Soft Skills - Ask a Wharton MBA
Develop Soft Skills – Work Smart & Live More
Last month, I started something new — something simple but meaningful. I wrote a letter to my dad for his 81st birthday. That letter wasn’t about making peace or fixing the past. It was about connection — sharing small but cherished memories that shaped how I see him, and showing him, in writing, how much he means to me. ...
On April 11, I’ll officially leave my corporate job—and with it, close the chapter on 30 years of traditional work. But this isn’t just about quitting a job. It’s about stepping away from the structure that has defined most of my adult life and stepping into a space I’ve never fully explored: freedom. ...
After two weeks of traveling, attending conferences, and meeting with my boss in person for the last time, I received my year-end review—solid performance, full bonus payout, no surprises. But the bigger conversation was about what’s next.
Since I had turned down an offer to lead Risk & Control for digital, the writing was on the wall. My boss, Sam, even fought to keep me, but the decision was made. They needed my salary to fund that role, and my work was too far ahead of their priorities. Plus, as Sam put it, I was “too expensive” to be redirected elsewhere. (Guess I negotiated well five years ago!) ...
My dad loves me in his way. He just doesn’t always know how to show it, so instead, he teaches me lessons every time we talk—even when I was little. As I’ve grown older, and as he has aged into his 80s, I’ve come to appreciate him more for who he is. I know he won’t change, but that doesn’t mean I can’t find new ways to connect with him. This letter idea seems like a good try. ...
A lot happened last week, leaving me with a tough decision. I received an unexpected invite from my big boss (let’s call him Richard) for a one-on-one meeting at 8:30 AM on Tuesday. The invite simply stated that he wanted to discuss “upcoming opportunities.”
Unsure of what it meant, I reached out to my immediate manager (let’s call him Sam) to see if he had any insights. Sam speculated that it was likely about me helping out with some risk-related work we had discussed plus some Chief of Staff responsibilities. ...
We’ve all been there—staring at our screen, replaying a mistake we made at work, feeling that pit in our stomach. It happens to the best of us. Just recently, I found myself in this exact situation.
I had an important meeting with my big boss, and I knew I needed to be concise. My leader had even advised me to focus on just one row of a particular slide, but for some reason—maybe pride in my work, maybe just being half-asleep on a Monday morning—I explained all six rows in detail. ...
Every January, millions of people commit to New Year resolutions. “I want to lose 10 pounds,” “I’ll join a pickleball league,” or “I’ll be kinder to myself.” These resolutions often feel like they have a binary outcome: success or failure. For years, I avoided setting these types of goals because they felt rigid and defeating. Instead, I began focusing on who I wanted to become in the new year, rather than what I wanted to achieve. It was a subtle but transformative shift. ...