By Priya Ramesh
In my 16 years as a senior communications professional, especially in the tech sector, I have worked with many brilliant engineers, software developers and product managers, some of who went on to become CEOs of global companies or have launched their own startups. It’s always fascinating for me to see the killer combination of deep technical expertise and excellent soft skills which sets one apart as a leader from the rest of the pack. I have also seen some of the brightest tech minds simply ignore the power of soft skills, only to hit a plateau in their careers.
This post is inspired by some of my clients who have undergone soft skills coaching from me and have had several light bulb moments in terms of how to communicate effectively as a leader. My hope is that you find some helpful tips here.
Before we delve into the three most critical soft skills that every tech professional with leadership aspirations MUST have, let’s understand how important these soft skills are to your career advancement.
To quote one of the most well-respected tech visionaries of our time, Bill Gates, “Communication skills and the ability to work well with different types of people are very important. A lot of people assume that creating software is purely a solitary activity where you sit in an office with the door closed all day and write lots of code. This isn’t true at all. Software innovation, like almost every other kind of innovation, requires the ability to collaborate and share ideas with other people, and to sit down and talk with customers and get their feedback and understand their needs. I also place a high value on having a passion for ongoing learning.”
Google’s Project Oxygen which tracked trends in the company’s hiring and firing practices, concluded soft skills to be on the top, ranking higher than science, technology, education and mathematics.
The biggest skills gap in the United States according to Jeff Weiner, CEO of the world’s largest professional network, LinkedIn, is not coding, it’s soft skills. “As powerful as AI will ultimately become and is becoming, we’re still ways away from computers being able to replicate and replace human interaction and human touch,” Weiner said at a Wired forum on the future of work. “So, there’s a wonderful incentive for people to develop these skills because those jobs are going to be more stable for a longer period of time.”
Software professionals who have awakened to the reality that as you advance in your career, your communication skills become much more important than your technical skills, are the ones who go on to become successful business leaders.
Not everyone has to become a master communicator like Steve Jobs and can choose to be a Steve Wozniak BUT if you aspire to transition from being a coder, programmer or a developer to becoming a business leader, you must master SOFT SKILLS.
So, what exactly are these soft skills? There are many but let’s focus on THREE critical skills that are more pertinent to those who are more left-brained:
1. LISTENING: You are probably rolling your eyes but this is the first step to becoming a master communicator because when you listen intently, you start observing people’s motivations, patterns, habits that make or break your company’s culture and eventually your bottom line. Listening helps you become much more aware of your surroundings, your teams, your customers and more importantly yourself. Your success lies in how you interact with your teammates, customers, partners and investors and one of the most important skills required to establish these relationships is the art of listening. Set your phone aside during meetings and listen intently when someone is speaking. Make eye contact with the speaker to show them you are actively listening. Listen to first understand and then speak. This demonstrates respect and increases trust between the speaker and you. When you listen, you are powered with the knowledge you need to frame your messages which leads you to the next critical soft skill.
2. CLEAR COMMUNICATION: Ask yourself, are you a rambler or a clear communicator? A lack of clarity in thinking leads to unclear messages and a mangled delivery. How many times have you left a town hall with your CEO or a team meeting, more confused about the goals and KPIs than clearly understanding what you need to deliver on? Clear communication is a hallmark of an effective leader who knows how to articulate the Vision and Mission of the company, or the project at hand and what constitutes success. Beyond building project plans, roadmaps, launch timelines and dashboards, it is critical that you master the art of communicating with clarity. Sharing information clearly is one of the most important techniques in workplace communication.
Keep it simple.
Technical folks most often have to explain things to non-technical audiences. A good technical leader must also learn to describe in plain English what is it that they are building and why should the world care about it. I find most product and engineering leaders still struggling to talk in simple language. Always try to simplify your message. Your goal is to be understood by your audience.
Work on your delivery.
Message delivery is as important as the message construction to position you as a clear communicator. You may have sat down to carefully frame your messages but if you don’t deliver them the right way, chances are you have lost credibility as a leader. Too many filler words like “um, uh, ah, like, okay, right, and you know,” are detrimental to clear and concise communication. Practice speaking without any fillers, deliver your messages with brevity, clarity and confidence to be taken seriously.
Clarity in what and how you communicate starts with clarity in thinking so take the time to first clear your mind and organize your thoughts before you speak. Some of the CEOs and senior leaders I have worked with who are also powerful communicators are those that insist on giving themselves a few minutes between meetings to gather their thoughts and come prepared on their key messages and delivery.
3. INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: You will be surprised how this is still an area where a lot of folks including senior executives do not fare well. Being the smartest in the room gets you into a project but being the most respected, trusted and also liked, can get you a seat at the leadership table. Gone are the days when software programmers touted the image of an introvert, coding away in her cubicle. Innovation doesn’t happen in cubicles. It requires collaboration, cross-functional interactions and excellent people skills to build high-performing products, teams and companies. Research shows that poor interpersonal skills are the number one reason why people don’t get along with colleagues, don’t get promoted or worse lose their jobs.
I get it. Not everyone is a born extrovert BUT if you have any ambitions of becoming a leader, you MUST develop the ability to connect with people, understand them, empathize with them and more importantly have the power to positively influence them towards action. People who often just sit in their cubby holes every day and make no effort to walk the halls, get to know their teams and build a strong rapport with them are also the ones to be easily forgotten. Whether you are in an office setting or work remotely, be proactive in building your network of advocates. It is easier to forget someone who is just an email address as opposed to someone who is well-respected and top of mind and this comes with good social skills.
Soft skills combined with deep technical expertise is what makes you leadership material. I hope this post inspires you to develop your soft skills.
Contact me (priya@ceocommunications.co) if you are interested in bringing a soft skills workshop to your team or a 1×1 coaching for you.
[Noted PR industry leader and award-winning communications expert, Priya Ramesh has trained Fortune 500 CEOs, global executives and professionals across a variety of industries to become powerful communicators. Read some of her client testimonials here.]