We need to stop calling them ‘soft skills’
Soft skills need a rebrand.
I had a manager once who had a lasting impact on me. On my first day he said to me, “Well, as long as you’ve found the coffee machine, you’re all set”.
I know this sounds like something small. But I can’t tell you how much it relaxed me. I’d just come from a toxic job where I spent every break crying in the toilets. There were no jokes there. Nor fun small talk. Just an endless stream of unattainable tasks.
But this manager was different. He reminded me of other bosses I’d had who created a culture of working together, rather than working to avoid punishment.
I’ll assume you can guess which company I worked harder, smarter, and more effectively at.
Helping people do their best work
Before founding my consultancy, I worked in 7 different ad agencies and companies across the world — in New York, London, Hong Kong, and Melbourne.
I know about good companies — that help employees do their best work — and companies that are focused on profit at all costs.
Whether I was helping to advertise toothpaste, homewares, cars, or digital apps, it all came down to a few core things.
