Soft skills for the rest of us (or: How I realized I need soft skills in my tech career)
I was reading the book Fundamentals of Software Architecture when, right at the introduction chapter, I came across two sub-sections that were named Possess Interpersonal Skills and Understand and Navigate Politics.
It seemed a little weird to me to understand how I, as someone who decided 15 years ago to pursue a career in tech, must now pursue learnings in other fields, such as politics, in order to improve my career in tech.
Maybe this is something that I always neglected but has proven to be true given some personal experiences I had with some friends of mine. For example, I have a friend that currently is VP of engineering in a huge bank in Mexico. While it’s true that he had an amazing career in more tech roles, what always seemed very impressive to me was how his soft skills were deeply strong. Most of the time when working together, I had the feeling that, although sometimes he wasn’t able to personally accomplish some given tech task, he would always manage to do so somehow by convincing some of his friends to do so.
And isn’t it what is expected from a leader ?
It’s not required from a leader to know how to personally accomplish every single task that lands on his / her desk. But it is required that he / she knows the right people to do so, and how to encourage these people to do the best they can.
Anyway, this book has a chapter named Negotiation and Leadership Skills. I can’t barely wait to read this, mostly because it is something usually swept under the rug in tech schools and universities. Somehow, it seems that going far on a tech career depends on something that is not taught in formal tech education. It’s almost like we should have been born with such abilities — which is something that, deep in my heart, I refuse to believe.
