 Do you think you are qualified for a particular job, fit to lead a team, and title to a promotion or even ready to launch your startup because you have extensive experience in highly developed technical skills? Well, it turns out that while those things are crucial to your professional success, it is also imperative that you also have excellent soft skills. In this video, I will share with you five of the most important soft skills you need to be successful. 1. Social Skills These days when the term social is mentioned, many people conclude that it is all just about the internet and having many followers on their social media. That however is not all there is to be social. People spend so much time obsessed with social media that they forget to focus on more essential elements of being social. Social is defined as the set of proper techniques and practices used to develop a relationship with other people. Very often, business owners, managers, entrepreneurs, and C-level people are so focused on building other business skills, they forget about the impact of the proper use of social skills. The results can get ugly and lead to lost business, an irritated customer, and failed opportunity. Social skills, if applied correctly, can lead to social kills. Well, I do not mean kill in the wrong way, I mean connections and huge sales. Regardless of whether you have 30 years of experience in the business world, if you do not have excellent social skills, you cannot attain business growth. Social skills go beyond being an extrovert or being able to use the right words for verbal communication. It encapsulates an individual's aura, charisma, empathy, emotional intelligence, logical reasoning, and non-verbal communication patterns. Social skills are not limited to business alone. It is essential in the workplace and in every area of life, and a lack of it is one reason why many individuals are not successful. 2. Time management skills Not enough time is an excuse that tons of people give when asked about their un-uncomplished goals. But is it really that there is not enough time, or does the fault lies on how you handle the time you have? If there is not enough time, how do productive and successful individuals smash their goals? One change this fact about life is that whatever the value you decide to attach to it, time is valuable to you. Time is life itself, and a waste of time is a waste of life. However, it is the value you place on time that determines how you use it to pursue your goals, and how well it works for you. There are lots of different ways to tackle the issue of time management. You can download apps, adjust your sleep time, create lists, etc. But if you don't fully understand why it is essential for you to manage your time better, those apps aren't going to help you. If you don't have the motivation to use them, you won't. You may just stick to them for like a week. After that, you lose motivation and start procrastinating again. When you learn to take control of your time, you improve your ability to focus, and with increased focus comes enhanced efficiency. Because you don't lose momentum, time management is the key to success. It allows you to take control of your life rather than following the flow of others. As you accomplish more each day, make more sound decisions and feel more in control, people notice and more opportunities are open to you. 3. Negotiation Skill Many individuals are yet to come to terms with the fact that negotiation is not only meant for entrepreneurs. Negotiation is an activity that everyone carries out daily, and at all times, from making requests to accepting an offer. It's negotiation. Even in the home, when the family decides what to have for dinner, putting into consideration what another's food allergies, negotiation is taking place. Negotiation is a type of discussion used to settle disputes and reach agreements between two or more parties. Generally, negotiation results in a compromise, where each party concedes the benefits of everyone involved. Negotiation skills are qualities that allow two or more parties to attain a decision that is favorable to all. Negotiation skills are sought skills and include abilities such as communication, persuasion, empathy, planning, strategizing and cooperating. Negotiation these skills is the first step to becoming a more robust negotiator. Excellent negotiating skills are beneficial in both internal and external discussions. According to the president of Talent Zoo, Amy Hoover, internally job offers and salary discussions greatly benefit from solid negotiating as well as when it's time to pitch a new idea or sway co-workers to your way of thinking. Externally, both vendors and customers often require negotiations and you can build a successful business when you are flourishing in either scenario. Negotiation skill is one that is a transferable skill. Its benefits both in the personal and professional lives of individuals who possess it cannot be overemphasized. 4. Imaginative skills In a world where the majority of people are just showing up to life and tell themselves that so many things aren't physically possible and when only those who are creative break the grounds, then imagination takes place as an essential skill to possess. John C. Lee Brown, author and a visiting scholar at University of Southern California, once stated in an interview that innovation depends on imagining things. The world hasn't seen yet, not just improving what's already around. He further explained that the real key is being able to imagine a new world. Once an individual can imagine something new, then answering how to get from here to there only involves steps of creativity. So, a person can be creative in solving today's problems but if I can't imagine something new then he is stuck in the current situation. Thus, creativity improves things but imagination is at the heart of breakthroughs. Every new invention that you see in the world, some you can't live without, were first created in the mind of someone who was incredibly imaginative. In the words of one of the world's greatest inventors, Albert Einstein, imagination is more important than knowledge. It seems he was thinking well beyond his time. A lot of business people make the mistake of thinking there's no room for imagination and innovation when it comes to entrepreneurship. But then, achieving a successful entrepreneurial career is all about being creative and thinking beyond present reality. In short, if you can't imagine the future and be creative in the process, you probably won't succeed as an entrepreneur or leave any footprint in the world. 5. Decision Making The bridge that leads from analysis to action is effective decision making, knowing what to do based on the information available. If it were possible to live in life without making decisions, a lot of people would have opted for it. People often say that they find it hard to make decisions. Unfortunately, we all have to make decisions all the time, ranging from trivial issues like what to have for dinner, right up to life-changing decisions like where and what to study, and who to marry. As simple as it may seem, many individuals find it challenging to make decisions that affect their everyday life. They would instead settle for the laid-back response, I don't know, or any of the options is okay with me. In an attempt to conceal their indecisive nature, some individuals endlessly search for more information or seek other people to offer their recommendations. Others put their fate in the hands of luck when they resort to making decisions by taking a vote, sticking a pen in a list, or tossing a coin. While not being critical can be dangerous, so too can overanalyzing or waiting for more information before making a decision. The ability to make intelligent decisions can afford you a better personal and professional life. Decision-making is a critical skill in the workplace and is particularly essential if you want to be an effective leader. Being able to take in the scene and respond quickly and effectively is what separates the doers from the wannabes. If you want to be successful in life, then you must develop the skills of making quick and astute decisions. No doubt one remarkable feeling that comes with success is security, financial, social, health, etc. Thankfully one of the ways to offer this security is by opening as many doors to opportunity as possible by learning valuable life skills.