1. Soft Skills That Drive Project Success
Eric Bloom
President, Manager Mechanics
@EricPBloom
Vendor_2510

2. Common Soft Skills Types Key Certifications and Methodologies
Presentation Agenda
Common Soft Skills Types
Key Certifications and Methodologies
You!
Let’s back up for a minute and define the different types of soft skills.
I mentally divide soft skills into three basic categories. 2

3. Common Soft Skills Types
Interpersonal Communication
Leadership Characteristics
Analytical Skills
Business Skills
Management Tasks
Business Knowledge
Let’s back up for a minute and define the different types of soft skills.
I mentally divide soft skills into three basic categories. 3

4. Soft Skills Types 1. Interpersonal Communication
Emotional intelligence
Body language
Asking purposeful questions
Active listening
Conflict resolution
Difficult conversations
Public speaking
Business acumen
Facilitation
Written communication
Understanding of others builds relationships and influence
Fact finding ability, build interpersonal rapport
Reduces stress, enhances productivity, facilitates teamwork and lowers attrition
These skill, as the name alludes, are related tot the interaction between people.
Active listening helps you listen to your boss and your spouse.
Having difficult conversations with members of your staff and family members of all generations
Enhances your visibility, influence and upward mobility 4

5. Soft Skills Types 2. Leadership Characteristics
Confidence
Trustworthiness
Respectful and humble
Optimistic
Open mindedness
Influence
Vision
Motivation
Proactive
Opportunistic
Commitment
Flexibility
Determination
Accountability
Builds a professional brand of integrity, trust and respect
Creates your reputation as a change-agent
The standard cast of characters
When reviewing these lists, yes there are a few that I could easily move to one of the other categories.
Having effective meetings at the office and leading successful volunteer efforts that that help others.
Helps you get the job done 5

6. Soft Skills Types 3. Analytical Skills
Brainstorming
Creative thinking
Strategic thinking
Root cause analysis
Problem solving
Decision making
Innovation
Theorizing what can be done
Defining what must done and how to do it
In many ways, it’s these people skills that determine a person’s ability to succeed in the previous two lists.
Beyond communication, these skills help employee understand and respect their coworkers of all types and help people in general respect and have empathy for people unlike themselves.
This brings us to our second key concept.
Facilitates the conception, design, creation and implementation of new products, technologies, processes, revenue streams and markets 6

7. Soft Skills Types 4. Business Skills
Teambuilding
Running meeting
Building diversity
Vendor management
Consultative approach
Negotiation
Strategic planning
Goal setting
Time management
Interviewing/Hiring
Mentoring
Staff reviews
Helps build your team
Maximizes your personal productivity and effectiveness
Parent skills, story about first book
Enhances one-on-one staff interaction 7

8. Soft Skills Types 5. Management Tasks
Delegation
Giving constructive feedback
Difficult conversations
Risk reduction
Managing change
Stress reduction
Builds management skill
Helps deal with staff, user and stakeholders issues
Parent skills, story about first book 8

9. Soft Skills Types 6. Business Knowledge
Business models and structures
Competitive analysis
Customer relationship and satisfaction
Industry knowledge and standards
Legal and regulatory compliance
Market awareness and conditions
Operational functions (finance, marketing, etc.)
Helps drive project and professional success
Helps maximize project value to stakeholders
Parent skills, story about first book 9

10. Key Certifications and Methodologies
Common Soft Skills Types
Key Certifications and Methodologies
Parent skills, story about first book 10

11. PMI Triangle 11

12. PMI Triangle Leadership
Business Skills
Brainstorming
Coaching and mentoring
Negotiation
Problem solving
Team building
Interpersonal Communication
Conflict management
Emotional Intelligence
Influencing
Listening
These are the leadership skills specifically listed in the leadership leg of the PMI Triangle. 12

13. PMI Triangle Strategic and Business Management
Business Skills
Benefits management and realization
Business acumen
Business models and structures
Competitive analysis
Customer relationship and satisfaction
Industry knowledge and standards
Legal and regulatory compliance
Market awareness and conditions
Operational functions (finance, marketing, etc.)
Strategic planning, analysis, alignment
These are the leadership skills specifically listed in the Strategic and Business Management leg of the PMI Triangle. 13

14. Agile/Scrum 14

15. Agile/Scrum All Team Members
Primary communication skills
Interpersonal communication
Being an agent of change
Leadership without authority (influence)
Optional business skills (based on team need)
Problem solving
Decision making
Working on a virtual team
Internal client service 15

16. Agile/Scrum Scrum Masters
All primary core skills plus business and communication skills
Running effective meetings
Conflict resolution
Negotiation skills
Fostering innovation
Plus leadership skills
Leading virtual teams
Leadership concepts
Accelerated team building 16

17. Agile/Scrum Product Owners
All primary core skills plus business and communication skills
Running effective meetings
Conflict resolution
Negotiation skills
Fostering innovation
Plus strategic and consulting skills
Strategic thinking
Strategic planning
Consulting skills 17

18. IIBA BABOK Business Analysts18

19. IIBA BABOK Underlying Soft Skills Competencies
Analytical thinking and problem solving
Creative thinking
Decision making
Learning
Problem solving
Visual thinking
Behavioral characteristics
Ethics
Personal accountability
Trustworthiness
Organization and time management
Adaptability 19

20. IIBA BABOK Underlying Soft Skills Competencies
Business knowledge
Business acumen
Industry knowledge
Organizational knowledge
Solution knowledge
Methodological knowledge
Communication skills
Verbal communication
Non-verbal communication
Written communication
Listening 20

21. IIBA BABOK Underlying Soft Skills Competencies
Interaction skills
Facilitation
Leadership and influencing
Teamwork
Negotiation and conflict resolution
Teaching
Tools and technology
Office productivity tools and technology
Business analysis tools and technology
Communication tools and technology 21

22. Now Let’s Talk About You!
Common Soft Skills Types
Key Certifications and Methodologies
You!
Let’s back up for a minute and define the different types of soft skills.
I mentally divide soft skills into three basic categories. 22

23. What Leadership and Soft Skill Do You Need?I C S M P O B A Y o u
Current
Ability
1 - 5
Enhance
Priority
1 – 5
Specific Action to Enhance Your Skills
Interpersonal Communication
Leadership Characteristics
Analytical Skills
Business Skills
Management Tasks
Business Knowledge
IC = Individual Contributor
SM = Scrum Master
PO = Product Owner
PM = Project Manager
BA = Business Analyst 23

24. Exercise
Personal
Growth
Assessment
Worksheet

25. Group Discussion
Are there any volunteers who would be willing to discuss what item they would like to enhance and why?
For me, it’s:
Industry knowledge
Creative thinking and Innovation
Written communication
Public speaking
Negotiation 25

26. Use These Skills to Your Advantage!
Enhance your current job performance
Position yourself for promotion
Pivot into a new role
Business skills in the office are life skills at home
Enhance your current job performance
By enhancing the skills that will help you be more successful
Position you for promotion
By enhancing the skills in areas needed to grow professionally
Pivot yourself to a new role
Business Analyst to Project Manager
Project Manager to Scrum Master
Scrum Master to Product Owner
Etc.
This is all in addition to your technical craft
You! 26

27. Example #1 Enhance Your Current Job Performance
As Project Manager
Negotiation skills help reduce scope creep
Mentoring your staff builds loyalty and enhance team skills
Influence skills help you lead without authority and gain the support of business partners
Conflict management reduces team stress
As a Business Analyst
Questioning techniques enhance requirements
Business knowledge enhances requirements
Enhanced listening increase understating
You! 27

28. Example #2 Enhance Your Current Job Performance
As a Scrum Master
Meeting skills enhances quality of daily scrum meetings
Fostering innovation enhances product quality
Teambuilding skills enhances productivity and creativity
As a Product Owner
Negotiation will assist in dealings with stakeholders
Strategic thinking helps get a seat at the business table
Consulting skills enhances client interaction
Managing change eases implementation
You! 28

29. Example #3 Position You for Promotion or New Role
Define your wanted promotion
Observe those currently in the role
Observe their business knowledge, leadership ability, interpersonal business skills and business skills
Define the skills required to achieve that position
Perform a gap analysis (needed skills vs. your skills)
Build needed skills through training, mentoring, observation and practice
You! 29

30. Final Thoughts
Your business and technical knowledge combined with leadership, interpersonal and business skills perfectly position you for future professional growth and opportunity so take full advantage! 30

31. Thank you and Questions?
Eric Bloom
President, Manager Mechanics
@EricPBloom 31

32. Thank you and Questions32