Technical skills are important for performing specific tasks and achieving specific goals, while soft skills are necessary for effective communication, teamwork and leadership. To balance technical and soft skills in professional development, it's important to identify your strengths and areas for improvement in both areas. You can achieve this through self-reflection, feedback from colleagues and supervisors and competency assessments.  Once you identify your strengths and weaknesses, you can develop a professional development plan that includes strategies for improving both technical and soft skills. This may involve taking courses or workshops to develop technical skills or attending training sessions.