- A few years ago, I was interviewing
the VP of data analytics for a large bank
on my Analytics on Fire podcast.
He said something that has stayed with me ever since.
"I can hire for technical skills.
That's easy.
It's the soft skills that pose a real challenge."
What he meant is that there are plenty
of resources available to teach someone
the technical skills they need to be a data professional.
But it's way harder to teach someone
how to communicate effectively,
how to persuade others, and how to build relationships.
These soft skills are essential for data advocates
and evangelists because we need to be able
to translate complex data into actionable insights.
We need to be able to communicate these insights
to non-technical stakeholders
in a way that they can understand.
And we need to be able to persuade them
to take actions based on our findings.
I recommend that you focus on developing soft skills.
Here are a few tips.
One, take a marketing course.
This will teach you how to sell your ideas
and persuade others to take action.
Number two, take a negotiating course.
This will teach you how to get what you want
in a negotiation without burning bridges.
One of my favorite books on this topic
is Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss.
Number three, take a communication course.
This will teach you how to communicate effectively,
both in writing and in person.
And if you're really serious about developing
your soft skills, consider taking a theater course.
This will teach you how to control your emotions
and connect with others on an emotional level.
Remember, technical skills are so important,
but they're not enough.
Soft skills are the difference between a good data advocate
and a great data advocate.