What do you do if your AI expertise is overshadowed by a lack of soft skills?

4 Tips for Assessing Gaps: #1: Start by conducting an honest self-assessment to identify gaps between AI expertise and soft skills. #2: Seek feedback from colleagues or engage in self-reflection to pinpoint lacking soft skills, such as communication, leadership, or problem-solving. #3: Recognizing weaknesses in these areas is essential for personal and professional development. #4: Create a targeted plan to develop identified soft skills alongside maintaining and enhancing technical knowledge.

When your tech skills outshine your people skills, it's time to level up. Start by actively listening to others. This means really hearing what they say, not just waiting for your turn to talk. It shows you value their input and builds trust.

The best thing to do is to improve your soft skills. Now how can that be done? Lets understand: You lack soft skills either because i) you lack confidence in a specific language or ii) you lack communication skills in general. If i) - always remember, confidence = familiarity - use that language more to become more familiar If ii) - always remember, you know how to talk you just have to improvise it. - talk to more people, and most importantly read more. You can only talk sensibly when you can think sensibly. To be able to think sensibly you need to read more. Hope it helps! :)

Soft skills are important in Ai, and actually are very hard. As a reference in this field, it is important that you develop good communication skills to help other members of your team to understand this technology. Also, empathy is needed to address other peoples concerns and issues in adoptiing new tools. Having said that, I would first collect feedback from my peers and upper management on what they think about my soft skills and what are the areas that I could improve.

In my opinion, soft skills are useful for roles like marketing or sales but when it comes to AI/ML people care more about your output than your soft skills. It is good to have good soft skills but believe me that your work counts much much more than anything else.

5 Tips to Seek Training: #1: Identify gaps in your soft skills. #2: Actively seek training opportunities to improve these skills. #3: Participate in workshops and seminars to develop communication and leadership skills. #4: Consider online courses for flexibility and breadth of options. #5: Enroll in improvisation classes to boost confidence, adaptability, communication skills.

Next, work on your empathy. Try to understand things from other people's perspectives. This doesn’t mean you have to agree, but understanding where they're coming from helps smooth out a lot of bumps in communication. Practice clear communication. Keep your messages simple and direct. Avoid jargon unless you're sure the other person gets it. Clear communication reduces misunderstandings and makes teamwork smoother.

Empathy can't be trained easily, and it's not something very several tweaks here and there can look authentically. I'd recommend expanding cross-functional knowledge for T-shaped proficiency, e.g. by learning what UX is about or what challenges finance departments face, thus, learning the experience of various functions in the customer company. Emotional intelligence can be fostered via self-awareness, and assertiveness. And how about placing a mirror nearby to encourage active listening and mindful dialogue?

Okay, you know where you need to improve, but how do you step up those soft skills? Training is the answer! Workshops and seminars let you practice communication and leadership in real-time. Need more flexibility? Online courses are bursting with options to target your specific needs. Feeling a little awkward and unsure? Improv classes skyrocket confidence, forcing you to adapt on the fly – a skill that makes you a communication ninja.

In today's era of information overload, finding the right path to enhance soft skills like communication and leadership is crucial. This means carefully choosing among diverse options such as organization-led workshops, online courses, and improvisation classes that boost confidence and adaptability. It's important to stay open yet selective, focusing on resources that genuinely enrich your skillset. Given the fast pace of technological change, what's effective now may soon be outdated. Prioritizing adaptable, enduring skills and staying updated on learning innovations is essential for advancing interpersonal abilities.

Finally, seek feedback. Ask how you're doing in conversations and meetings. Use this feedback to improve. Remember, it's about getting better, not taking the critique personally.

Soft skills aren't about one-and-done training – it's about making them a habit! Think of it like training for a marathon. You wouldn't just read about running, right? Find ways to work those communication skills into your everyday routine. Trying to write more clearly? Start a blog, or take charge of those team emails. The key is to be proactive – look for chances to practice and ask for feedback.

I'd actively practice soft skills daily with tiny habits. For example, you might find inspirations in such practices: 1. Paraphrase what someone said to ensure comprehension 2. Send weekly updates showcasing project progress & achievements 3. Offer assistance proactively, showing eagerness to learn &/ mentor 4. Draft short emails to clients, focusing on clarity and brevity 5. Host regular virtual coffee breaks with colleagues across departments 6. Write down 3 things you appreciate about a colleague every day 7. Volunteer to lead presentations at internal meetings or conferences 8. Play improvisational games or join local theater groups to hone spontaneity and collaboration. Choose 2-3 habits and... Happy practicing!

Commit to daily practice and application of soft skills in various professional and personal contexts. Take every opportunity to communicate effectively, collaborate with others, and demonstrate leadership qualities in your AI projects and interactions. Consistent practice is essential for strengthening soft skills and building confidence in your abilities.

My suggestion is to start posting on LinkedIn with a mix of text and video posts. 1. It will help you refine your thoughts and give you an opportunity to share your learnings with others. 2. Getting a bit uncomfortable on camera is a great way to work on your communication skills. The bonus of both is your are also building your personal brand and inviting others to have more conversations with you.

Seeking mentorship can profoundly enhance your soft skills alongside your AI acumen. Opt for a mentor who embodies both technical prowess and the interpersonal skills you aim to develop. Their insight, feedback, and encouragement are invaluable for marrying your technical knowledge with essential soft skills, offering fresh perspectives, and fostering growth.

Seek out mentorship opportunities to receive guidance and support in developing your soft skills from experienced professionals or mentors. Engage in meaningful mentorship relationships where you can learn from others' experiences, perspectives, and feedback. Leverage mentorship to gain valuable insights and refine your soft skills over time.

Wonderful way to practice your own soft skills is to be a mentor to someone! You don't necessarily need to be in a senior position to become an effective mentor. My best mentors weren't. Serving as a mentor offers valuable opportunities to sharpen your own soft skills while supporting another individual's growth. As a mentee, seeking out experienced professionals—from any level within your organization—who display exceptional interpersonal talents can prove instrumental in honing those same abilities yourself. Regardless of hierarchy, establishing meaningful mentoring relationships allows all parties involved to expand their horizons, exchange viewpoints, and ultimately foster mutual success.

Working together with different people is a great way to get better at important skills like talking well, working as a team, and solving problems. When you're part of a team, everyone's unique ideas and strengths can teach you something new. It's a chance to step up and lead sometimes, help out your team members, and add something good to the team vibe. Grab these chances to grow and learn from others—it'll make you sharper and more ready to tackle all sorts of challenges.

Collaborate with colleagues, cross-functional teams, or external partners to enhance your soft skills through teamwork and shared experiences. Participate in collaborative projects, brainstorming sessions, or group discussions that require effective communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. Embrace collaboration as a means to strengthen your soft skills and foster professional growth.

Collaborating in projects naturally becomes a training ground for soft skill development. Diverse teams act as a catalyst, pushing you to clearly articulate your ideas, actively listen to others, and negotiate solutions. Each interaction offers opportunities to step outside your comfort zone - whether it's leading a discussion, resolving conflict, or adapting your approach to better suit the team's goals. It's important to see these collaborations not just as a means to a technical end, but as deliberate practice in the context of becoming a well-rounded AI professional.

We are all rather result-oriented, however, the best long-term outcomes and products resilient to change definitely come out of diverse teams where various opinions have been taken into consideration. Embrace collaboration by celebrating diverse perspectives! Start by fostering genuine curiosity about how others think. Encourage open dialogue where everyone feels valued. Prioritize active listening to grasp differing viewpoints fully. Then, integrate these insights into project planning, ensuring every voice contributes meaningfully. Remember, diverse teams breed resilience and innovation. By embracing varied perspectives, we pave the way for robust, adaptable outcomes that stand the test of time.

Collaborating is key in improving soft skills. One way of doing so, is to participate in cross-functional projects in order to increase your human interactions. When the team have a shared goal, you get to practice your communication skills, teamwork, and empathy on the path of reaching it. Over-time, you will notice the improvement.

Regular self-reflection allows you to track the less tangible progress in areas like communication, collaboration, and adaptability. These improvements can sometimes be overshadowed by technical achievements, but are equally important for long-term success in AI. Setting aside time for deliberate reflection helps you identify specific instances where your soft skills positively impacted a project or team interaction. This conscious recognition validates your efforts, solidifies learning, and pinpoints areas still requiring work. It allows you to fine-tune your development plan, ensuring your growth as a skilled AI professional extends beyond the technical domain.

Live with it and THRIVE! I am not a glib talker and definitely not one to make small talk. In fact, I can sit alone for hours at wnd in the same room as you and not talk. But all the time, I am wither coding or doing some other mental exercise like pondering over a business problem. If your soft skills are lacking, create an awesome github profile and well... try to talk politely when you are interviewing for your dream job ;)

Understanding the gaps is significant, and working towards learning. Once the skills are built, try to put them into practice and grow. Request continuous feedback and fine-tune according to needs.

In navigating the professional landscape, we encounter a plethora of advice on achieving perfection in our work and mastering soft skills. However, my journey has led me to understand that perfection in every aspect of our professional lives is not always attainable or necessary. It's important to acknowledge and accept our limitations, particularly in areas like soft skills. Transparency is key. By openly communicating with our colleagues about the challenges we face and the areas where we might not excel, we create an environment of mutual support. Encouraging a culture where asking for help and offering constructive feedback is normalized not only fosters personal growth but also strengthens team dynamics.

Don't be afraid to chat with tools like ChatGPT or Pi. It is a safe space for you to have a conversation and you can ask for feedback from the LLM on how it went and what you could improve on.