#1007 Soft Skills and Hard Hits

Last week I claimed that the #1 skillset you can learn is Charisma and Rapport; not long after I wrote that, I came across this hard evidence to support that claim.

Joe Schoen is the new GM of the NY Giants football team. Recently Joe hired a new coach, Brian Daboll. Please read the following from a newspaper article explaining why Schoen made the choice he made.

Over the last four years,” Schoen said, “I have observed first-hand Brian’s strengths as a leader — he is an excellent communicator, intelligent, innovative, and hard-working. Brian’s genuine and engaging personality is refreshing. He fosters relationships with the players and coaches around him. He is progressive in his vision and values collaboration, two of the attributes we think are essential.”

Right there, in quotes, Schoen tells you why he picked Daboll over former Dolphins coach Brian Flores, whose impressive game-day work couldn’t make his relationship issues with his GM (Chris Grier), quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa), and a number of assistants disappear. 

Above all, Schoen wanted a coach who connected with co-workers and forever searched for common ground. Daboll represented a guarantee on that front, and his runner-up did not. 

This is a multi-million-dollar contract for Brian Daboll. Flores, by the way, sued, saying his interview was a sham. 

I’m sure that reinforced for Schoen what a great decision he made.

I will repeat it; learning and deploying the “soft skills” of Charisma and Rapport will do more for personal relationships, work relationships, reputation, and bank balance than any other set of skills you can learn. PERIOD.

Own Your Sales Gene…