Soft Skills - Ask a Wharton MBA
Develop Soft Skills – Work Smart & Live More
It was three days before Isabel’s college applications were due. I checked in to see if she had looked at my essay suggestions. She said calmly that she had—and then told me, just as confidently, that she had decided not to take them.
To my surprise, I felt relieved. And proud. My girl had really grown up. ...
It’s been a whirlwind three weeks since I returned from China. Both of my daughters are in transition — Alexis is applying to high school, and Isabel is applying to college. Lately, our evenings feel dominated by editing, deadlines, and school application talks.
I’m constantly torn between how much to help and how much to let them figure things out. Honestly, this might be the hardest job I’ve ever had. I want to be a good parent — to teach them what I’ve learned about school applications, time management, and handling stress. But I’m realizing that while I think I know what to do, the landscape has completely changed. ...
Moving from an individual contributor role to a people management position can be both exciting and challenging. As a new manager, your success depends not only on your hard skills but also on your ability to lead and inspire your team. I am glad this was a topic that was raised in our Mental Fitness Graduate reconnect session tonight. Here are five essential tips to help you transition smoothly and become a great people manager. ...
Last week, I shared 5 leadership examples and asked you to distinguish which ones are examples of bad leadership vs good leadership. If you haven’t tried it yet, I recommend doing that exercise first before reading any further.
Do you know the top signs of a bad leader? There are many, but here are four signs that are not as obvious. ...
A senior leader once told me – A leader’s every action is an example! I looked at her puzzled. She clarified and said, “Every action a leader takes is an example of good leadership or bad leadership.”
Being able to tell the difference is key for those who work for leaders as well of those who are leaders. For those who work for leaders today, being able to distinguish good leadership from bad leadership can determine your work happiness, your potential to learn from that leader, and your career trajectory in the current company. If you work for a bad leader and don’t know it, you can be unhappy at work and not realize that it may not be your fault but that of your leader who had set a toxic culture. You can develop bad habits early thinking your leader is a good example and perpetuate that example when you become a leader later. ...
I am addicted to Apple TV’s show Ted Lasso. It’s about an American football coach, who moves to England to manage an Elite soccer team. Ted Lasso has no experience in soccer whatsoever. You don’t need to love sports to love this show. It’s funny, inspiring and entertaining. Most of all, every episode is a master class on leadership. ...
Do you work for leaders that are incompetent? Do you think our political leaders are incompetent? If either is true for you, read on and find out from Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic – why do so many incompetent men become leaders? This 9 min Ted talk is hilarious, eye-opening, and actionable.
I have probably watched this Ted talk 5 times in the last few weeks. The facts he share are true and frustrating. Each of us is still contributing to helping incompetent men become leaders. Here are the three aspects of why so many incompetent men become leaders. This unfortunately also applies to incompetent women leaders. ...