Fuel and engine oil compared with career growth’s skill sets

Whatever the fuel for a car may be like petrol or diesel, you need ‘engine oil’ for an engine to run smoothly over time.

When it comes to a career, let us consider fuel as hard skills like specific technical knowledge; Whereas engine oil is soft skills or personality traits that can solve a lot of workplace problems and increase productivity.

Without engine oil, just with petrol in an engine, a car can be driven super fast, but soon the engine will cease to exist as you all know.

Fuel = Hard skills; Engine oil = Soft skills

Suppose I am a software developer:

• Hard skills— I need to keep myself updated about the latest updates in programming languages that help to complete my coding work faster and better. This I call petrol, which powers the car via the engine.
• Soft skills— On the other hand, I need to keep myself engaged in soft skills like adaptability, creativity, and problem-solving. This I call engine oil, which makes sure the engine runs smoothly for a longer period of time and does not seize.

Importance of engine oil for a car and soft skills for an employee

Cooling

• Friction between mechanical parts causes a rise in the engine’s temperature. Engine oil supplements the coolant to release the heat.
• Regardless of the job role, one will have to work alongside others and as a part of a team. Some heated situations would create friction and dissatisfaction. Soft skills like adaptability and flexibility will help work well with colleagues and team members and allow you to handle better and complete the goal efficiently.

Cleaning

• The flow of engine oil continuously carries the impurities like dust to the oil filter to be thrown out.
• A notable perk of soft skills is that it boosts self-confidence. When you are confident, you can easily filter & throw out workplace conflicts.

To summarize, both petrol and engine oil pass through the engine but play different roles. Both need to be added in a measurable QUANTITY with QUALITY. Either one cannot be more than what is required if you aim for healthy and wealthy growth in your career :)