When Red first heard Black talking about the importance of "soft skills," she didn't even know what she was referring to, let alone that they would be important to her life. So, Black explained that it was a term used to describe intangible but essential skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving, communications, and conflict management.

Red, trying to be sarcastic, then asked if there was such a thing as “hard skills,” Black matter-of-factly told her those are tangible and technical skills such as computer skills.

Of course, Black couldn’t pass up an opportunity for sarcasm and explained that although there’s consensus about the importance of soft skills, there’s debate about what they should be called, with her favorite being the Texas Education Agency (TEA) calling them "21st Century Skills" – although she's old enough to remember they were important in the 20th Century, too.

But would anyone call them “Mom Skills”? Well, Red couldn’t help but remember the time Black told her, “Your job is every bit as demanding as a corporate position, and, in fact, you use many of the same skill sets.”Not something Red could ever have imagined, but it made sense once she better understood what soft skills are and how they are used. But then Black took it a step further,

Soft skills are transferable – between your personal life and the workplace (and from industry to industry). If you recognize that interpersonal relations have existed since Adam and Eve (or “caveman” days), and technical skills are constantly changing and there is no way to predict the careers of the future … it is easy to see why soft skills will always be needed.

It's funny, but now that Red’s familiar with soft skills, she not only recognizes them in day-to-day living but sees the impact they have (and the problems caused when they’re lacking). Our new website may not have SOFT SKILLS as a major section, but since it’s one of Black's passion projects, it will have a special place.

Until then, here are some of our favorite posts showing how soft skills affect us on a daily basis (OK, the Ferrari one about negotiating skills may not affect many people, but the message will):

• COLLEGE & SOFT SKILLS: My son’s going off to college but doesn’t know what he wants to study …
• COMMUNICATION: How Do You Communicate? Blah-Blah-Blah Or Bullet Points?
• CUSTOMER SERVICE: RED & BLACK … May I Help You?
• LEADERSHIP: RED & BLACK … Leaders All Around Us
• MOM SKILLS: Translating Mom Responsibilities
• PERSUASION SKILLS: The Fact Is … Don’t Use Facts
• NEGOTIATING SKILLS: A Perfect Day For A Convertible. And For Chutzpah.
• PROBLEM-SOLVING: One Person’s Problem … Is Another’s Challenge?!
• SPOT THE SOFT SKILLS: Selfish, Shallow … And Svelte?