Examples of people skills include social perception, nego- tiation, leadership, teamwork, collaboration, respect, and diversity. • Social perception is the awareness of others’ feelings and understanding of why they may act a certain way. Socially perceptive people exhibit kindness and understanding. However, it is important to balance social perception with the ability to assert yourself politely and professionally when appropriate. • Negotiation is discussing various positions of an issue and reconciling any differences of opinion. The key to negotiating is being able to pinpoint common goals among each position. This prepares everyone to argue facts from his or her point of view and reach an agreement. • Leadership is the ability to influence or inspire other people. In the workplace, leaders encourage others and coordinate activities to reach goals. • Teamwork is the cooperative efforts by individual team members to achieve a common or shared goal. Being a team member of a company work group is similar to playing on a sports team. Success is measured in terms of the team’s achievement, not the achievements of the individual team members. • Collaboration is the act of working together with another person to accomplish a goal. In order to collaborate effectively, individuals must be willing to compromise. To compromise is to come to a mutually agreed-upon decision. • Respect is the feeling or belief that someone or something is good, valuable, and important. • Diversity is the representation of different backgrounds, cultures, or demographics in a group. This includes age, race, nationality, gender, mental ability, physical ability, and other qualities that make an individual unique. Work environments are usually diverse, and employers expect their employees to recognize and appreciate the diversity within their organization. Personal Qualities Personal qualities are the characteristics that make up an individual’s personality. Employers look for employ- ees who are flexible and can adjust in a positive manner to work situations as they change. This includes being professional, having a positive attitude, and, above all, being ethical. Examples of personal qualities include self-esteem, self-management, and responsibility. • Self-esteem is the level of confidence a person has in his or her abilities. • Self-management is the ability to work independently without supervision. • Responsibility is being trusted to complete duties or tasks. Complete 2-1 Soft Skills, pg 36 CONNECT TO YOUR CAREER Workplace Ethics Employers set many expectations for their employees. Perhaps one of the highest expectations is that employ- ees will be ethical. Ethics are the moral principles or beliefs that direct a person’s behavior. Ethics often conform to accepted standards of right and wrong. Workplace ethics are principles that help define appro- priate behavior in a business setting. Ethical behavior calls for honesty, fairness, reliabil- ity, respect, courage, tolerance, civility, and compas- sion. These and other qualities make our lives with each other peaceful and safe. Unethical behavior is consid- ered wrong and is sometimes illegal. It includes actions such as cheating on an exam, stealing office supplies from an employer, surfing the Internet on company time, or returning merchandise to a store for a refund after using it. Many companies have documents in place that out- line ethical behavior. A code of conduct is a document that dictates how employees are to behave while at work or when representing the company. For exam- ple, some businesses do not allow their employees to wear clothing that has derogative comments that could be offensive to those with whom they work. A code of ethics is a document that dictates how business should be conducted. Its goal is to institute a value system for the company that will enable employees to make sound ethical decisions. For example, some businesses do not allow their employees to accept gifts from clients. Unethical and illegal behavior includes discrimination and harassment. Discrimination is the unfair treatment of an individual based on his or her race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, or age. Harassment is any unsolicited conduct toward another person based on his or her race, gender, national origin, age, or disability. Harassment can take many forms, including inappropri- ate jokes, teasing, physical interactions, threats, insults, and intimidation. It can also include the displaying of offensive images, gestures, or objects. Complete 2-2 Workplace Ethics, pg 38 CONNECT TO YOUR CAREER Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 26 Chapter 2 Soft Skills