Are durable skills the key to lasting career success?

Once named ‘soft skills’ or ‘human skills’, the need for durable skills in the workforce is not a new idea. The National Soft Skills Association proudly displays research showing that soft or durable skills determine 85% of career success—and this research is based on a study dating back over 100 years. So what exactly are durable skills, and how can you make them a priority in your working life? How do you improve upon those you may be lacking and demonstrate that growth to an employer or hiring manager? Career coach and founder of Cowrie Talent Solutions Dr. Hayley R. Harbaugh has developed Peak10, a free assessment tool to help you identify and develop your durable skills. Here she shares why she believes durable skills are so important and her tips for identifying, prioritizing, and developing your durable skills throughout your career.

What are durable skills?

Like all good journeys, Harbaugh’s interest in durable skills was born from a personal story. She was vying for a director-level position at the company where she’d worked for some time. “I kept asking ‘What can I do to level up to that next role? What skills do I need to get?’ And all they kept saying was ‘You need to develop an executive presence.’ What does that mean? What does that include?” But she never got an answer, because they couldn’t define what that was in real terms. “As I was reflecting on it, what they were actually wanting was the output. Executive presence is the output of presentation skills, persuasive communication, influencing—those are the durable skills that are the result or help build into executive presence, but they couldn’t define that for me.”

And sometimes that’s the issue—it’s hard to define exactly what they are. Durable skills are skills that you can transfer from role to role, no matter the industry or specifics. They’re skills that are supportive over the entire length of your career. In some roles, you might use one skill a lot and then in the next a different one, but all those skills come together throughout your working life.

Top durable skills

A 2021study by America Succeeds, while agreeing that durable skills are hard to define, provides a list of many including communication, collaboration, self-awareness, adaptability, resilience, empathy, cultural awareness, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork, work ethic, initiative, analytical skills, creativity, critical thinking, proactivity, executive function, curiosity, and mindfulness. Below are what Harbaugh believes to be the top five.

1. Curiosity

Harbaugh emphasizes that the ability to ask questions and explore new ideas is crucial for growth. She explains, “Some people frame it as intellectual curiosity. I think we are going to need that to keep up with technology, life in general, and how the markets are moving.” This skill allows professionals to stay adaptable and open to change, continually seeking knowledge to remain ahead of the curve.

2. Intercultural fluency

The ability to navigate cultural differences is increasingly valuable in diverse workplaces. Harbaugh describes intercultural fluency as going beyond knowing multiple languages—it’s about being able to adjust communication styles based on the audience. “It’s a lot about code-switching … being able to read the room and shift how you’re speaking to somebody, to come to the conversation in a more thoughtful way,” she explains. This skill helps professionals build stronger relationships and communicate effectively in global, multicultural teams.

3. Communication skills

Strong communication skills remain one of the most important assets in any job, particularly in today’s workplace, where written communication has become even momre critical. Harbaugh notes that many professionals struggle with this skill, especially when it comes to technical expertise paired with clear, concise writing. “I’ve seen a lot of people who have technical skills, but they don’t have a lot of written skills to effectively communicate with different levels of the organization,” she observes. Mastering both verbal and written communication can elevate a professional’s impact, enabling them to express ideas clearly and build alignment across teams.

4. Resilience

The ability to bounce back from setbacks and adapt to change is key to thriving in uncertain times. Harbaugh points out that resilience is especially important in today’s market, with mass layoffs and industry disruptions becoming more frequent. “You have to maintain resilience across any sector that you’re going into,” she says, not only in the headspace that you’re going throughout your career with but also in the idea that you’re not locked into a particular industry, job set, or job skills. Being resilient allows professionals to pivot when necessary and continuously seek new opportunities for growth.

5. Self-motivation

Self-motivation is what sets apart those who lead change from those who follow. Harbaugh underscores the importance of being a self-starter, especially in times of uncertainty or transformation. “When we have self-starters within a generation, they’re really the ones who are driving forward the change,” she explains. This drive enables individuals to take initiative, push boundaries, and contribute meaningfully to their organization’s goals.

How to identify your needs?

It takes a great deal of self-awareness and feedback to know what durable skills you may be lacking. Harbaugh recommends three main ways of assessing your current durable skills and figuring out where you may be lacking:

1. Use an assessment tool

While some companies have their own assessment tools, Harbaugh struggled to find anything universal, which is why she developed Peak10. It’s a simple set of questions that can help you figure out areas you may be lacking. It shows you the three key areas where you are strongest and weakest, which helps you know where to start improving.

2. Ask for feedback

If you can’t or don’t want to use a tool like that, Harbaugh recommends asking two or three people that you interact with regularly what you are good at and what you are not so good at. She recommends you set the stage before they reply: explain what you mean by durable skills first and ask for concrete feedback.

3. Start with the output

Sitting down and coming up with a specific list of skills to work on can be tricky, but if you know there is something you want to achieve, like in the example of executive presence, Harbaugh suggests teasing apart that output, taking a step back and figuring out the skills associated with the result. Then you can start looking at how to build those.

How to improve?

Once you have established your needs and the skills you want to target, there are a multitude of ways to develop them—and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Harbaugh says, “I think that some of the easiest ways to do that [develop your skills] is to get out in your community and just participate. You don’t need to have six degrees or go to formal education or anything like that because it’s not an option for everybody. If you’re able to, just get out there. Start interacting with the community that you’re in.”

As a starting place, she recommends looking at people around you and identifying someone who does the skill you’re aiming for well. “Have a conversation with them and say, ‘Hey it looks like you are really great at verbal communication. What did you do to grow that skill and how can I do that for myself?’” They might have accessed a Toastmasters event, attended conferences, or joined low-cost meetings out in the community. By partnering with people who are already good at those skills, you can learn to emulate them.

Another option is online learning. If your company has a Learning Management System (LMS) then that’s a great place to grow your skills. Look at self-paced courses, create a plan, and then continue to build on it. Outside of your company, you could look at online learning environments like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning.

Tracking your progress

Tracking progress on durable skills isn’t simple or straightforward. If you take an initial assessment then it might give you a baseline and you can repeat the assessment at a later date, but ultimately it’s only your own opinion. “I think with any assessment like that it’s going to be subjective unless you can get those 360-degree perspectives. Let’s say you’re pulling in a manager maybe or peers—that’s when you get more robust feedback of how you have shifted in the skill and how you are showing up and applying that skill consistently,” Harbaugh agrees.

Getting that viewpoint from everyone required might not be possible, so Harbaugh has another suggestion. “I think the true test of if you’ve achieved this skill or not is if you’re either tapped to mentor other people in that skill or if you’re able to teach in that skill and help others develop that.” It’s not going to happen overnight, there’ll be highs and there’ll be lows. There will be times you forget your newly acquired knowledge and slip back into old habits, but it’s an ongoing process.

Harbaugh also recommends telling the people around you what skills you’re working on and asking them for feedback regularly. If people don’t know you’re trying to develop a certain skill they won’t necessarily be as aware when they see you using it. By letting people know, they’ll be on the lookout and able to give feedback when you are doing things well.

Don’t fret—you’re already halfway there

Harbaugh believes that many durable skills are things we practice every day, both in the workplace and in life. “I think everybody is always working on a durable skill of some sort throughout their entire career, whether they’re a self-employed individual or somebody working at a corporation, whether they’re 68 or 17. As you go throughout your career, that shifts and changes.”

This means you’re already halfway there, so you don’t need to panic and start studying all hours of the day! If you want to develop more durable skills and increase your opportunities at work simply follow the steps:

• Identify which durable skills you are lacking or want to work on.
• Create a plan to improve them, and approach people who may be able to help.
• Assess your development by asking for feedback or teaching others.

Photo: Welcome to the Jungle

Follow Welcome to the Jungle on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram and subscribe to our newsletter to get our latest articles every week!