we invest in the personal development of our workforce.

I've worked for a large law firm and smaller companies and I can honestly say that I have only received soft skill training once. OK, maybe twice, if you call Diversity Training soft skill development.

If this is indicative of what others have not experienced, we are all in trouble.

How do we expect to have a company of innovators and strategic leaders if we haven't taught them how to communicate effectively with different personalities or if they don't know how to manage their emotions? Do we expect a one-time seminar or workshop will "fix" them?

So maybe it isn't about "training" per se, but about building a mentoring program which would supply regular feedback and coaching and development.

Emotional Intelligence is a key factor to an individuals success in life and the job. Where are we supposed to go to learn how to develop our Emotional Intelligence? Todd Bavol of Adventures of the Job Search Ninja wrote a super post about Emotional Intelligence and if you are wondering what it is, here are the five elements as he simply defines them:

1. Knowing your emotions
2. Managing your emotions
3. Self-motivation
4. Recognizing and understanding the emotions of others
5. Managing relationships or, to put it another way, managing the emotions of others

These are the areas we should be developing. Improvement in these areas will make us better, stronger, more employable, better innovators, better leaders. Or so I think. What are your thoughts? Where is this training happening?