Does not mean being ‘soft’

There is no question that empathy and understanding others are important soft skills, but there is nothing soft about having and developing these skills. Understanding others does not mean that you have to agree with their feelings or point of view. Instead, it means that you recognize their point of view, and accept that it is different from yours. You may still have to do difficult things that others do not agree with, but hopefully, both you and they will understand rather than judge that.