Soft Skills - Ask a Wharton MBA
Develop Soft Skills – Work Smart & Live More
When Isabel, my older daughter, finished 3rd grade, she was recognized by her teacher for her leadership potential. Mr. Lee, her head teacher, advised us to nurture her leadership skills – allow her to make her own decisions, encourage her to volunteer and lead activities, let her explore new ideas. I remember being both impressed by his comments and proud of Isabel. ...
In my first job out of college, I worked in consulting and used to travel a lot and work late. One night, three colleagues and I finished work around 9pm and shared a cab back to our hotel. After being in the cab for 20 min, we knew clearly the cab driver was taking us for a ride for a better fare. It was another 15 minutes before we got to the hotel. As soon as we arrived, 3 of us, including me complained to the hotel lobby attendant that our driver was “shady”. We paid him his fare, $5 more than usual, but got into a heated argument with the driver. I was upset for at least another 30 min after that. ...
85% of workers worldwide admit to hating their jobs when surveyed anonymously, according to a Gallup poll released in late 2017. Yet, many of us tend to stay in our jobs and careers, thinking it’s too late to make a change. I am here to tell you – it’s never too late! Dare to be happy and bold. You can change your career at any age. ...
Strategic and impactful communication skills are critical to success in almost any career. Business professionals absolutely need these skills, but so do professionals in the technical arena, like architects, engineers, developers, etc… The better you can translate the technical details of your work into impactful, simple business and customer outcomes, the more a business audience can appreciate your contribution. In turn, they are more likely to want to partner with you and support you in your promotion. ...
You can achieve anything! Isn’t that a great statement? Now the important question is how. I hope this story and these 3 tips will help you achieve anything you want at work and in life.
I love watching my kids try new things. It’s a marvel to witness how much effort they put into it, even though they fail repeatedly at first. The other day, I took Alexis, my six year old, to the Yerba Buena playground in San Francisco. She was fascinated by this steep wall that had the climbing grips on them. She wasn’t at all interested in using the grips to climb up. Instead, she wanted to just run up and get to the top. ...
This is a guest post with edits by Lei Han
Often, business communications take place remotely by phone or teleconference. However, negotiation experts recommend to always have important negotiations in person so you can take advantage of seeing all the non-verbal cues of the other party. People often subconsciously give away their thoughts and intended actions in a multitude of small ways through expression and body movement. Understanding non-verbal cues can help smooth interactions, enhance communication, and even provide a material advantage. ...
Two weeks ago, I wrote about how to improve my communication skills when English is my second language. It was prompted by this question below from a member.
I am a software engineer at a major American tech company. I came here two years ago but have been studying English since the first grade. I want to do an MBA and move into business development. I feel my communication skills are holding me back. I need to improve my communication skills. I want to feel more confident, speak fluently and answer to the point. I feel I tend to jump into answers, get too excited and do not know when to be quiet. Can you suggest how can I improve on this? ...