Soft Skills - Ask a Wharton MBA
Develop Soft Skills – Work Smart & Live More
On Sunday, I was hanging out with some friends, and one of them complimented me: “Wow, Lei, you have lost a lot of weight. You look amazing…” I felt pretty good, since I had been trying to lose the weight I gained from having a second child. However, I immediately replied, “Thanks, but I still have about 10 lbs. to go. It’s been a process, and this last 10 lbs. has been quite stubborn.” Afterwards, I thought, “Why did I say that? Instead of continuing to feel good, I immediately started focusing on what was not working for me, and re-directed the conversation to something less positive.” ...
Communication skills are some of the most critical soft skills for achieving career success during a job search or in the workplace. Improving your communication skills is a huge task, since business communication encompasses verbal and written exchanges, formal and informal styles of communication, along with one-on-one discussions and group talks. Obviously, then, this article is just a starting point. ...
In a separate article, I talked about a famous Harvard Business Review (HBR) article, “Who’s Got the Monkey?”, and why an effective manager must let his team take care of the “Monkeys” (problems discovered during their work). Today, I want to shift focus and talk about tips for the team members — How can you excel as an individual contributor and demonstrate that you are ready for a management position? ...
How to give constructive feedback is a great question to ask and an important soft skill to develop especially if you are now managing a team. The abiliity for coach and mentor well each of your team members is essentially to your and your team’s success. To be a great team leader, you need to be able to provide constructive feedback that meets two objectives ...
Previously, we discussed the first part of this real life situation that Jessica is experiencing. Today, we will finish this topic on how to break into a managerial role with a follow up discussion I had with Jessica a few weeks later. Here is her follow up email updating me on her situation and some new challenges she is facing. ...
I am getting my MBA from the University of Chicago, and I am doing a summer internship at a start up. I have to deliver a final Marketing Plan in 2 weeks, and I am overwhelmed with data. I collected a lot of data and I am trying to write a draft now, but I feel like I will never finish. I have 10 sections in the Marketing Plan, and it’s 12 pages long so far; just for one section, I am listing 15 options with pros and cons. I still have a lot more data in various files everywhere. I feel like I need to organize them all, but that I will run out of time. What should I do to get it all done? ...
How to get into a team management role is a great question to ask as you advance in your career. If you have been a stellar individual contributor, the next stage of your career advancement is most likely the management of others.
While this is the natural next step, it is not always obvious how you can become a team manager. Sometimes you’ll be promoted, but other times you’ll have to change jobs to break into a managerial role. ...