The Skill Triangle for Professional Success

In today’s world, just doing your job well isn’t enough. It might be a surprise to hear, but even the most exceptional technical skills can fall short without two other vital components: effective communication and strong people skills. I call this concept The Skill Triangle, where technical expertise, communication, and people skills form three sides that together support sustainable success.

1. Technical Skills: The Core of Competence

Let’s start with the basics. Your technical skills—whether you’re an engineer, a marketer, or a designer—are the foundation. They’re what get your foot in the door and ensure you can deliver. But the game has changed: simply producing great work isn’t enough to make an impact. That’s where the other two sides of the triangle come in.

2. Communication Skills: Sharing Your Value

In the corporate world, it’s often not just what you know but who you tell. Communication skills amplify your technical expertise by allowing you to share it effectively, whether it’s explaining your ideas to your team, presenting results to executives, or speaking directly to customers. The way you communicate can directly shape your professional future—determining whether you get that pay raise, the approval for time off, or even land that dream project. Even the best technical minds can miss out on career-defining opportunities if they don’t communicate their value with clarity and confidence.

3. People Skills: Building Lasting Support

The final piece of the Skill Triangle is people skills, sometimes underestimated but arguably the most critical in the long term. People skills aren’t just about being “nice” or “friendly”; they’re about understanding others’ needs, empathizing, and fostering strong relationships. Even a highly skilled and articulate professional can hit a wall without support from colleagues, clients, and stakeholders. In fact, people skills fuel the other two sides of the triangle, helping you to gain the collaboration needed for big wins. While technical skills might have shorter relevance as technology evolves, and communication needs shift over time, people skills offer lifelong value, often determining whether a talented professional rises to real leadership.

The Balance of the Triangle

Imagine the Skill Triangle at work in a marketer’s career. A marketer with top-notch technical marketing knowledge still needs to translate complex insights into compelling messages. Once they’ve achieved that, the next hurdle is people skills—winning over the team, gaining support from other departments, and building rapport with clients for successful implementation. It’s about balance: even a technical expert, scoring a “10 out of 10” in their field, might struggle with a “3 out of 10” in communication or people skills, ultimately limiting their success and growth.

In essence, The Skill Triangle is about crafting a balanced approach to success. While technical skills are the groundwork, communication and people skills form the supports that carry you forward. Without all three, any career journey risks toppling over. So, when assessing your development goals, consider where you stand on this triangle and where you might want to grow to achieve the professional success you envision.