Soft Skills - Ask a Wharton MBA
Develop Soft Skills – Work Smart & Live More
A month ago, every morning at 5 AM, I found myself consumed by worry. As the head of a newly created digital experience strategy team, I inherited two team members to help build our capabilities. Three weeks in, I realized they both had significant gaps in skill, experience, and motivation necessary to produce the high-quality output I envision. ...
Two weeks ago, I heard Ed Gilligan, the President of American Express (AMEX), speak at a Leadership Conference in Arizona. After listening to him for an hour, I said to myself – “I want to work for him!” His speech was the highlight of the conference. Even though I didn’t know Ed, I had a glimpse of the type of leader he is through the stories he shared. ...
Every presenters have one common goal – keep the audience’s attention. That’s why it’s important to use effective presenting tips to engage your audience. The last thing you want from your audience during a presentation is a yawn. Or nodding off. Or fiddling with their mobile phones. You don’t want a scene that puts your hours and hours of preparation down the drain. You want people to absorb your main points and have a remarkable experience during your talk. ...
Last week, Sarah, a fellow Wharton classmate, asked me this question: “How do I find my next career opportunity if I am a generalist? Do I need to figure out what function I want to specialize in first?.” Here is the background of Sarah’s story.
Sarah loves working with people and she has worked in a varieties of roles leading many teams from marketing, HR, to project management and operations in the last 15 years. Now she is wondering whether she is focused enough to keep progressing in the current company and how to find the next career opportunity. ...
Can you take a career break – time off from work to do other things like travel or be a full time mom? If so, how long can you safely take a career break if you want to come back to work afterwards. These are popular questions among new mothers with young children as well as from anyone who is burnt out by their career and need a break. ...
Do you ever find yourself wishing that you had more time to do the things you love? I work almost full time, have 2 kids, a household to manage, and I write this blog and newsletter in my “spare time.” Since I juggle all of this, I ask myself this question often, wishing I had 30 hours a day instead of 24 hours. If you can identify at all with this question, I highly recommend watching this 11 min video by Kevin Smith, who answers this exact question with humor and passion. ...
A reader recently asked, via email, “How can one make up for a lack of self-confidence? How do I beat this nasty character flaw?” Having self-confidence is integral to building Inner Excellence, so I thought this would be a good time to address this question.
First, let me start by telling you a story: ...