Former Amazon VP, sharing High Performance and Career Growth insights. Outperform, out-compete, and still get time off for yourself.
I used to be an outspoken, judgmental critic of other people. This got me fired from two separate jobs. To become an Amazon executive, I had to level up my soft skills. Here are 4 I focused on: 1) Storytelling skills 2) Writing 3) Executive presence 4) Public speaking These weren’t just personal challenges—they’re the main barriers between competent managers and executive leadership. At that level, most candidates already have the technical skills. It’s soft skills that make the difference. I will go further and say, as AI automates more and more of the "hard" technical skills, your soft skills are your remaining defensible value. Even if an AI-generated talking head could do a better job of storytelling or public speaking, we are not likely to trust it. Humans prize "authenticity," and while AI can perhaps learn to fake authenticity very well, there will be a bias for "real" human interaction as the backlash against AI agents grows. Building your soft skills now, which takes time, is your defensible skill set in an AI future. Here’s why each of these matters: 1) Storytelling skills Jeff Bezos said, “You can have the best technology, you can have the best business model, but if the storytelling isn’t amazing, it won’t matter.” The same is true for you as a leader. You can have the best skills or the best ideas, but if you can’t communicate them through powerful storytelling, you won’t be able to influence anyone. 2) Writing Writing is your primary tool for demonstrating your thinking and influencing others. The way you write directly affects your influence—and your opportunities to grow as a leader. 3) Executive Presence Executive presence is your ability to present as someone who should be taken seriously. It includes how you speak, how you act under pressure, and how you relate to your team informally. It goes beyond any one skill. 4) Public Speaking As a leader, public speaking is inevitable. You must inspire confidence in your abilities and ideas by speaking persuasively to large, important groups of people. If you look uncomfortable in front of an audience, you won’t be given larger and more important groups to lead. A few months ago, Richard Hua and I collaborated on a newsletter about how to improve in these four areas. We answered four specific questions: a) “How do I improve my storytelling skills?” b) “What resources or tools would you recommend to get better in writing?” c) “What are the top 3 ways to improve my executive presence?” d) “I am uncomfortable talking in front of large crowds and unknown people, but as I move up, I need to do this more. How do I get comfortable with this?” Read our answers here: https://buff.ly/X6LBTAK Who do you know who could benefit from this? Share this post with them.