CEO PR - Brandon Frere, CEO and Servant Leader, Discusses the Strength of Soft Skills

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Jul 26, 2018, 08:00 ET

PETALUMA, Calif., July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The past two decades have seen a huge shift from manual labor and hard labor skills to recruiters seeking candidates with soft skills. Perhaps the rise in technology and the continuous creation of jobs that never before existed, which analysts cannot even predict, is the partial cause for this trend. Regardless of the reasons, it is clear that soft skills are necessary when conducting business in the 21st century. Brandon Frere, CEO and serial entrepreneur, thinks business leaders should look at the data for themselves to determine if social and analytical skills are important to their hiring department or their own professional development.

"I have a degree in engineering, which is definitely not considered a soft skill major, especially considering I took classes in calculus and physics," says Frere. "However, I did learn to think critically and how to have a strong work ethic, which are considered soft skills. What I didn't learn in college was my people skills; I filled in the gaps while I was on the job throughout my career."

The major distinction between soft and hard skills is that the latter are more easily quantifiable. A person who is designing a website or using spreadsheets for finance will need specific, trainable skills to accomplish those tasks. On the other hand, soft skills are more intuitive and harder to measure. Leaders who don't spend time brushing up on their active listening or conflict resolution aptitude may have a more difficult time managing teams. Encouraging these skills in workers is also very important.

"If everyone on a team can code, but no one knows how to ask for help or give assistance, how will you get anything done effectively and efficiently?" asked Frere. "If you are constantly explaining yourself, or taking the defensive, or being overtly offensive, no one is going to want to work with you, as a boss or colleague."

Part of the struggle of learning these skills is becoming more flexible and adaptable. Active listening, for example, involves several different elements in order to be successful. The first step is to clear the mind and focus on the speaker's words and body language. Instead of thinking of a response to sound smart, active listeners can give the speaker nonverbal cues to show they are listening. These include making eye contact and giving positive body language, such as sitting forward or nodding. They can show more or less enthusiasm depending on the speaker. If it makes them uncomfortable to make too much eye contact, for example, they can mirror the speaker's body language and maintain good posture. When it is the listener's turn to speak, they could paraphrase the speaker's key points in the response.

"You don't need to know it all from the get-go to succeed," added Frere. "But if you are looking to expand your knowledge on hard skills, I recommend taking classes on coding, computer programming and CRM management software, like Salesforce. If you have those skills down, look at where your communication or teamwork could improve. Growing as an entrepreneur is an endless process, which I find equally exciting."

About Frere Enterprises
Brandon Frere is an entrepreneur and businessman who lives in Sonoma County, California. He has designed and created multiple companies to meet the ever-demanding needs of businesses and consumers alike. His company website, www.FrereEnterprises.com, is used as a means to communicate many of the lessons, fundamentals and information he has learned throughout his extensive business and personal endeavors, most recently in advocating on behalf of student loan borrowers nationwide.

As experienced during his own student loan repayment, Mr. Frere found out how difficult it can be to work with federally contracted student loan servicers and the repayment programs designed to help borrowers. Through those efforts, he gained an insider's look into the repayment process and the motivations behind the inflating student loan debt bubble. His knowledge of the confusing landscape of student loan repayment became a vital theme in his future endeavors, and he now uses those experiences to help guide others through the daunting process of applying for available federal repayment and loan forgiveness programs.

FrereEnterprises.com

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