Social capital is the network of relationships and connections between people that allow individuals and societies to be more successful. It is sometimes called human capital or social network.

Professionalism is a set of values that affects the way you dress, speak, behave, and make decisions in all situations related to your work. It’s important to know what the traditional ideas around professionalism are so that you can navigate whatever work environments you encounter.

If you’re here, you already believe that fostering diversity in the business world is important. That means we have to expand our ideas about professionalism to make room for all kinds of people.

People often refer to interpersonal or “people skills” as “soft skills” because they are usually viewed as the opposite of “hard skills,” or the technical, job-specific you need to perform a specific role in a specific industry. As Heide Abelli, senior vice president of product development at Skillsoft, explains, “We refer to them as ‘power skills,’ because, without them, people’s technical skills aren’t running on all cylinders.”