Once upon a time I was a student. Sitting on the bench of a class I heard a pearl of wisdom from professor Wellington Penaforte. As a medical doctor, he taught me general physiology, but one single lesson stood out with me for many years: “In my many years of teaching”, he said, “I observed that not the best student but the brightest colleague becomes the most successful professional.” He was referring to the most social, friendly, and easy-going pupils he once mentored.
In the Follow to Lead post I discussed why and how leadership is about prompting people into action. Being absolutely right, from the technical point of view, is not enough. People follow and work for leaders who they perceive being right. In that regard, often times A-students have all details right, but the socially-savvy ones know best how to communicate, convince and win followers.
In my professional trajectory I worked with leaders of different styles throughout five continents and diverse cultures. The wisdom of professor Penaforte held true. As professionals, the A-student became the support to the social-savvy colleague turned into leader.
The celebrated JPMorgan CEO, Jamie Dimon, confirms that lesson. In a recent interview, he recognizes that soft skills will be more important than ever in a AI, digital era: “My advice to people would be critical thinking, learn skills, learn your EQ [emotional quotient], learn how to be good in a meeting, how to communicate, how to write. You’ll have plenty of jobs.” Planning for tomorrow, JPMorgan invests two billion dollars in digital transformation and bets on social leaders.
The Unconscious Skill 