People Skills - Top List in Business Survey

6th June 2006

A survey carried out among 200 managers UK wide has revealed that good people skills are considered the most important professional attribute if people are to succeed in business.

The survey carried out by PTP Training and Marketing Ltd put people skills at the top of the list - voted for by 65% of the poll - followed by communication skills and the ability to lead and make decisions.

At the bottom of the 'skills needed to succeed' ladder are the more technical abilities such as IT skills, project management and problem solving. Surprisingly in this age of technology only one in ten managers think good IT skills are the route to business success!

With the majority of the respondents identifying that people and communication skills are key to shining professionally, it is good to see that eight out of ten managers also believe that they possess these very skills. Managers are also confident of their problem solving abilities with 88% believing themselves to be competent.

However although decision-making is also seen to be an important business talent a third of the sample admit that they are less than impressive in this area. Other skills missing from the average UK manager's talent repertoire include project management cited by a significant 37% of respondents and time management by 25%.

There is an even split over whether companies do enough to ensure that its staff have a good level of business skills - with the yes vote coming out just two per cent ahead of the no vote. And according to managers there is a clear need for companies to invest in training today more than ever before. Sixty per cent of them are of the opinion that young people entering the job market today have fewer skills than their counterparts ten years ago.

Commenting on the results, PTP's managing director Marc Holland says:

"The skills set needed to succeed today is quite different from those needed a decade or so ago. The focus is far more on what was traditionally seen as the softer skills such as effective communication and the ability to inspire and motivate a team. Today's business leaders can see the benefit of putting their people first and investing in them.

"This is particularly key when opinions show that young people coming into business are lacking these vital communication skills. This is clearly an area where schools could look at doing more to help children prepare themselves for professional life."

PTP has 50 training venues across the UK and a Leicester head office. For more information log on to www.ptp.co.uk.