How to accelerate your career. Master these 9 soft skills:

1. Make People Feel Important (SHR Method)

Your formula to be charismatic:

Seen

• Give eye contact

• Offer a specific compliment

Heard

• Ask good questions

• Be interested, not interesting

Remembered

• Follow up

• Remember name(s)

• Recall something you discussed

2. Hone Your Body Language (7–38–55 Rule)

People will like/dislike your communication based on:

• 7% words

• 38% tonality and face

• 55% body language

Stand up straight, pull your shoulders back, make eye contact, smile, and give a firm handshake. You will be dangerous.

3. Master the 4-Bullet Update

Powerful people are busy. (They might not remember what they asked you to do.)

Give an update with this outline:

• Here’s what you asked me to do

• Here’s what I did

• Here are the risks/blockers (if any)

• If given more time, I’d do this

4. Record and Study Your Speaking

The best communicator I know told me her secret: She records her calls. Then she replays them and studies them (like an athlete watching a game film). You’ll cut ‘umms’ and ‘likes.’

99.9% won’t do this. Be the outlier.

5. Ask Rapport-Building Questions

Your network is your net worth. Build bonds with these Qs:

• What neighbourhood are you in?

• Do you have any siblings/kids?

• How’d you meet your partner? (if mentioned)

• Any fun upcoming trips?

Simple, but most people miss this.

6. Send ‘Friday Highlights’

If you’re new to a team, do this to build trust. Every Friday, send your supervisor(s) a short email.

Two parts:

1) Highlights from the prior week

• Big tasks completed

• People networked with

2) Extracurriculars (like affinity groups)

7. Don’t Complain or Gossip. Ever.

Nobody likes to hear complaining. So why do we do it ourselves (Respectfully standing up for yourself is different.) Separately, when you talk badly about others, people wonder if you talk badly about them too. Just don’t do it.

8. Remember ALL the Names

A person’s favourite sound is their name. I have a theory about their 2nd favourite sound: The names of their loved ones and pets. Whenever you hear one mentioned, write it down.

Later, ask *by name* about them. You will stand out.

9. Give Yourself a Personal MBA

Willingness to learn is a crucial soft skill. I wrote a popular thread on how to give yourself a personal MBA (in 6 months).

All it takes to finish? Read 30 mins daily. Get a knowledge advantage: