The Myth of “Soft Skills”: Why Fairness, Inclusion & Respect Training Is Hard Strategy
- Rebecca Heald
- Sep 2
- 3 min read
Stop calling it “soft”
For decades, leadership has been split into two categories:
Hard skills like finance, project management, and technical expertise.
Soft skills like communication, empathy, inclusion, and respect.
The problem? That label of “soft” makes FIR sound optional. Secondary. Something nice to have if there’s time after the “real work” is done.
But let’s be clear: there is nothing soft about Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR).
Dismissing it as “soft stuff” is one of the most expensive mistakes leaders make.
The hidden bias behind “soft skills”
Labelling FIR as “soft” isn’t just inaccurate, it’s biased.
Historically, traits like empathy, fairness, and inclusion were coded as feminine qualities, while hard, technical skills were coded as masculine. That gendered split has shaped how organisations value different types of leadership.
The result? Boards still tend to reward technical expertise over cultural leadership.And industries like construction, engineering, and finance continue to undervalue the exact skills that hold the key to innovation, retention, and resilience.
Michelle P. King calls this out in her book The Fix: the system is built to reward sameness, not difference.
That bias is costing us dearly.
Why “soft” is actually the hardest thing you can do
Think about it.
Fairness requires dismantling outdated systems, rewriting policies, and holding leaders accountable when they fail.
Inclusion requires courage, to share power, to give up control, to bring in perspectives that might challenge you.
Respect requires consistency, showing it even when deadlines are tight, even when people disagree, even when it would be easier to silence them.
That is not soft. That is hard strategy.
It’s also the strategy that delivers:
Retention savings: Oxford Economics research puts the cost of replacing a skilled employee at over £30,000.
Innovation gains: McKinsey reports inclusive teams are up to 30% more likely to outperform competitors.
Client trust: More tenders and procurement processes now demand evidence of inclusion and culture change as a baseline.
Why Fairness Inclusion and Respect Training matters now
Across every industry, the stakes are higher than ever.
Organisations are under pressure to innovate, adapt to rapid change, meet sustainability goals, and retain top talent in competitive markets. None of this is possible without collaboration, creativity, and diverse perspectives.
And yet, too many businesses are still run with outdated leadership styles, rigid hierarchies, top-down decision-making, and cultures that silence difference.
It’s not “bad people.” It’s bad systems.And bad systems are blocking the very skills leaders say they want.
You don’t get innovation without inclusion.
You don’t get retention without respect.
You don’t get sustainability without fairness.
From language to leadership
If leaders keep calling FIR “soft stuff,” they’ll keep treating it as secondary.
The shift we need is simple but radical:
Stop ranking technical skills above cultural leadership.
Recognise FIR as a business-critical capability.
Reward leaders who create inclusive, respectful systems.. not just those who deliver short-term numbers.
Language matters. If we want different outcomes, we need to stop dismissing inclusion as fluff and start treating it as the hardest, most strategic skill a leader can master.
Final thought
Fairness, Inclusion and Respect Training isn’t about being nice. It’s about building systems that keep talent, unlock ideas, and futureproof your business.
It’s time to stop calling it soft. It’s hard strategy. And it’s the strategy that will decide who thrives and who gets left behind.
👉 Ready to stop treating FIR as an optional extra and start embedding it as strategy? Book a FIR discovery call