Soft Skills - Ask a Wharton MBA
Develop Soft Skills – Work Smart & Live More
I continue to be in awe of my older daughter, Isabel, as she tackles the challenges of recovering from her ACL surgery. This past week marked her return to school, which brought a whole new set of hurdles. With one leg locked in a straight brace and unable to bear weight, her determination has been nothing short of inspiring. ...
We’ve all had that moment when an exciting opportunity slips through our fingers. I experienced this firsthand when I was invited to interview for a VP of Product role at one of the hottest Fintechs at the time. Everyone was buzzing about this company, and I couldn’t believe I landed the interview. ...
I’ve known Jason for many years. Our relationship started with me acting as a mentor to him, guiding him in his career and communication style. Over time, we’ve grown into peers and friends, and I have come to admire the executive he has become. Nowadays, I learn as much from him as he does from me. Recently, Jason shared a story about how he handled a potentially sticky situation at work, and I think his approach was brilliant. I believe it’s something anyone can benefit from, which is why I’m sharing it here. ...
We’ve all been there: waking up feeling like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, unsure how you’ll get through the day. That was me last Monday. I was juggling four major projects, all of them in different stages of chaos (or at least it felt that way). One of the projects involved a teammate who I wasn’t convinced knew how to do their part, while another project had a team entirely new to the effort. I couldn’t even gauge their motivation because, so far, no one had taken any real action. Then there was a project where I wasn’t sure what the next steps should be. Trying to tackle all of this at once made my mind feel scattered and unfocused. ...
Last month, I took a leadership training session called Feedback that Works, created by the Center for Creative Leadership. At first, I figured it would be a nice refresher for my skills, but to my surprise, I learned a lot more than I expected. The session introduced me to a new, simple yet powerful framework for giving feedback—the SBI approach: Situation, Behavior, Impact. It completely changed the way I approach feedback, making it both more effective and less stressful. ...
I have been interviewing therapists to see if I can find one that is a good fit. This post is not about recommending you to get a therapist. That’s totally up to you. It’s about sharing a useful tip one therapist shared with me that immediately improve my perspective and thus my life and work. Apply OCAS! What is OCAS? I will get to that in a few paragraph. ...