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Key Takeaways I realized technical skills alone aren’t enough, and certain human traits make all the difference in driving adoption and impact.
Focusing on these five soft skills transformed how I evaluate candidates and build high-performing teams.
Three months ago, I faced a choice between two candidates for a critical role.
One had a resume loaded with AI certifications and technical credentials. The other had modest technical skills but an extraordinary ability to explain complex ideas to non-technical audiences — a skill critical for winning skeptical stakeholders.
I chose the second candidate. Six weeks later, she transformed our most resistant department head into our biggest technology champion. The technically brilliant candidate? He’s thriving elsewhere, at a company where execution matters more than alignment.
That moment crystallized a lesson I’ve learned over 15 years leading technology implementations across sports, entertainment and venture capital: In the AI era, the old hiring playbook is broken.
Related: AI Is Wiping Out Entry-Level Jobs — Here’s How to Safeguard Your Talent Pipeline
The wake-up call
For years, I prioritized technical credentials, domain expertise and portfolios. Soft skills? “Nice to have.”
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