Getting to the CORE: Putting an End to the Term “Soft Skills”

Abstract

We need to retire the term “soft skills.” A new vocabulary for describing critical social and organizational skills is long overdue. Substituting the acronym “CORE” (Competence in Organizational and Relational Effectiveness) for the loaded word “soft” provides a more fitting term for the important skills the term describes and, in doing so, reframes the perceptions of these key skills to reflect their importance for career and organizational success.