In my career, I’ve often seen technical expertise — what we call “hard skills” — acclaimed as the cornerstone of professional success.
While this is true to a degree, I’ve learned that it’s not enough.
The ability to navigate complex challenges, influence stakeholders, and inspire teams requires something more: soft skills.
Skills like effective communication, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and resilience are often the deciding factor in whether someone thrives or stalls in their career. In fact, the most impactful leaders excel because they combine technical expertise with these essential soft skills, creating a powerful foundation for success.
If your goal is to step into a higher-level leadership role — whether in your current organization or elsewhere — it’s time to focus on mastering these critical soft skills and behaviors. They are the edge that will accelerate your career trajectory.
Why Soft Skills Are Mission-Critical
The importance of soft skills isn’t just anecdotal; it’s backed by compelling research:
- Deloitte predicts that by 2030, two-thirds of all jobs will require soft-skill-intensive competencies, and these demand for these types of jobs will grow 2.5 times faster than other roles.
- LinkedIn’s 2024 survey revealed that 9 out of 10 global executives rank soft skills as more critical than ever, listing them as the #1 most in-demand skill.
- Harvard Business School reports that 71% of employers value emotional intelligence over technical expertise when hiring.
This data underscores a clear point: to advance into next-level leadership roles, you must demonstrate a robust executive presence — a combination of technical acumen and soft skills.
5 Strategies for Advancing Your Career
To translate soft skills into tangible career growth, it’s essential to adopt a deliberate approach.
The following five strategies provide a way for you to advance your career.
Whether you’re preparing for a leadership role, refining your executive presence, or building a strong professional network, these actionable steps can help you position yourself as a top candidate for your next opportunity.
1. Define Your Non-Negotiables
When considering your next career move, start by reflecting on what drives you.
What aspects of your current role inspire you and bring the most satisfaction?
This introspection will help you focus on opportunities that align with your values and career goals.
Once you have clarity, identify the “non-negotiables” for your next role. For example, you might prioritize authentic leadership, a strong cultural fit, or clear pathways for growth. Defining these criteria will guide your decision-making process and ensure that the opportunities you pursue align with your long-term vision.
2. Cultivate Executive Presence
Executive presence is often described as “how you show up”.
For leaders, this means displaying confidence, authenticity, and emotional intelligence while adapting to a range of situations. It also involves actively listening, asking insightful questions, and articulating complex ideas in a way that resonates with stakeholders.
In interviews, you can use storytelling to demonstrate how you’ve navigated challenges, overcome setbacks, and inspired teams to achieve ambitious goals. For instance, you might share how you successfully aligned cross-functional teams to deliver a high-impact strategy under tight deadlines.
Working with an executive coach can help you hone these skills, identify blind spots, and elevate your leadership presence.
3. Strengthen Your Personal Brand
Your personal brand is your professional reputation — it’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room.
To stand out, craft a concise narrative that highlights your strengths and measurable achievements. For example, instead of saying, “I’m skilled at strategy execution” you might instead say, “I led a corporate transformation initiative that delivered $25M in cost savings by optimizing key operational processes”.
Including detail helps to demonstrate your expertise, boost your credibility, and enable you to stand out from the crowd.
Incorporate these impact-driven statements into your resume, LinkedIn profile, and networking conversations to ensure your value is clear to prospective employers and stakeholders.
4. Leverage Warm Connections
Building a strong professional network is essential for career advancement. Research shows that the majority of leadership roles are filled through direct or indirect connections.
Focus on cultivating relationships within your industry by staying active on LinkedIn, attending industry events, and contributing to meaningful discussions.
Over time, your connections can open up opportunities for you to showcase your expertise and step into leadership roles.
Remember, networking is a long game — it’s about building authentic relationships, not just securing immediate results.
5. Prepare Like a Pro for Executive Interviews
For leadership roles, interviews are less about technical skills and more about demonstrating how you think, lead, and solve problems.
Mock interviews are an invaluable tool for refining your responses and improving your delivery. Prepare specific examples that highlight your ability to manage ambiguity, influence senior stakeholders, and deliver results.
For example, be ready to discuss how you identified and mitigated risks in a high-stakes project or how you drove consensus on a critical business decision.
Sharpen your preparation to ensure you make a lasting impression.
The bottom line
Career advancement isn’t just about what you know — it’s about how you apply your expertise to create impact and inspire others.
By developing a blend of technical acumen and soft skills, you can cultivate the executive presence needed to thrive in leadership roles. The strategies outlined above provide guidance for positioning yourself as a top candidate for your next opportunity.
Remember, career growth is a journey, not a sprint. Celebrate your successes along the way and use them as fuel to continue growing and evolving.
With the right mindset and tools, you can achieve your career aspirations, step into leadership opportunities, and enjoy the process along the way.
Jason Oh is a Senior Manager at TD Bank’s Enterprise Strategy team. Previously, he was a strategy consultant at Strategy&, EYP, and Novantas, where he led and contributed to high-impact projects that delivered top- and bottom-line growth for leading financial institutions.
Image: DALL-E
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