EP. 27 Soft Skills Are Hard Skills

Steve Stoll, Fmr. Special Forces Green Beret and Sr. Talent Partner at Twilio, has spent his career connecting with people from all walks of life. Steve shares lessons learned from leading his Special Forces Team through some interesting situations, like being dropped in the middle of Honduras and having to make friends quick.  Steve says that it's all about finding one thing to connect on- whether that is music or good whiskey, it just takes one piece of common ground to start a meaningful relationship.  After leaving the Service, Steve found that his innate gift to connect with people, allowed him to be effective in business and it was the soft skills that ultimately allowed him to climb the corporate ladder.  From Dell to Twilio, Steve has found that clear communication, being open to input and spending the extra time to get to know people, leaves an impression.  So much so, that Steve now spends most of his days helping tech executives find the right people.  In a world where data and resumes are abundant, Steve says that nothing beats an in person conversation with a potential Teammate.  Often it is intuition that helps you make the right call, on a hire.  Years of experience making quick decisions on someone's character has led Steve to many hires where senior Leaders were unsure, but ultimately turned out to be beyond successful.  It is almost never the lack of technical or hard skills that cause companies to look for new talent, it's because folks didn't play well with others or possess that level of commitment that is hard to teach.  It may take time, but Steve believes that folks can work on their soft skills by putting themselves in Team situations that are uncomfortable and require creativity.  Steve also shares that his perspective gained, while in the military, allows him to live life with gratitude.  Having seen unrest and harsh environments reminds him to live his best life everyday and prioritize the moments in front of him.