With the modern professional landscape rapidly changing, your technical expertise is no longer the only thing that sets you apart. While hard skills, like accounting, data analysis, or marketing tactics, remain essential, the so-called “soft skills” often determine who thrives in business and leadership roles.
Communication. Leadership. Adaptability.
These aren’t buzzwords. They’re the foundation of effective workplaces, successful teams, and resilient careers. And for students pursuing degrees in Business Administration or Organizational Leadership, these are the very qualities that define a capable, confident, and future-ready professional.
Let’s explore why these skills matter and how Southern Nazarene University helps adult learners strengthen them for long-term success.
For years, soft skills were considered a bonus or “nice to have.” They were secondary to the hard skills learned in training or on the job. That mindset is shifting fast as the professional landscape continues to evolve.
According to a recent LinkedIn survey of hiring professionals, 92% said soft skills are just as important, if not more so, than hard skills. Additionally, many reported that a lack of soft skills was a primary reason for new hires failing to meet expectations.
Why the shift?
Now more than ever, the business world is more interconnected, team-based, and fast-paced. Technology changes constantly, and markets shift overnight. Success no longer hinges solely on what you know. It also depends on how well you lead, adapt, and communicate.
Soft skills are the new hard skills, whether you’re managing a team, launching a business, or navigating organizational change.
Strong communication is more than clearly presenting an idea. It’s about listening with empathy, writing purposefully, and facilitating conversations that move teams forward.
In business, communication touches everything. This includes:
People who communicate clearly and confidently are often more trusted and promoted faster. It’s a skill that multiplies your effectiveness in any role.
Leadership is no longer confined to a job title. Today’s leaders are found at every level of an organization. What matters is the ability to influence others, build trust, and guide a group toward shared goals.
Effective leadership includes:
In roles that involve change, such as mergers, new strategies, and cultural shifts, strong leadership becomes the anchor that keeps teams focused and unified.
If there’s one soft skill that defines the modern business era, it’s adaptability. Change is constant, and it may come in the form of new technology, industry disruptions, or evolving customer expectations.
Professionals who can pivot, learn on the fly, and stay optimistic amid uncertainty are invaluable.
Adaptability is imperative when:
Adaptability helps you remain not only relevant but also indispensable.
SNU’s adult Professional and Graduate Studies (PGS) programs are designed with today’s working professionals in mind. Every course goes beyond theory, including practical, real-world experiences, emphasizing soft skill development.
Here’s how our programs support the growth of communication, leadership, and adaptability:
Communication: Courses like Business Communications in a Global Environment strengthen effective business communications while preparing you for a diverse, global workplace.
Leadership: Courses like Introduction to Leadership help students explore foundational leadership concepts and develop confidence in decision-making.
Adaptability: Courses like Business Communication in a Global Environment teach students written and oral communication skills for effectively communicating in a diverse and global workplace, reducing barriers related to diversity and cultural differences.
Communication: Courses like Business Analytics for Managers help students gain experience in collecting and conveying data, business writing, professional presentations, and interpersonal collaboration through findings and recommendations.
Leadership: Courses like Human Resource Management & Workforce Diversity study core principles of management and strategic planning to build leadership potential by focusing on both internal external forces that affect the management and leadership of human resources.
Adaptability: Courses like Personal & Professional Development explore how factors influence and help individuals to interpret life situations and circumstances in terms of relationships, personal decision making, and future applications.
Communication: Courses like Effective Interpersonal Communication examines interpersonal communication theory and the factors that influence its effectiveness for essential relationships and human engagement. Improved communication skills can enhance the quality of personal and professional situations.
Leadership: Courses like Leadership Theory & Practice present management and leadership theories and include a strong focus on servant leadership, emotional intelligence, and team motivation.
Adaptability: Courses like Leading Through Organizational Crisis provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to guide their organizations through times of crisis and challenging changes.
Communication: Courses like Conflict Resolution & Negotiation: Leading Difficult Conversations explores foundational concepts of communication like basic counseling and listening skills to show students how to care for others throughout the entire conflict resolution process. These skills are useful both personally and in your organizations.
Leadership: Courses like LiveLast Leadership: Learning How to Serve, examine the intersection of leadership and servanthood, with emphasis on concepts like transformational servant leadership and ethical decision-making
Adaptability: Courses like Embracing Change: The Innovative Leader focus on planning and implementing change in organizations and provide frameworks and tools for implementing these changes. Learners are encouraged to recognize opportunities for change in organizations and understand how to manage change when it is presented.
Communication: Courses like Business Essentials provide a foundation in concepts related to advanced business communication in executive settings, including management, marketing, global business, and business law & ethics.
Leadership: Courses like Strategic Leadership for Organizations help students build strategic leadership skills through emphasis on organizational behavior theory, effective communication practices, motivational theory, and organizational culture analysis.
Adaptability: Courses like Marketing for the 21st Century explore evolving business trends and learn how to make decisions in uncertain, high-stakes environments.
In every program, students learn from experienced faculty and alongside other professionals. This creates opportunities to grow together and build a network that supports long-term career success.
If you’re considering returning to school, you might already have many of these soft skills. This is especially true if you’ve been working, leading, parenting, volunteering, or serving your community. SNU’s programs help refine those abilities, give them academic grounding, and connect them to clear professional outcomes.
Skills like communication, leadership, and adaptability are what make professionals stand out in an increasingly automated and digital world.
These skills:
Soft skills can be learned, strengthened, and applied—no matter your age or background.
Whether you're just starting your educational journey or ready to advance your career, now is the perfect time to invest in the soft skills that matter most.
At SNU, our flexible, accelerated programs are built for busy adults. You’ll gain the tools to lead with clarity, communicate with purpose, and adapt to whatever comes next.
Explore our degree programs in Business Administration and Organizational Leadership today to discover how far soft skills can take you.