Soft Skills - Ask a Wharton MBA
Develop Soft Skills – Work Smart & Live More
I was driving my daughter, Isabel, today to her little gym class today. It was morning rush hour, and the streets were crazy. Pedestrians were blatantly jaywalking in front of my car when I had the green light; cab drivers were swerving past me just to break hard again for a red light; a car was literally on my butt, trying to pass me on a one-land street — and I was driving above the speed limit! ...
We all have worked with smart colleagues that have development areas we see. As humans, we naturally have tendencies to want to help others. It’s important to know when and how to give them feedback that can help them further succeed.
What is the best way to tell a valuable coworker that he/she is talking too much? This person is smart, dedicated and responsible, but often goes into too much detail about stuff you don’t find important or interesting. He/she lacks skill to make distinction on what is really relevant to say and feels insecure or awkward when there is even a short silence. How to approach this person without hurting her feelings? ...
I just returned to work 3 months ago after having a second baby. While I haven’t been away from work too long, I was surprised to find myself insecure – Do I still know how to work? Are my analytical, leadership, and communication skills up to par? Can I still deal with difficult personalities and office politics? Ultimately, am I still as good as I used to be? ...
When I worked at Deloitte, I had to write a lot of proposals (documents to sell consulting work). I remember one time my team and I worked hard for a week to pull together a kick-a** proposal for a high tech company. We worked late and came in early to create a good draft. On Thursday evening, I finally had a chance to review the proposal with the Partner and Senior Manager. ...
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.” ...
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? ...