“You might be a rockstar Certified Technical Architect, but your arrogance and your pattern of belittling others, will be your undoing .”
Hard is easy.
Soft is hard.
It’s easy to acquire a hard skill – nail that A level double maths, learn Salesforce, smash that certification, get that distinction in music.
The soft skills – being true to your values, connecting with yourself, connecting with people, managing conflict, influencing change, making a difference.
All of that is not so easy.
However – there still seem to be such a focus on the hard skills – especially when it comes to recruitment.
Look at the job adverts for Microsoft CE or Salesforce: and they all spout the technology and specific hard skill sets required for the job role which are all very important.
The ‘able to work with a team’, and ‘managing stakeholders’ skills appear at the bottom, a bit like an afterthought.
My experience tells me that people generally do not fit well in a job role, not because they are incompetent, or lacking in the hard skills.
It’s generally the soft skills that let them down.
Harvard Business Review: “Hire for Attitude, train for Skill” is key, and should remain in the forefront of all hiring managers.
Give me a reasonable tech bod with great attitude over a ‘rockstar’ jerk anytime.
Life is too short.
I’d rather do great work with people who aren’t jerks.
#onthepeiroll
#recruitment
#salesforce