Introduction to Soft Skills Guide

I love coaching and mentoring. It’s the most rewarding feeling to know that I’ve made a difference in someones’ career. I discovered this when I was working at Deloitte, as I was a counselor to Analysts as well as being a key leader in mentoring many of the marketing practitioners.

My husband was the one that encouraged me to write my thoughts down and share them. I was burned out after working 10 years in management consulting. I started doing business contracting instead while getting married and starting a family. While I loved my life, I no longer had the opportunity to mentor at work and I missed it. My husband saw this and one day suggested I start a blog.

He told me “You’re constantly coaching me and friends about our career and work issues. Why not start a blog to help more people? A blog can help people you don’t even know.”

“Okay. But what if no one reads it?”, I continued to doubt “Then there’s no reason to worry about it,” he joked with me. “Start and take one step at a time. Just be sincere and write like you speak. Write a post and see how you feel from there,” he encouraged.

Since then, I’ve loved writing over 200+ articles. My obsession became to provide any insider knowledge I’ve experienced that I wished others told me earlier.

I’m thankful for my husband’s gentle nudging back then and honored that more than 350,000 of you, from 100+ countries, have visited my blog! Thank you for your continued support and interest.

We may all have different jobs and careers, but I know we all face similar issues at work.

• How to work well with my boss and be recognized for my work
• How to work with colleagues with all different personalities, motivation, and performance level
• How to navigate office politics – play the game instead of let it play you
• How to network inside and outside the company
• How to work smart instead of just hard and achieve more.

All these and more require soft skills that are not taught in school. I learned many of my soft skills the hard way – by making mistakes, and learning what to do and not to do next time. I want to use these learnings to empower you to develop your soft skills over time and help you avoid some of the painful mistakes I made.

As my following has grown, I often asked myself how I could move it to the next level. I’ve finally figured out that this next level is to offer what I call a Soft Skills Gym – a members only, interactive, learning gym for soft skills development and career advancement. I hope you will check it out. Best wishes to your career success.

I rarely watch boxing. But when I think of coaching, for some reason I think of that boxing coach in the corner of the ring that provides strategy and advice between rounds. It’s your career, so you’re the fighter that will need to do the work and fight your best to win – e.g., navigate the career ladder, get that promotion, be recognized for the good work you do. And a top-notch, knowledgeable coach “in your corner” could mean the extra edge you need to win.

I can help you strategize on how to excel at your current job and in your career. I’ve mentored hundreds of people regarding how to better perform on the job or transition to a new one.

I can help you deal with unexpected and difficult challenges at work. I’ve been a successful business consultant for 15 years to at least 20 major corporations. I have dealt with all types of personalities and situations while still achieving results.

I can help you navigate the politics and learn how to take control of your career path. Work is not fair, but it is in your power to make decisions and take actions that can maximize your career advancement potential.

I can help you leverage your strength, avoid common pitfalls, and perform at the “top of your game”
I look forward to being “in your corner.”
Lei