Yes, you heard that right. research conducted by Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation, and Stanford Research Center reveal this information. According to the World Bank, non-cognitive skills are of critical importance to student achievement, both in and beyond classrooms.
What are non-cognitive skills? Which of these help us to stand out from the crowd? A talk by Mr. Harsh Bhargava*, conducted on 9th January 2020 at IIT Gandhinagar, addressed these questions. The session, titled “What Non-Cognitive Skills Make You Stand Out in Your Class and at Work?” was about spreading awareness on this matter among students.
The classic definition of soft skills describes them as socially determined patterns of feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, including attitudes, personal traits, and motivations. Starting the session, Mr. Bhargava said, “There is nothing soft about these skills. Contrary to their name, they are hard to acquire!”
He proceeded to share some relevant statistics with students, which explained that one of the reasons our country had the lowest export performance among the comparable BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is a lack of identified non-cognitive skills that make a competitive mindset.
Later on, Mr. Bhargava explained that his company, Bankworld Inc (USA) and IIT Gandhinagar, carried out an extensive nationwide survey. It revealed that for the nation to be competitive in the global market, five essential soft skills (out of a list of 25) are critical. He expressed, “The aim was to find out what constitutes competitiveness mindset and what Indians are lacking: What is hindering the path to success and advancement of otherwise bright Indians? The answers were five key non-cognitive skills: conscientiousness, perseverance, innovativeness, taking the initiative, and the problem-solving ability.“
The presence of these skills in an individual (and the country) result in improved diligence and credibility, increased self-confidence and understanding, better performance and conflict resolution, enhanced critical-thinking and outcomes, and advanced research and profitability. It also leads to decreased corruption, creates a more stimulating educational and work environment, develops competitiveness and leadership qualities, and provides inspiration for recognizing the opportunities and challenges. And here is another fact. The leading companies and organizations in India and across the globe today are hiring people who possess strong non-cognitive skills. Countries like Japan, who carved their place in the world as advanced nations, have been able to do so because their citizens had developed a competitiveness mindset.
Talking about the significance of efficient problem-solving as one of the five soft-skills, Mr. Bhargava said that the research showed the best way to solve any issue is to start with identifying the real problem. He added, “Instead of waiting for others, we need to ‘own the problem’ and, in the whole process, become part of the solution ourselves.”
Although training in these skills demands entirely different pedagogy as compared to learning hard skills, the good news is that we can acquire them through proper exercises and activities. CMI has collaborated in delivering the FLY (Finding the Leader in You) program for inculcating these five skills, which is interactive, based on self-discovery, and practice-oriented, at IITGN. The program involves collaborative classroom work (in-class) followed by activities, reinforcements, feedback, and projects (off-class). In the words of Mr. Bhargava, “It is like rewiring the software in your brain.”
The FLY program was offered at IIT Gandhinagar in August 2018, the first time ever in India, then in January 2019 and will be conducted again in August 2020.
In between the talk, Dr. Aruna Bhargava (psychologist, writer, and a mentor at Competitiveness Mindset Institute, USA), conducted a laughter yoga session for the students, explaining how these breathing exercises help in oxygenating the brain and body, and in the process lead to better concentration, understanding, and the ability to deal with situations positively.
The session came to an end with the exchange of many thought-provoking questions and answers between Mr. Bhargava and the attendees.
*Harsh Bhargava, an MBA from Harvard Business School, is currently the President of Bankworld Inc, a prominent Washington DC-based Management Consulting company with experience in over 75 countries, including projects on competitiveness strengthening in the emerging markets, entrepreneurship, and youth. He is the President (pro bono) of Competitiveness Mindset Institute, USA, a Guest Professor, Humanities & Social Sciences at IIT Gandhinagar, and chief Mentor for the CMI program at IITGN. He is also the Founder, and the President of I Create Inc, a non-profit corporation dedicated to creating job creators instead of job seekers.