What skills do your junior tech staff need the most help building? Do they have technical skill gaps, or are they missing key soft skills?

Some of the most common skill gaps I see in junior-level team members tend to fall into three main categories: applied communication, problem-solving maturity, and big-picture thinking- soft skills.  These are sometimes more challenging to address than technical skill gaps.  We as leaders have ownership here too!

Communication: While many junior professionals are technically sound, they often need development in communicating clearly with both technical and non-technical audiences. This includes things like crafting concise status updates, asking the right questions, or tailoring messaging to stakeholders.

Problem-Solving & Initiative: Junior team members sometimes struggle with ambiguity or complex issues that lack clear direction. They may wait for guidance instead of taking initiative to research or propose solutions, so coaching them on how to approach unknowns and iterate is key.

Context Awareness: Early-career professionals may focus narrowly on the task at hand without fully understanding how their work fits into broader business or project goals. Helping them connect their day-to-day work to larger outcomes improves their strategic thinking over time.

They may occasionally have technical skill gaps, but often bring in fresh perspectives and new skill sets that experienced professionals—who are still using older technologies—might lack. Soft skills, strong networking abilities, and a proactive attitude toward navigating uncertainty are definitely valuable assets in such situations.

I'd put in a few categories:

* softskills - people networking, customer service, presentation skills
* technical - how to learn / keep learning, problem solving. 
* big picture - thinking beyond what was asked (though they made be constrained by their role on the action)

While it's probably simple and true to simply answer 'yes', there are some keys that make the softer side more worthy of attention, and ultimately yield better results.

Technical skills can be largely, documented, trained to, and practiced using really clear methods. 

Softer skills need a personal touch. What does a junior employee need to feel and be better organized? Do they struggle to articulate their point of view, or do they talk over others? Do they listen to understand, or to further their own ideas. These are all things that need coaching and investments of time. In many cases, what is perceived as a weakness can become a superpower if the employee understands the impacts and wants to grow.

The answer is yes to both.

Technically, as juniors, they struggle with troubleshooting.  The critical thinking process of troubleshooting is not built yet and doesn't seem to come from anywhere.  It's not taught in grade school or technical/college. 

Soft skills are customer service skills.  Tech staff should be primarily doing what they are doing to "help people do their jobs with less friction."  Then their next motivation should be the fun of fixing the problem.  If they are there for the problem first, the customer experience will suffer.