Shows
Serious Soft SkillsSSM 158: Details, details, detailsTobin Porterfield discusses the soft skill of paying attention to details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-12-1302 min
Serious Soft Skills75 Coaching With Neal Woodson Part 1Bob Graham interviews author, trainer, and expert coach Neal Woodson Part 1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-12-1115 min
Serious Soft SkillsSSM 156: PivotingBob Graham discusses how that you need to know when to alter you agenda. Even what works for years may need to change for long term success. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-12-0603 min
Serious Soft SkillsSSM 155: Celebrate SuccessBob Graham discusses the importance of celebrating successes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-12-0403 min
Serious Soft SkillsSSM 150: DelegationBob Graham discusses the high level soft skill of delegating Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-11-2002 min
Serious Soft SkillsSSM 149: Myth 5Bob Graham goes after myth 5 - there is an end in sight Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-11-1103 min
Serious Soft SkillsSSM 145: Myth 1Bob Graham explores the myth that everyone knows what they need to do and have a clear pathway Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-11-0102 min
Serious Soft SkillsSSM 130: People FirstBob Graham talks about the importance of prioritizing people Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-09-2501 min
Serious Soft SkillsSSM 122: Caramel Popcorn SkillsTobin Porterfield discusses the recent news discovery of 5 of the 55 soft soft skills. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-09-0602 min
Serious Soft SkillsSSM 89: Worst FirstProfessor Tobin Porterfield discusses the difference between Time Management and Project Management along with the benefit of doing the worst first. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-06-1701 min
Serious Soft SkillsSSM 81: UnplugDr. Tobin Porterfield's Memorial Day prescription - unplug Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-05-2701 min
Serious Soft Skills75: Morale May Be LaggingWorkers in a new study graded a large portion of their work as a B-, which suggests that they may not be as happy some executives would hope. In this episode co-hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham talk about the results from a new Kforce survey of 2,000 full-time employees.Among the topics they explore are:80% of workers said their day-to-day work, work-life balance, company morale and benefits packages rate a B-. 10% more men than women loved their job.Half the people who were surveyed would give up as much as 29% of th...2019-05-1519 min
Serious Soft Skills74: What We Want -- NowThe workplace is changing as more younger people move up in organizations big and small. Old ways and views are shifting, and a recent study from Gallup points this out. We’ll explore a few of those important changes in this episode of the Serious Soft Skills podcast.Among the topics Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss are:Why millennials want development opportunitiesWhere coaching plays in their favorWhy annual reviews are not going to drive progressAre you or is your organization stuck? Yes, stuck. As in can’t figure out...2019-05-0118 min
Serious Soft SkillsSSM 69: Are You In A Groove? or a Rut?Tobin Porterfield questions whether you are in a groove where you know your surroundings and are making progress or are you stuck in a rut. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-04-2201 min
Serious Soft Skills73: Overcoming Generational Differences in the OfficeGenerational differences are real in the workplace, as we have the broadest segment of age groups working than at any time in human history.Among the topics Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss are:How younger employees perceive older employeesHow older employees perceive younger employees.Who does the hiring and why it's important to knowThe best strategy for helping someone learn something you knowFive tips for dealing with generational differences in the officeLooking for additional help in addressing the challenges of generational differences in your office? Contact Serious Soft...2019-04-1717 minSerious Soft SkillsEpisode 72 Elevating Your Elevator Speech and a Live Elevator Pitch MakeoverWe talk to a resident expert about how to take an elevator pitch or elevator speech from boring to bright, bold and business-friendly. Co-host Dr. Tobin Porterfield interviews his co-host, Bob Graham, who has helped thousands of people, from college students to CEOs, in a wide range of fields to build a powerful elevator pitch.Among the topics they discuss are:How long should an elevator pitch beThe roots of elevator pitchesThe one-and-only objective of the elevator pitchA results-focused approach that focuses on value The keys to developing an ev...2019-04-0320 minSerious Soft Skills71: Making Meetings Matter with the Rule of FoursOne study finds that only about 15% of meetings accomplish real results. This episode looks at how people attending meetings can make them matter more and some other suggestions for ensuring meetings achieve results.Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss:Why meetings don't work so well for most peopleHow to plan for who should attend meetingsWhat good meeting behavior isThe Rule of Fours fo making sure every meeting mattersWant to learn more about managing meetings or being more productive in your...2019-03-2018 min
Serious Soft SkillsSSM 60: Leprechaun CrossingR U 2 Serious? Dr. Tobin Porterfield takes a not so serious look at the value of lightening up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-03-1801 minSerious Soft Skills70: Overcoming the New Year's Resolution Effect with Intentional ActionsAs March begins many of us have already cast our New Year's resolutions to the side for another year, just like last year and prior years. What's lacking is intentionality, that ability to focus on what makes the most sense and way as a means of developing a plan to actually achieve it. That's our topic on this week's episode of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast.Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss many topics related to setting intentions, including:What intentionality is and isn'tThe project management perspectiveHow to bring new focus to your effortsHow...2019-03-0617 minSerious Soft Skills69: How Different Generations Look at Sick LeaveGenerational differences, something we also covered in Episode 68, continue to vex organizations, and today we look at the way different generations tend to look at sick leave.Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss these and other topics in this episode:Views of sick leaveCommunicationRules of engagement dealing with sick leaveExplicit and implicit sick leaveHints for dealing with these situationsDon't forget to check out our Soft Skills Minutes, bite-size nuggets on soft skills in work.Also, have you read our book, The 55 Soft Skills That Guide Employee...2019-02-1317 minSerious Soft Skills68: Exploring Those Vexing Generational DifferencesThere’s a lot of head scratching and complaining in most offices centered around a major difference we are seeing in offices of all sizes. We’ll tell you what that big difference is and why it’s so vexing in this episode of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast. Cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham explore this complicated area and discuss:Differences among the generationsWhy we need to find common groundWhere these issues most often crop up among the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and iG...2019-02-0617 minSerious Soft SkillsSSM-44 Communication MatrixDr. Tobin Porterfield discusses using a communication matrix to make sure that the message gets through. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-01-2301 minSerious Soft SkillsSSM-43 Your Legacy NOWDr. Tobin Porterfield explains how we are each already building our Legacy - what impact will you leave on your organization? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-01-1801 minSerious Soft SkillsSSM 42 One WordDr. Tobin Porterfield discusses finding and applying that One Word that can provide focus for your year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-01-1601 minSerious Soft SkillsSSM 41: Work-Life Balance Is A CrockDr. Tobin Porterfield, soft skills expert why work-life balance is not something we should be chasing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2019-01-1401 minSerious Soft SkillsSerious Soft Skills 67: Getting the Job, Interviewing Resources To Get You HiredDr. Tobin Porterfield interviews his co-host Bob Graham on two new offerings to help people get jobs. Graham has created a free webinar, Acing the Job Interview, which details exactly how to go about using a job interview to advance your chances of getting the job. It's available for free at http://serioussoftskills.com/acingThis course is perfect for people who are struggling to get hired, don't know what to say at a job interview, get nervous at the job interview, or want to be more in command at the job interview....2018-12-0519 minSerious Soft SkillsSerious Soft Skills Minute 35: When You Can't Afford to Multi-TaskLearn the one time that you can't possibly multi-task from Dr. Tobin Porterfield, a soft skills expert and co-founder of Serious Soft Skills LLC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-11-1601 minSerious Soft SkillsSerious Soft Skills Minute 31: Bad Openings Can Cripple DiscussionsDr. Tobin Porterfield, a soft skills expert, explains how a bad opening to a discussion can cripple the whole discussion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-11-0601 minSerious Soft SkillsSerious Soft Skills Minute 27: Stick to the ScriptDr. Tobin Porterfield, co-founder of Serious Soft Skills, discusses how a big part of successful presentation is sticking to the guidelines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-10-3000 minSerious Soft SkillsSerious Soft Skills Minute 24: Rocks, Rockstars Both Benefit OrganizationsDr. Tobin Porterfield, co-founder of Serious Soft Skills, explains that the best organizations make time to cultivate rocks and rockstars. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-10-2400 minSerious Soft SkillsSerious Soft Skills Minute 20: Do You Know Your Organization's TerraDr. Tobin Porterfield, cohost of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast, talks about the Italian word terra and how it applies to business and management. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-10-1201 minSerious Soft SkillsSerious Soft Skills Minute 18: Are You Really Listening?Dr. Tobin Porterfield, cohost of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast, gives an example of where he wasn't listening as well as he should have and he got called out on it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-10-0501 minSerious Soft Skills65: Part 1 of Interview with Keith Daw on Sales & Soft SkillsSo many of us are involved in selling, either as a career or for our ideas. We brought in an expert to talk about the role of soft skills in sales. This week Bob Graham is talking to Keith Daw, Vice President of Business Development and Trainer at Sandler Training in Baltimore, for a discussion on soft skills and sales. Keith Daw trains high-level executives on sales and training. He also is a strong advocate for the role of soft skills in business. Here is the first part of an interview Bob recently did with him.2018-10-0316 minSerious Soft SkillsSerious Soft Skills Minute 16 A Proverb, Jimmy Buffet, Crowded House and Soft SkillsDr. Tobin Porterfield, cohost of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast, explores a proverb, and songs by Jimmy Buffet and Crowded House, and what they say about the soft skill of having a positive attitude. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-09-2801 minSerious Soft Skills64: Should Accepting Compliments Be a Soft Skill?A listener suggests that we add accepting compliments as a soft skills since we have one that is accepting criticism in our list of 55 soft skills people can use in the workplace. The cohosts debate the merits of the suggestion in this episode.In this episode, cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss the following:Why accepting compliments is important in businessWhy it mattersWhether accepting compliments is a good addition to the soft skills listAn alternative proposalA critique of The 55 Soft Skills That Guide Employee and Organizational Success ignites our own...2018-09-2615 minSerious Soft SkillsSerious Soft Skills Minute 14 What Virtual Reality Tells Us About Soft SkillsDr. Tobin Porterfield, cohost of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast, explores what new findings in virtual reality mean for soft skills. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-09-2401 minSerious Soft Skills63: Part 2 of Interview on Teamwork, Leadership with Bestselling Author Michael RodgersIn this episode, we air the second part of our interview with Michael Rogers, bestselling author of You Are the Team—6 Simple Ways Teammates Can Go from Good to Great.Cohost Bob Graham interviews Michael, who is a consultant on teamwork and leadership and is working on his second business book, Heart Based Leadership. If you missed the first part of the interview, visit Episode 62.In this episode, Bob and Michael discuss:The differences between teamwork and team buildingHow to give and receive criticismOne-on-one meetings to ensure a proper fe...2018-09-1920 minSerious Soft Skills61: Able to Work Under PressurePressure is one of the realities in today's fast-paced business environment. To not be able to deal well with pressure is to practically guarantee you will be ineffective in performing your job. Today, we will discuss dealign with pressure and give some tips for handling pressure at work.Cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss:Finding the sweet spot in handling pressureThe "Yerkes-Dodson Law" Pressure and controlSome suggestions for dealing with stress:Accept that stress is a part of life and work. Don't fight it. D...2018-09-0513 minSerious Soft Skills60 Managing RelationshipsRelationships are at the core of all business these days, so our ability to manage them is paramount if we are going to be successful in practically any job.In today’s episode, cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss:How changes in the work world necessitate building more relationshipsHow to manage relationshipsExamples of well managed and poorly managed relationshipsThe benefits of managing relationships with workers, former colleagues, bosses and othersHere are some hints for better managing business relationships:Make amends. If yo...2018-08-2912 minSerious Soft Skills59: Why Are We Leading The Soft Skills RevolutionPeople ask us all the time how we got into soft skills so today, we’re going to explain how each of us came to this place and why we know soft skills are so important. All that and more in a few seconds.Cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss:Their individual paths toward leading the soft skills revolutionWhy they feel compelled to lead this chargeExamples from their lives, including one from supply chain work, where soft skills made all the differenceIf you liked what you heard today or...2018-08-2216 minSerious Soft SkillsSerious Soft Skills Minute 4: Hiring With The Wrong FocusDr. Tobin Porterfield, cohost of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast, explains how talent management and hiring managers are focusing on the wrong skills when evaluating candidates for jobs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-08-2001 minSerious Soft SkillsSerious Soft Skills Minute 3: Thinking about a PortfolioDr. Tobin Porterfield, cohost of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast, explains how we look at soft skills more robustly than others who have written about them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-08-1601 minSerious Soft Skills58: Dealing with AmbiguityThe world is changing faster and faster. What seemed clear yesterday may not be clear today and who knows what tomorrow will bring? Dealing with ambiguity is not just a soft skill but a necessity in today’s workplace. We will discuss dealing with ambiguity and even give some hints for how to handle it.Cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss the following topics:Life isn’t predictable and it can get boringHow clock speed affects our ability to succeedDealing with not knowingDecisions have consequences and making bad decisions can be costly. 2018-08-1518 minSerious Soft SkillsSerious Soft Skills Minute 2: What We Mean By Soft SkillsDr. Tobin Porterfield, one of the cohosts of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast, explains what we mean when we say soft skills. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-08-1300 minSerious Soft Skills57: Willingness to LearnA willingness to learn is a powerful tool that recognizes that the processes, software and techniques that you know are just the foundation for your success. Among the topics cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss are:How changes in the workplace necessitate the need to be willing to learnHow do you tease out a willingness to learn in an applicationEmployers want to see a willingness to learnCuriosity is keyHints for learning new things to promote your professional benefit Next WeekWe will look at another soft sk...2018-08-0816 minSerious Soft Skills56: Accepting CriticismAccepting criticism can take the wind out of our sails and hurt our ability to advance in our careers, relationships and in life. We will discuss this complicated soft skill and give hints for delivering and responding to it better in this week’s episode of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast.Cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham talk about a number of important issues, including:Why the soft skill of accepting criticism can be difficult to hearHow accepting criticism can benefit us and our developmentWhat happens when we don’t accept crit...2018-08-0120 minSerious Soft Skills55: Soft Skills and the Hiring ProcessA Forbes.com article, How to Hire the Right People to Help Your Organization Success by Sally Percy, suggests that employers are undervaluing soft skills, which seems silly in this low-unemployment business climate. We will discuss the technical skills fixation and why it hurts employers in this episode of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast.Among the topics cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss are:Why focusing on technical skills is comfortable, but difficult to enable proper hiring.Why combining technical skills and soft skills is the key to business successHow employers have become...2018-07-2516 minSerious Soft Skills54: Starting the Soft Skills RevolutionIn this episode we launch The Soft Skills Revolution. We discuss why it matters, what it means and how you can help. Among the topics cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss are:*Why the soft skills revolution must occur*How a successful revolution would change the workplace.Join the revolution at TheSoftSkillsRevolution.com.Next weekWhy hiring is all wrong and what soft skills could do to help it. New episodes every Wednesday. Hosted on Acast. See a...2018-07-1809 minSerious Soft Skills53: What Cobots Serving Lemoncello Means for Soft Skills, Really!Cobots, robots working collaborating with people to accomplish specific tasks like deep tissue massage and other tasks, and what they mean for soft skills are our topic this week.Among the topics cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham talk about this week include”How robots learn tasksHow robots are learning new steps and the latest in robot technologyRobots are becoming a bigger part of the job worldHow new technology is changing our soft skillsExamples of when soft skills exceed the capabilities of a robotWhy humans will always be neededNext we...2018-07-1115 minSerious Soft Skills52: Celebrating a Year of PodcastingWe celebrate our first anniversary of the podcast with a celebration, with lessons learned, and even some hints of what’s in the pipeline for the podcast and soft skills on this week’s Serious Soft Skills podcast.Cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss the following:What they didn’t expect about podcastingHow they and the podcast has evolved over the yearWhy the podcast is so topicalWhat the Soft Skills Revolution isHow soft skills fit in with technical skillsMore soft skills in more waysNext Week...2018-07-0413 minSerious Soft Skills51: Being Culturally AwareA growing list of cultural differences -- from generational to technological skills, from social and political, to religious and lifestyle differences -- are realities in today’s workplace. In this episode of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast, we will discuss what being culturally aware means and how to avoid being culturally unaware.Among the topics Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss in this episode:Dealing with diversity in the workplace and how it affects performance, innovation and meeting customers’ needsThe example in computers and how they look differently for a 60 year old vs. a 20 year...2018-06-2719 minSerious Soft Skills50: LinkedIn, Networking and Soft SkillsMike Shelah, an expert and early advocate for LinkedIn’s ability to connect people for business, shares his wisdom on LinkedIn, networking and soft skills in this episode of the Serious Soft Skills podcast.Cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham are joined by Mike Shelah, head of Shelah Consulting (http://mikeshelah.com) for a discussion of the following:How to use LinkedIn to make quality connectionsWhat not to do on LinkedInHow to gain permission to askMike’s formula for using LinkedIn effectivelyWhat soft skills come into playExamples of good networking Tips for b...2018-06-2019 minSerious Soft Skills49: Understanding Ethical Implications of DecisionsWhether we know it or not, our actions usually align with our ethics, and people with good ethics tend to be trusted and respected more than those whose ethical decision making is questionable. We are going to look at the ethical implications of decisions we make in this weeks’ episode of the Serious Soft Skills podcast. Among the topics cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss are:A definition of ethics and how it applies to workThe value of virtueHow questionable ethics can erode trust of tea...2018-06-1319 minSerious Soft Skills48: Bringing a Positive Attitude to Your WorkPositive outcomes derive from a positive attitude, but why do we say that, and what do we do when we don’t have a positive attitude at times. We’ll tackle that saying and how to maintain a positive attitude in this episode of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast.Cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham explore a variety of topics related to the soft skill of having positive attitude.Among the topics they address are:What if we bring a negative attitude to a situationThe negative effects of crea...2018-06-0616 minSerious Soft Skills47: The Super-Short Explanation of Why It Pays Off to Know More About Soft Skills47: The One Paperback Soft Skills Book You Have to ReadCohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham celebrate the long-awaited release of the paperback version of The 55 Soft Skills That Guide Employee and Organizational Success and explain how reading it will help anyone who works.Among the topics they discuss in this short episode are:How they came up with all 55 soft skillsTheir surprise at how many soft skills employees useThe logic of the bookWhere employees and leaders can benefit from reading...2018-05-3007 minSerious Soft Skills46: Being Able to Work Independently, Or With Minimal SupervisionThis week’s Serious Soft Skills podcast explores the soft skill of working independently, or with minimal supervision, and how it fosters better teams and trust.Cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham, authors of The 55 Soft Skills That Guide Employee and Organizational Success, talk about a variety of aspects of this soft skill, including:Letting go of micromanagementThe idea of ownership of projects and knowing when to share a project or take it to completion ourselvesStrategies for ensuring independence and appropriate interventionThe tug-pf-war be...2018-05-2312 minSerious Soft Skills45: A Five-Step Process and More for Attacking New SituationsCohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham explore the soft skills of adapting knowledge to new situations, what it means and how it helps build teams and careers. Among the topics they discuss are:How companies are relying more on people who can apply knowledge to solve new problemsWhy this soft skill is so important to company growthWhat other soft skills are included in this abilityEmployers want people with new ideas, not the same old perspectives they already haveHow successfully applying it can make someone a team leader, intentionally or unintentionallyWhy compensation and opportunity follow good a...2018-05-1616 minSerious Soft Skills44 Using Storytelling to Engage Your Audience EmotionallyToday’s episode isn’t about writing the Great American Novel, but rather how we incorporate the powerful aspects of storytelling into how we explain our work and our ideas so we connect emotionally .Cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham explore this important aspect of success, looking at it helps us at interviews, in meetings and when working with any other group. Storytelling can work in any situation where we talk about our work.Among the topics they cover in this episode of the Serious Soft Skills podcast are:Def...2018-05-0918 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 43: Managing Multiple ProjectsPodcast 43: Can Manage Multiple ProjectsPeople think that being a good multi-tasker, something research says is impossible, means you are able to manage multiple projects. Most employees need to be able to manage different projects at the same time, meeting deadlines and working with others, to be effective.Cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham dig into this important soft skills. Among the topics they discuss:The difference between multi-tasking and managing multiple projectsWhy we believe multi-tasking worksTechnology’s roleAre we using our time more effectively?How to get ah...2018-05-0218 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 42 Being ResponsiveBeing responsive is a soft skill that can spark creativity, trust and innovation in teams big and small. Learn how and why in this week’s episode of Serious Soft Skills. Cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham explain how the soft skill of being responsive sets teams up to succeed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-04-2519 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 41 Able To EscalateThe decision on when to escalate a situation to a boss or supervisor is an important one, for which rules are rarely clear. In today’s episode, cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham are going to explain this soft skill and how and when we should be escalating a situation to a higher-up, and why successfully using this soft skill can help an organization’s culture and trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-04-1814 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 39: Being Client FocusedBeing focused on the client, whoever that is — both internal and external to the organization — is a critical component of any successful business and a soft skill that we need to understand and incorporate into any business. Co-hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham explore client focus from two different perspectives — one looking at external customers and the other looking at internal customers. It's sure to help you better work with whatever clients you have, no matter what your business. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2018-04-0417 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 38: Complying With Standards and How It Benefits OrganizationsCohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham will tackle the soft skill of complying with standards. Sounds boring, right? Well, they’re going to make it interesting. We promise. Among the topics they will discuss this week are:Why complying with standards is a soft skillThe difference between internal and external standardsWritten and unwritten standardsHow the subprime mortgage industry breaking key rules caused a financial collapseWhen standards need to be challenged or questionedHow time can require the need to evaluate old standardsWhen to question standardsThe expectations that organizations have about complying with standardsHow organizational culture can...2018-03-2817 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 37: Details, Details, DetailsPaying attention to details can help an individual, the team and the organization. Yet most of us struggle with this important soft skill. Learn why it matters and how to do it better in this episode of Serious Soft Skills.Cohosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham explore the many important benefits of paying attention to details.Among the topics they cover:Who benefits from our attention to detailWhat happens when we don’t pay attention to detailsHow to pay attention to details more effectivelyEight hints for better paying attention to de...2018-03-2118 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 36: How Setting Goals, Prioritizing Sets Up Individual, Team SuccessCo-hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham talk about setting goals and prioritizing, which together make an important soft skills for managers, leaders and any employee.Setting goals, as in organizing and prioritizing your work, is critical for team success. To make sure everyone is working toward the same overall goal, we need to assign tasks. Those tasks have to be completed on time or else others will be waiting.Among the topics they address:Examples of where setting goals and prioritizing are critical to achieving results.How most of us have deadlines each day, w...2018-03-1418 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 35: More Questions like How Come Few People are Discussing Soft Skills?Responding to listeners questions the co-hosts explain why people don’t talk much about soft skills and how often we call on our soft skills, often without even being aware of it.Co-hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham answer questions about soft skills from some of their listeners in this episode.Among the topics they discuss:How soft skills tend to be overlookedWhy people fail to recognize the role of soft skillsHow combining soft skills with technical skills makes employees and organizations betterDon’t miss our free ebook offer for our eboo...2018-03-0716 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 34: Enthusiasm Is an Overlooked Soft Skill That’s InfectiousEnthusiasm is not just a soft skills; it’s an attitude, a choice we make that is often heavily influenced by our workplace culture, but more importantly, success. We’ll discuss how and why enthusiasm is important in every workplace.Co-hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss the following:The value of enthusiasm and why it’s a soft skillThe Fake It Till You Make It realityEnthusiasm is a form of professionalismHow optimism fuels enthusiasmTips for how to look enthusiastic, even when you aren’tWhy enthusiasm is infectious and how the opposite is cancerousHow team members...2018-02-2818 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 33: Becoming a Networking Ninja Using Your Soft Skills, Part 2More than four-in-five jobs come from connections, making networking a critical piece of any job search or path toward promotion. And at its core, any kind of networking calls on our soft skills.Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss:Why focusing on the perfect customer during networking can ruin any eventHow every contact you make could be a vitally important one somedayHow networking differs from speed datingBuilding value through networking is the name of the gameSome examples of good and bad networkingHow natural discussion can do more for networking than anything contrived.Opening doors to...2018-02-2120 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 32: Becoming a Networking Ninja by Relying on Your Soft Skills, Part 1Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham explain how to become more effective as a networker, what soft skills you should be applying and how you can overcome your fears and reluctance to make connections that can enhance your career. LinkedIn.com in 2016 found that 85% of all jobs come from networking. Therefore, our ability to be successful at formal and informal networking can play a huge role in our career enhancement and opportunities.Among the topics they discuss are:How to approach networkingNetworking for introverts or reluctant networkersNegotiating your way through formal networking e...2018-02-1424 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 31: Helping Applicants Use Soft Skills to Make Hiring Decisions EasierThis is the last week of our Six Weeks of Serious Soft Skills Strategy and this week we look at a specific job posting and talk about how the employer could have better integrated soft skills into the job posting, valuable information for employers and job seekers.In this week’s episode, Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss various aspects of integrating soft skills into a job announcement.Among the topics they discuss are:Getting soft skills into the competencies and qualifications an employee needsHow to combine soft skills into one bullet in an...2018-02-0714 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 30: Leveraging Soft Skills to Hire Better EmployeesIn Week 5 of our Six Weeks of Serious Soft Skills Strategy, we look at how to implement soft skills into the hiring process, which will provide valuable insights into the process for hiring managers and job applicants. Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham, co-hosts of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast, cover the following topics:Avoiding the trap of only looking at technical skillsEvaluating applicants’ functional skills along with soft skillsHow applicants can articulate how they can blend soft skills with technical skills are the gold standardHow the best applicants can explain how they transfer tec...2018-01-3121 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 29: Highlighting Your Soft Skills to Nail Every InterviewIt’s Week 4 of the Six Weeks of Serious Soft Skills Strategy, where we will be looking at how to incorporate soft skills into a job interview. Armed with this ability, you will zoom to the top of every job search list.In Episode 29 of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast, Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham continue to put soft skills to work for you in your quest to obtain a better job or a promotion. This week, we're going to talk through how to use soft skills as an interviewee.Among the topics covered:...2018-01-2424 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 28: Using Soft Skills to Get Your Cover Letter and Resume NoticedSoft skills can hold important role in getting noticed in a job search, especially when integrated into your cover letter and resume. We'll discuss how to get that notice by beefing up your soft skills in these materials.As employers and organizations look more at soft skills, applicants need to articulate their soft skills in the cover letter and even the resume. So in Week 3 of the Six Weeks of Serious Soft Skills Strategy, Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss a number of strategies for integrating soft skills into resumes and cover letters.Don’t f...2018-01-1723 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 27: Using Soft Skills Effectively in Your Job SearchIn the second week of the Six Weeks of Serious Soft Skills Strategy, Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham talk about integrating soft skills into cover letters and resumes. Most employers continue to focus on technical skills, which are critical in their hiring decisions. But applicants who look for matches and exploit those matches can position themselves ahead of other candidates and show employers why they are perfect for a position.Among the topics they discuss in this episode are:Why job searches usually mean short staffing when they need to make t...2018-01-1017 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 26: The 55 Soft Skills Book Launch Starts Six Weeks of Serious Soft Skills StrategyTo launch the Six Weeks of Serious Soft Skills Strategy, Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss their new book, The 55 Soft Skills that Guide Employee and Organizational Success, its origins and how it will help every employee and leader be more effective this year.Hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham have released a new ebook, The 55 Soft Skills that Guide Employee and Organizational Success, that offers the first comprehensive look at the 55 soft skills they have uncovered through their research of academic research and business.The hosts also offer a special...2018-01-0315 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 25: Is Soft Skills the Right Name for These Critical Employee Skills?A discussion of the pros and cons of the name “soft skills” and whether other names are better and avoid relegating them to second-class status in the workplace. Hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham explore the name “soft skills” and if it’s a good moniker for all of the skills employees and organizations use in combination with technical skills.Among the topics they discuss:Why some people think soft skills is derogatory and minimizes the role these skills play in the workplace, job hunts and other aspects of workT...2017-12-2716 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 24: Why Good Writers Are Their Readers’ AdvocateWritten communication is an important skill, for it is often our first — and potentially — lasting impression of a person. We’ll discuss good writing and give tips for how to write better. Hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham talk about the important soft skill of written communication in this episode. Among the topics they cover are:How our writing is often where people first encounter usWhy writing conveys what’s inside our mindsWriting tells us about how someone sees the world, sees his or her role in the wo...2017-12-2020 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 23: Does Collaboration Spark Innovative Problem-Solving or Curtail Creativity?Some see the soft skill of collaboration as a valuable soft skill, while others say it stunts creativity. The hosts give their views on these divergent points of view. osts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham explore the various views regarding the soft skill of collaboration as a followup to their discussion in Episode 22 of what collaboration is.Topics discussed include:Does collaboration kill creativity, as Geoffrey James suggests in an Inc. magazine article, Collaboration Kills Creativity, According to Science?Do teams add or distract from collaboration?Taking a...2017-12-1320 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 22: The Soft Skill of Collaboration: The Rallying Point and Other Keys to SuccessCollaboration among workers can be the jet fuel for teams, pushing them to solve problems and achieve results that they could not have accomplished separately. Hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss what collaboration is, why it is so beneficial to organizations and what it can deliver to teams and organizations.Topics discussed include:What collaboration isHow people’s perspectives have to align for collaboration to occurWhy collaboration gets us to a better spotHow collaboration stokes problem-solvingThe distinction between collaboration for cre...2017-12-0616 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 21: Should Being Appreciative Be a Soft Skill?Just in time for Thanksgiving and the holidays, a listener suggests that we add being appreciative to the list of 55 soft skills and how it affects organizational culture. Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham weigh whether being appreciative or thankful should be added to the list of 55 soft skills.Topics they address include:How the suggestion came up.How the original list of 55 soft skills were developed.A case for adding being appreciative or thankful.Some soft skills that aren’t job-description items, but still important.Whe...2017-11-2913 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 20: Being Persuasive Is a Soft Skill Every Employee Must UseBeing persuasive is a foundational soft skill that everyone in an organization has a responsibility to use, although it’s vitally important to being a successful leader. Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss the soft skill of being persuasive and how it use can spur an organization’s growth.Among the topics they discuss are:Why being persuasive makes our listHow to differentiate between manipulation and persuasionA working definition of persuasionHow persuasion leads to “buy-in”How persuasion is about attractionIdentifyin...2017-11-1517 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 19: How Intentionality Sparks Good Delegation and How to Avoid the MonkeyDelegation, one of the 55 soft skills, helps determine which human resources to delegate to specific tasks to ensure organizational effectiveness.In this episode, the hosts, Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham, discuss:What delegation isThe intentionality of delegationHow return on assets (ROA) plays into deciding when to delegateHow delegation can build a better, deeper teamWhen delegation becomes shirking and avoiding the Tom Sawyer approachHow to know when good delegation is occurringWhat managers should always be asking themselvesHow an...2017-11-0918 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 18: The Important Function of Environment in Using Soft SkillsEnvironment, while not a soft skill, plays a critical role in which soft skills we use and how we use them. Hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss the role of environment in this episode. Environment is not a soft skill, but it performs an important role in determining which soft skills to use and how to use them.In this episode, the hosts discuss:Why soft skills are dependent on the environment in which they are employed.How environment might play into when to ask of a r...2017-11-0114 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 17: Facilitating Better Meetings is about More than Just a Soft SkillMeeting facilitation may not seem like a soft skill, but it can easy serve as a gateway to more productivity and opportunity for leaders, managers and organizations. Hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss the cost and culture surrounding ineffective meetings and why good meetings really do require strong soft skills.In this episode, they discuss:The incredible cost to American companies from unproductive meetings.Why meeting facilitation is on the soft skills listHow technology makes meeting planning and management easierWhy technology makes meetings e...2017-10-2419 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 16: Soft Skills: The True Differentiator for Employees, Job Seekers and OrganizationsSoft skills are the true differentiator that helps people with strong technical skills earn jobs and transform their organizations, the hosts explain while answering listener questions.IntroductionBob Graham (‘0:20'): Welcome to Serious Soft Skills, Episode 16. With me is Dr. Tobin Porterfield. For you newcomers and those of you who have been with us for a while, you may or may not know we have uncovered a list of 55 soft skills. We dug this list up though academic research and our teaching of college students and work in various industries. Paying really close att...2017-10-1717 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 15: The Soft Skill of Patience and Its Many RewardsPatience makes the list of soft skills. We'll explain why and how it fosters opportunities at work and in careers. IntroductionDr. Tobin Porterfield (‘0:20'): Welcome to Serious Soft Skills, Episode 15. With me is Bob Graham. For you newcomers, welcome. Let's set the stage. We have uncovered a list of 55 soft skills from our review of academic research and our teaching of college students, and our work in diverse industries. We use our keen eye on soft skills to help uncover how they work and how we all can improve them. We loo...2017-10-1215 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 14: How Self Reflection ‘Fast-Tracks’ Soft Skills DevelopmentSelf-reflection, while not a soft skill, plays an important role in how we develop our soft skills over time.IntroductionBob Graham (‘0:20'): Hello, I am Bob Graham and with me as always is Dr. Tobin Porterfield. We teach college, we research soft skills and we help our students develop these skills and have seen how they play out in a variety of work settings. We'll show you that eye for soft skills in a second when we start talking about self reflection.Graham (‘0:39'): Self reflection itself is not a soft skil...2017-10-0417 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 13: Interview Part 2 on How Customer Service, Cultural Awareness Stoke SuccessExploring the role customer service as a soft skill plays in the success of an organization om an interview with customer service expert Neal Woodson. IntroductionDr. Tobin Porterfield (‘0:21'): Welcome to Episode 13 of Serious Soft Skills. I am your host, Dr. Tobin Porterfield. Today we will have the second of a two-part interview that my cohost Bob Graham conducted with Neal Woodson. Neal has 35 years of experience across a range of environments, including 19 years in the event technology industry. Neal currently serves as director of service excellence for PSAV, where he hel...2017-09-2714 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 12: Interview on How Everyone Has a Customer-Service JobThe soft skill of customer service is often misunderstood. Serious Soft Skills Cohost Bob Graham interviews Neal Woodson, a customer service expert, in the first part of a two-part interview on the topic.Neal's view is that customer service is the most important aspect of what organizations provide, and it ultimately is what is necessary to find any success.IntroductionDr. Tobin Porterfield (‘0:21'): Welcome to Episode 12 of Serious Soft Skills. I am your host, Dr. Tobin Porterfield. Today we will have the first of a two-part interview, where my cohost, the sultan of soft skills, Bob Gr...2017-09-2013 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 11: The Debate about Project Management as a Soft SkillProject management is not always considered a soft skill. Hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss its role as a soft skill and discuss the criticism.What Project Management IsBob Graham ‘1:06': We should probably start out first off with defining what project management is and explaining why it fits into our list of soft skills because most people, or some people, might be thinking that they can take a course of project management in college. Why are you saying it's a soft skill? Dr. Tobin Porterfield ‘1:23': Let's start that up. Let's start with what...2017-09-1218 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 10: How Perseverance or Persistence Helps Entrepreneurs, OrganizationsHosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss perseverance or persistence, and why it plays a critical role in group dynamics.IntroductionGraham ‘0:21': Welcome to Episode 10 of Serious Soft Skills. I'm Bob Graham and with me as always, at least so far, is Dr. Tobin Porterfield. We each teach college; we collaborate on researching soft skills, and we both have used and seen others employ soft skills over the course of our long and illustrious careers, not that long and not that illustrious. We think our experience and expertise give us a unique lens for looking at so...2017-09-0515 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 9: How Empathy Builds Trust, Teams Hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss empathy, a soft skill that everyone can benefit from, but it's a soft skill that is poorly understood and often overlooked. IntroductionGraham ‘0:24': Welcome to Episode 9 of Serious Soft Skills. I'm Bob Graham and with me as always, at least so far, is Dr. Tobin Porterfield. We each teach college; we collaborate on researching soft skills, and we both have used and seen others employ soft skills over the course of our long and illustrious careers, not that long and not that illustrious. We th...2017-08-2919 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 8: Soft Skills That Guide Organizational Change, VisionHosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham look at the soft skills that guide an organization and its culture toward change and a shared vision. Bob Graham (‘0:00'): Coming up, we're going to talk about the list of soft skills that play the most prominent role in organizations and organizational change. That and more in just a few seconds.IntroductionGraham ‘0:20': Welcome to Episode 8 of Serious Soft Skills. I'm Bob Graham and with me as always is Dr. Tobin Porterfield. We each teach college, (not this month, but soon we will...2017-08-2318 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 7: Group Soft Skills That Help Lead Teams, Fuel InnovationHosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham talk about specific soft skills that fuel innovation and guide you when you are working in a group.Bob Graham (‘0:00'): Coming up, we're going to talk about some specific soft skills that guide you when you are working in a group. That and more in just a few seconds.IntroductionGraham ‘0:19': Welcome to Episode 7. It's already been a week. I'm Bob Graham and with me is Dr. Tobin Porterfield. We each teach college, we collaborate on researching soft skills, and we both have used...2017-08-1617 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 6: Nexus Soft Skills Backing One-On-One InteractionsHosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss the soft skills necessary to foster good one-on-one communications.Bob Graham ‘0:00': Coming we're going to talk about the specific soft skills that can make or break your discussion with another person. That and more in just a few seconds.The OpeningGraham ‘0:17': Welcome to Episode 6 of Serious Soft Skills. I am Bob Graham and with me is Dr. Tobin Porterfield. We each teach college, we collaborate on researching soft skills and we have both used and seen others use soft skills in a va...2017-08-0916 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 5: The First Step to Improve Your Soft SkillsDr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham take a deeper dive into one of the key areas of soft skills: Individual soft skills. We’re also going to talk about how best to get moving toward improving your soft skills.Bob Graham ‘0:00’: Coming up, we’re going to take a deeper dive into one of the key area of soft skills: Individual soft skills.Graham ‘0:23’: Welcome to Episode 4 of Serious Soft Skills. I am Bob Graham, and with me, as always, is Dr. Tobin Porterfield. We each teach college, we collaborate on researching soft skills, and we...2017-08-0220 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 4: New Soft Skills Research RevealedHosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham share some cutting-edge research on soft skills we obtained from a survey of almost 500 business people. They further dig into results among various groups, including people seeking jobs, workers without leadership roles, mid-level managers, executives, and the self-employed. It’s great stuff that will give you new insights on soft skills. Bob Graham ‘0:00’: Coming up, we will share some cutting-edge research on soft skills we obtained from a survey of almost 500 business people. It’s great stuff that will give you new insights into how soft skills are real...2017-07-1818 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 3: The Most Important Soft Skill, MaybeToday we are going to look at arguably what is one of the most important soft skills, one that sets the stage for so many other soft skills to appear. Will you agree or disagree with our host?Bob Graham ‘0:00’: Coming up, we are going to look at arguably what is one of the most important soft skills, one that sets the stage for so many other soft skills to appear. That’s coming up in just a few seconds.Graham ‘0:26’: Welcome to Episode 3 of Serious Soft Skills. I am Bob Graham and with me, a...2017-07-1115 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 2: The Story of Doug, Who Has Poor Soft SkillsYou may have heard about soft skills, but you may not know who in your office needs to use them and why. We'll explain it all.Bob Graham ‘0:00': You may have heard about soft skills, but you may not know who in your office needs to use them and why. We will enlighten you in just a few seconds.Graham ‘0:22': Welcome to Episode 2 of Serious Soft Skills. I am Bob Graham, and with me is Dr. Tobin Porterfield. We each teach college, we collaborate on researching soft skills, and we both have...2017-07-0516 minSerious Soft SkillsPodcast 1: What Are Soft Skills Anyway?Hosts Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham explain what soft skills are, using powerful examples from business. Bob Graham ‘0:22': We’re going to explain what soft skills are in general, and explain them in a way that gives people a better understanding. Let’s start with the big question first. Why soft skills now?Dr. Tobin Porterfield ‘0:58': We know from our research that soft skills go back almost 50 years. So they are not new. But what is new is, we are in a hyper-competitive market now, where technology and globalization have saturated...2017-06-2918 min