Soft Skills - Ask a Wharton MBA
Develop Soft Skills – Work Smart & Live More
As Mother’s Day approaches, I’ve been thinking a lot about my mom and how much her love shaped me over the course of my life.
When I was younger, I don’t think I fully appreciated it. Like many children, I think I simply assumed my mom would always be there — supporting me, worrying about me, comforting me, encouraging me, and loving me quietly in the background of my life. ...
I’ve cried three times a week this past month — and not because I was sad. The tears came from something deeper: the painful realization of how brutal my inner critic has been for years. Not a gentle voice encouraging growth, but a harsh one constantly telling me I am behind, lacking, or still not enough. ...
Of all the five types of wealth, Financial Wealth was the one I avoided writing about the longest. At first, I told myself it was because I didn’t want to sound braggy. Who wants to hear someone talk about financial wealth when so many people are still working hard to build it? But the truth is, I also hesitated because I’m not sure I understand this one as well as I thought I did. ...
What should a manager do when they believe an employee’s performance rating was unfair? This leadership dilemma happens more often than people admit, and how a manager responds can either build trust or quietly weaken their leadership.
“Honestly, I think it was unfair to him.”
That’s how a manager I’ll call Roger started a coaching conversation with me recently. ...
I didn’t expect this.
For 30 years, my life had structure — goals, promotions, deadlines, problems to solve, and a ladder to climb. Even when it was stressful, it was familiar. I knew who I was in that world. Then I stepped away.
Financially, we’re okay. We’ve been frugal. We’ve diversified. Even with market downturns, I’m not lying awake worried about money. And yet… I’m lying awake. At 5:00 a.m., grinding my teeth for the first time in ten years, my body burning like a furnace (thank you, perimenopause), covers on, covers off, sometimes moving to the leather couch just to cool down. ...
For 15+ years, I’ve been writing this blog and coaching people in my free time. I genuinely believed I knew quite a bit about coaching. After all, I had 30 years of executive experience. I had navigated high-stakes corporate environments. I had mentored dozens of professionals. I had given advice that people told me changed their lives. ...
The last two weeks have been teaching me a lesson I’ve resisted for most of my life: acceptance can sometimes get you further—and faster—than force. I’m not a naturally patient person. When something slows me down, my instinct is to push harder, fix it quickly, or work around it. But this time? My body had other plans. ...