Importance Of Soft Skills In Engineering

I’ve seen brilliant leaders struggle—not because they lacked technical expertise, but because they overlooked these seven critical skills. Leadership isn’t just about strategy, vision, or execution. It’s about how you show up every single day. As identified by Eric Partaker, the following 7 “soft” skills make the difference between good and bad leaders. 1. Self-Awareness Know your strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots. Your team sees them—even if you don’t. 2. Communication Clarity beats complexity. If your team doesn’t understand you, nothing else matters. 3. Decision-Making Overthinking kills momentum. Weigh the facts, trust your instincts, and make the call. 4. Resilience Leadership isn’t about avoiding setbacks. It’s about staying steady when they come. 5. Empowerment The best leaders don’t have all the answers. They build teams that find the answers together. 6. Adaptability Plans change. Markets shift. The best leaders adjust, pivot, and move forward. 7. Integrity Trust isn’t built in grand gestures—it’s built in the small, consistent choices you make daily. Yet, these skills are often dismissed as “soft.” The reality? They’re the hardest to master. They aren’t learned in a classroom. They aren’t developed overnight. They come from practice, self-reflection, and the willingness to improve—even when no one is watching. Which of these do you see leaders struggle with most? 

The African Startup Killer No One Is Talking About; And It’s Not Burn Rate We all worry about product-market fit, burn rate, CAC, and speed to market. These matter. But 70% of startup failures don’t come from bad economics; they come from broken humans. It’s not that the business didn’t make sense. It’s that the people inside it stopped having integrity. We have metrics for everything: NPS, MRR, LTV. But where’s the dashboard for moral direction? The quarterly review on trust? The OKR for humility, for the kind of leadership that doesn’t implode when things get hard? Integrity isn't for PR. It goes straight to the bottom line. Most people discover the value of character after the damage is done. After the co-founders split. After the investor pulls out because they “lost confidence,” which usually means “this person isn't safe for my investment.” I have done due diligence on founders with great pitch decks and better numbers, but not much soul. Numbers change. Markets shift. Tech evolves. But people tend to stay in their patterns until something breaks them or wakes them. I look for something different now. I look for soul. Not the spiritual kind; the dependable kind. The kind that doesn’t ghost their team after a bad quarter. The kind that can be trusted with success and failure. Integrity is not a state of being. We work for it. We pay for it. It will cost you something now or everything later. Why don’t more consultants talk about this? Because it doesn’t scale fast. It doesn’t fit a dashboard. Soul work is slow. And in a market addicted to speed, that feels like a luxury. But it’s not. Integrity is the lifeblood. We need more of it than we need funding rounds. I have built businesses, mentored founders, and advised investors. In my experience, the “soft stuff” always makes or breaks the hard results. I have seen culture misalignment quietly kill momentum. I have watched the absence of honesty derail multi-million-dollar deals. I have seen egos burn businesses faster than the lack of capital. The companies I have worked with that prioritize truth don’t always grow the fastest, but they grow the healthiest. Speed matters. But health matters more. Because health is value; and speed, well, that’s just the thing we do to prove we are killing it. To investors: measure character. Look for hidden fractures before they cost you millions. To founders: we don’t need more angel rounds turning into BMWs. Or seed rounds into apartments. Or Series As into land titles. We need more integrity in the system. It holds things together. The mission isn’t your lifestyle. The raise isn’t your reward. Real traction is the founder who still lives modestly after their raise, who mentors their team, listens, prays, and shows up with integrity when no one’s watching. Business models matter. Vision matters. But integrity multiplies everything good. And the lack of it kills everything it touches.

In my last startup, I had a massive fight with my cofounder that ended with the best thing he ever said to me, "I think we just have to do more of what we're already doing." 😳 After 3 years of pivoting, we finally closed a few enterprise customers. Enough to think we might be onto something, but not enough to be sure. Runway was dwindling, nobody was getting paid nearly enough, and pressure to move fast was high. We had never raised our voices at each other before, but this time was different. We were frustrated and stressed. In hindsight, I think we needed an excuse to let out some steam and we were each other's easy target. We were pointing fingers and deflecting blame on missed deadlines and poorly communicated feature specs. We needed things to work...NOW. Just when I thought we were ready to call it quits and walk away, he said those magic words to me, "I think we just have to do more of what we're already doing." We had a basic product and were going up against larger and more established companies. Because we didn't have a real advantage, we made a decision from day one that we would compete on one thing: INTEGRITY Integrity was not limited to the way we treated our customers and each other. It was the foundation on which our culture of excellence was built. Integrity was the love we put into every detail. It was being responsive with critical issues after hours, going the extra mile for customers without sacrificing our values, ensuring customers' reputation would only be enhanced by choosing us. It meant laser-focused execution and follow through, delivering exactly what we said we would, when we would, and taking accountability for shortcomings. 💡 When he said that to me, it all became clear: If we continued doing great work, we would prevail. We were already doing the best we could. We could only move as quickly as time allowed. Many companies can do good work, but few are willing to push through the last 2% to make it great. It's too much effort, too time consuming, too little ROI! It doesn't make financial sense. Great work is exceptional. It can't always be explained, but it can always be felt over time. It becomes ingrained in your culture. It's how you behave and how you make decisions. Great work is what trust, credibility, and reputation is built on. Great work is the love. If you keep doing great work, it's impossible for your product not to be good, impossible for customers not to notice, and impossible not to close deals. We did more of what we were doing and broke even that year. Keep doing great work. 🙌 ___ I'm Melissa Kwan, 3x bootstrapper with 1 exit. I'm the Cofounder of eWebinar & Host of ProfitLed Podcast. 🔔 On my newsletter, ‘your founder next door', I share what it's like to build a company without an abundance of resources or friends in high places.

Persuasion isn’t about being right. It’s about making others see value the way you do. Great leaders don’t force decisions - they inspire alignment. If you want to turn resistance into support, here are 8 proven strategies for mastering the art of persuasion: 1️⃣ Embrace Carnegie’s Way The timeless principles of influence: ↳ Show genuine interest in others. ↳ Avoid criticism - focus on solutions instead. ↳ Make people feel important. 2️⃣ Follow Monroe’s Sequence Use this 5-step method to persuade effectively: 1. Attention: Capture their interest immediately. 2. Need: Address their challenges. 3. Satisfaction: Provide a compelling solution. 4. Visualisation: Show them the outcome. 5. Action: Make the next step easy and clear. 3️⃣ Build a Trust Triangle Trust is built through: ↳ Promises: Keep your word. ↳ Expertise: Share your proven results. ↳ Authenticity: Show up as your real self. 4️⃣ Use the Mirror Method Create instant rapport by mirroring others’ energy, tone, and behaviour. People are naturally drawn to those who reflect their own style. 5️⃣ Master the Science of Influence Use 6 key triggers to build trust and influence: 1. Reciprocity: Give before you ask. 2. Scarcity: Highlight urgency and what’s at stake. 3. Authority: Let your expertise speak for itself. 4. Consistency: Align your message with shared values. 5. Liking: Build genuine rapport. 6. Social Proof: Show how others are already on board. 6️⃣ Develop a Network Strategy Organise your relationships into three tiers: ↳ Power 25: Your closest, high-impact connections. ↳ Key 150: Broader influential network. ↳ Outer Network: The wider circle you can call on when needed. Start by focusing on strengthening your core group. 7️⃣ Incorporate the Aristotelian Triad Balance Credibility, Emotion, and Logic in your messaging. A persuasive argument speaks to the head and the heart. 8️⃣ Apply the Stakeholder Matrix Map out the people who hold the most power and influence in your network. Prioritise your efforts to connect with those who can have the biggest impact on your goals. When you apply these 8 techniques, persuasion stops being about “winning” and becomes about building trust, creating connection, and alignment. -> Who’s the most persuasive person you know? What’s their secret? ♻ Share this with your network to help them master persuasion. ➕ Follow me, Jen Blandos, for actionable daily insights on business, entrepreneurship, and workplace well-being.

When Integrity Prevails: Lessons from an Unexpected Twist In leadership, unexpected challenges can test resilience and integrity. Recently, I had a client whose situation highlighted both. Her team was thriving, delivering beyond expectations. Yet, out of the blue, her boss urged her to resign, citing the CEO’s supposed request. Rather than accepting this without question, she decided to seek clarity directly from the CEO, only to uncover a startling reality: the CEO had been told by her boss that she wanted to leave, not the other way around. Once the truth came out, it was her boss who was dismissed, and she was promoted. This experience underscores several powerful lessons for professionals at any level: 1. Transparency is Key: When something seems off, seek clarity with those who matter. In this case, a direct conversation with the CEO revealed the truth. Transparency can quickly dissolve misunderstandings and reveal agendas. 2. Trust but Verify: Even senior leaders can have misaligned motives. When life-altering decisions hinge on someone’s word, it's wise to confirm critical details, especially if they significantly impact your career. 3. Speak Up Early: If something doesn’t feel right, don’t ignore it. Addressing concerns openly—sooner rather than later—can prevent larger issues from unfolding. By speaking up, my client preserved her career and reputation. 4. Maintain Senior Connections: Cultivating relationships with key executives fosters alignment and offers support in challenging situations. This network can be crucial, especially when intermediaries may misrepresent intentions. 5. Integrity Wins: Ultimately, her track record and ethical approach worked in her favor. This situation reinforces that consistent performance and integrity are the best safeguards against misrepresentation. In the corporate world, challenges like these can seem daunting. However, by staying true to our values, prioritizing transparency, and advocating for ourselves, we not only protect our careers but also model resilience for our teams. This story serves as a reminder: in the end, integrity has a way of winning out.

90% of people I talk to say they don’t know how to appear confident when sitting in a meeting. 3 powerful body language tactics I use in every seated meeting to feel & appear confident: 𝟭. 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 • Angle your torso directly toward the person you're speaking with (I love swivel chairs over low couches when given the choice) • On Zoom, position your camera so your entire body faces it (not just glancing over)  • If seated at a weird restaurant angle, physically move your chair to face the other person When your toes, torso, and head all point toward someone, they literally feel like you're on the same page. Physical alignment creates psychological alignment. ____ 𝟮. 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆, 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱 • Keep your hands visible on the table  • Never cross your arms (even when cold)  • Avoid any barriers between you and the other person Research is clear: People with crossed arms are rated as closed, distant, and close-minded. More importantly, researchers found that when people try to generate creative ideas with crossed arms, they produce fewer ideas! Closed body = closed mind. ____ 𝟯. 𝗠𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 & 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻 • Use physical proximity to signal interest • Lean in when you like an idea or person ("Wow, tell me more" + lean)  • Mirror your conversation partner's energy  • (fast talker = more gestures, slow talker = slower pace) Mirroring shows respect by matching communication styles. People naturally like those who communicate similarly to them. The lean is your nonverbal way of highlighting interest - it's like physically bolding your words. ____ These tricks do more than make you seem confident - they actually change how you think. When I use these in meetings, press, or podcast interviews, I see immediate differences in how creative and engaged I feel. Try them in your next meeting and watch what happens.

The Most Valuable Career Skill for 2025 Isn't What You Think FACT: Today we are all drowning in data but starving for insight. While AI dominates the headlines, I've observed something far more fundamental separating those who thrive from those who merely survive in today's workplace: "The fusion of critical thinking with emotional intelligence" ➖ Here's why this combination will be career currency in the year ahead: Anyone can access information, but few can effectively: analyze it, identify patterns, and make sound decisions while understanding the human impact of those choices. I've witnessed brilliant technical minds fail because they couldn't navigate the emotional landscape of change. And I've seen supposed "soft skill experts" become irrelevant because they couldn't critically evaluate facts from fiction. ➖ The consistently rising professionals aren't just technically proficient or emotionally savvy – they are BOTH. Critical thinking paired with EI creates the ability to: ↳ Question assumptions while respecting diverse perspectives ↳ Make data-driven decisions without losing sight of human impact ↳ Communicate complex ideas in ways that resonate and inspire action ↳ Navigate organizational politics without compromising integrity According to LinkedIn's skills forecast, AI, data analysis and cloud computing remain in high demand, alongside communication and critical thinking. However, the real differentiator is INTEGRATION, which is the application of technical knowledge WITH emotional awareness. What skills are you prioritizing this year? And how are you balancing the analytical with the emotional? Stay inspired, and follow Joshua Miller for more. #SkillsOnTheRise #CareerDevelopment #FutureOfWork #LeadershipSkills #JoshuaMiller #ExecutiveCoaching #CoachingTips #LitredningTopics

McDonald's failed in Iceland. Uber struggles in Germany. Amazon got iced out in Australia & South Africa. 😬🥶 What did they miss? The fundamental truth that a proven business model is only proven for the specific market it was built in. The relentless pressure to scale globally often leads founders to copy and paste a strategy that's completely out of sync with local realities. It's a quick path to failure, built on a dangerous lie: that all markets are created equal. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙥 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 - Mangrove 💚🌱 We learned this lesson perfectly from a simple observation: a cold drink in an emerging market can often cost more than a full meal. Think about the Tao Bin vending machines in Thailand. Starbucks saw a market and thought, "We'll build a café." But Tao Bin saw a different need. They realised that in a crowded, traffic-heavy city, the core value wasn't a comfortable cafe; it was instant, affordable convenience. They didn't compete with cafes; they provided a different kind of value, a high quality drink for 50% cheaper, instantly available in office buildings and hospitals. That's the core of operational resilience: understanding that true localisation isn't about fitting in; it's about providing a fundamentally different kind of value based on local pain points and behaviours. It's about building a business that's not just durable, but deeply relevant. Resilience is a framework for global growth. Here are some of the pillars we use at Mangrove to build businesses that can thrive in any market: 🕵 Core Identification: You must define your essential services. M-KOPA, an African fintech platform, didn't just sell solar panels. Its core offering was affordable, accessible energy via a pay-as-you-go model that matched customers' daily financial habits. They were selling a solution to a problem, lack of reliable power not just a product. 🗺️ Resource Mapping: Know your assets! When Uber launched in Germany, it faced legal challenges because its model of using non-licensed drivers clashed with local laws. They failed to map out the regulatory landscape, which became a major roadblock. A resilient business would have identified this early on and adjusted their model. 🤓 Continuous Learning & Adaptation: Build feedback loops. A company like Canva shows how this works on a global scale. They don't just translate their app, they create region specific templates and content based on local user feedback. A holiday card for Japan looks completely different from one for Brazil because they continuously adapt to cultural nuances. These aren't just survival tactics... they are your growth engine in disguise! By building a business around deep market understanding, user journeys and a flexible framework, you can become mission-focused and future fit. Let's start designing to thrive! #buildbetter #scalefaster #failless

When it comes to leadership, we’re missing the point. For decades, leaders, managers, and recruiters have called them "soft skills"–empathy, compassion, and collaboration, to name a few. But what I've learned from working with extraordinary leaders across industries is that the so-called "soft skills" are actually the hardest and most essential qualities of leadership today. Anyone can learn to code.  Anyone can master spreadsheets or analyze data.  But creating a culture where people feel valued, heard, and inspired to do their best work? That's the ultimate challenge. Leaders from major companies like Mastercard, Coach, Vox Media, and E.L.F. BEAUTY have shared that they've moved beyond traditional metrics to embrace these essential skills. You can say 10,000 words about your values as a leader, but one inconsistent action will negate all of them. The most impactful leaders I know eat lunch in the company cafeteria. They don't just preach punctuality–they start and end meetings on time. They don't just advocate for transparency–they model vulnerability by sharing their own challenges and growth areas. The strongest leaders channel their emotions to drive innovation, empathy to build trust, and vulnerability to create psychological safety where the best ideas can emerge. And the results aren’t just higher employee satisfaction and “good vibes.” Companies that prioritize employees as whole people, alongside performance, consistently outperform their competitors. When you create cultures where people feel valued and heard, you enable: • Higher retention rates • Increased innovation • Stronger client relationships built on trust • Better financial performance It’s not about being nice. It’s about being human—in a way that drives results. To every leader:  Are you creating psychological safety?  Are your actions aligned with your values?  Are you modeling the vulnerability and authenticity you want to see in others? The more you put out in the world, the more you get back. So if it’s hard work, empathy, passion, generosity—give it freely. The best leaders know how to balance KPIs with care. Real results come from real connection. I’d love to hear (and learn) from you in the comments.

I was Wrong about Influence. Early in my career, I believed influence in a decision-making meeting was the direct outcome of a strong artifact presented and the ensuing discussion. However, with more leadership experience, I have come to realize that while these are important, there is something far more important at play. Influence, for a given decision, largely happens outside of and before decision-making meetings. Here's my 3 step approach you can follow to maximize your influence: (#3 is often missed yet most important) 1. Obsess over Knowing your Audience Why: Understanding your audience in-depth allows you to tailor your communication, approach and positioning. How: ↳ Research their backgrounds, how they think, what their goals are etc. ↳ Attend other meetings where they are present to learn about their priorities, how they think and what questions they ask. Take note of the topics that energize them or cause concern. ↳ Engage with others who frequently interact with them to gain additional insights. Ask about their preferences, hot buttons, and any subtle cues that could be useful in understanding their perspective. 2. Tailor your Communication Why: This ensures that your message is not just heard but also understood and valued. How: ↳ Seek inspiration from existing artifacts and pickup queues on terminologies, context and background on the give topic. ↳ Reflect on their goals and priorities, and integrate these elements into your communication. For instance, if they prioritize efficiency, highlight how your proposal enhances productivity. ↳Ask yourself "So what?" or "Why should they care" as a litmus test for relatability of your proposal. 3. Pre-socialize for support Why: It allows you to refine your approach, address potential objections, and build a coalition of support (ahead of and during the meeting). How: ↳ Schedule informal discussions or small group meetings with key stakeholders or their team members to discuss your idea(s). A casual coffee or a brief virtual call can be effective. Lead with curiosity vs. an intent to respond. ↳ Ask targeted questions to gather feedback and gauge reactions to your ideas. Examples: What are your initial thoughts on this draft proposal? What challenges do you foresee with this approach? How does this align with our current priorities? ↳ Acknowledge, incorporate and highlight the insights from these pre-meetings into the main meeting, treating them as an integral part of the decision-making process. What would you add? PS: BONUS - Following these steps also expands your understanding of the business and your internal network - both of which make you more effective. --- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for daily Leadership and Career posts.