Hardcore Soft Skills Podcast

Tech- savviness or being Tech-Savvy is not just about knowing a ‘how to,’ but about cultivating the desire to always be learning more. This is what we will talk about today with my guest Bob Fabien Zinga (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobfabienzinga/)   Fabien is a cybersecurity executive and US Navy Reserves Commander with 23 years of experience in Information Technology and areas such as leadership, business operations, and project management. He is also part of the Forbes Technology  Council of Experts panel. You can see his contributions here: https://profiles.forbes.com/members/tech/profile/Bob-Fabien-Zinga-Head-Director-Information-Security-Information-Warfare-Commander-Directly-Inc-U-S-N/fcf91616-0afb-4518-94aa-93103b562d3c I invited him because he is always sharing great information both to the tech experts about the latest trends and about the fields we must learn more about. We talked about his fascinating life story, and his views on why we should educate ourselves in business.   If you want to receive more information, subscribe to my newsletter via https://www.hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com/  Connect with me via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/yadiraycaro/  or email me at yadi@hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com

Today we will talk about Grit and our expert is former Army Colonel David Fivecoat (https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-fivecoat-b5860b75/ ), who served twenty-four years as an infantry officer, leading men and women during contingency operations in Kosovo and Bosnia, three combat tours in Iraq, and a combat tour commanding a battalion in Afghanistan. He culminated his service by overseeing the gender integration of the US Army’s Ranger School. David is now retired from military life but has now launched the Fivecoat Consulting Group (https://www.thefivecoatconsultinggroup.com/) with the mission of helping leaders, managers, and organizations be the grittiest leaders that they can be. We will be talking about some of the key lessons from his book Grow Your Grit: Overcome Obstacles, Thrive, and Accomplish Your Goals (https://www.thefivecoatconsultinggroup.com/books) Connect with me via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/yadiraycaro/  or email me at yadi@hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com  

This is the final episode of the season two. This season we have featured mini master classes from well-known experts so listen to the previous episodes from Season 1 and Season 2 to learn more. In this episode we discuss Emotional Intelligence. In my IO Psychology classes this semester we talked a lot about this concept which was by the coined by Peter Salovey and John Meyer, but popularized by Daniel Goleman. It refers to the idea that just as we have cognitive intelligence or IQ, we also have EQ or ability to manage our emotions and those of others. My guest today wrote a book which addresses EQ and other non-technical skills like self-awareness using a highly technical approach. Gilbert Eijkelenboom wrote the book People Skills for Analytical Thinkers (https://www.mindspeaking.com/book). What I love about this book is that it uses very relatable language for those of us who work in tech and provides very pertinent advice. Gilbert is a former Data and Analytics Consultant and founder MIndspeaking (mindspeaking.com),  a company which helps data scientist and analysts develop soft skills for business . We talked about his career as poker player, his own journey to become more emotionally intelligent and he gives specific steps you can apply as well. You can view some free training here: https://www.mindspeaking.com/free-course Connect with me via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/yadiraycaro/  or email me at yadi@hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com  

In today’s episode we will talk again about the skill of Creativity. (You can listen for the previous episode here: https://www.hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com/creativity-natalie-nixon-phd/)  Noah Askin (https://noahaskin.com/)  is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at INSEAD business school, located in France, where he teaches Organizational Design and Leadership. Noah is interested in social and cultural networks, creativity and innovation. His current research is focused on areas such as music chart and industry dynamics, and what factors contribute to creativity. I met Noah during one of his 15-minute office hours (https://noahaskin.com/office-hours/) Since the pandemic started, he decided to open the calendar to anyone to chat about anything for 15 minutes. We will talk about this experience, his research in music and elements for creativity. For bonus materials of this and other episodes, subscribe via the website https://www.hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com/ You can see her TEDx Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTS95OchFOE Connect with me via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/yadiraycaro/  or email me at yadi@hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com 

We consider creativity as a territory that belongs to the people in music and art, but creativity is a skill we all have and can cultivate.   My guest today helps people build what she calls creative confidence. Natalie Nixon is a creativity strategist with a background in cultural anthropology, fashion, and service design, who now focuses on helping companies  innovate. She is also the author of the book The Creativity Leap: Unleash Curiosity, Innovation and Intuition at Work where she discusses how to apply creativity tools and techniques with real-world stories of innovative people and businesses.  In this episode we talked about specific techniques for creativity, the importance of rigor, and wonder. You can find more information about Natalie via https://www.figure8thinking.com/about/ Download the Wonder Rigor Tip Sheet via: https://creativityleap.figure8thinking.com/wonder-rigor-tips   For bonus materials of this and other episodes, subscribe via the website https://www.hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com/ You can see her TEDx Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTS95OchFOE Connect with me via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/yadiraycaro/  or email me at yadi@hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com   

Storytelling is not an art reserved for authors. Regardless of your job, you need to start integrating the art of telling stories either if you are selling a product or if you are selling yourself.   In this episode, Amy Blaschka has made a career offering stories as a service. From her degree in film to her three decades spent branding products, places and people, Amy has understood the power of weaving a compelling tale. She is asocial media ghost writer, and also a longtime contributor for Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyblaschka/)  We speak about her work, what makes a good story and some techniques to create good stories. To get in touch with Amy, visit her website: https://www.amyblaschka.com/ For bonus materials of this and other episodes, subscribe via the website https://www.hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com/ Connect with me via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/yadiraycaro/  or email me at yadi@hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com 

The book Getting Things Done, by David Allen, was published over 20 years ago and today is it as relevant as ever.  The book, has which been published in 30 languages, has turned into a whole methodology called GTD and it is now being taught by coaches all over the world.   I spoke with David about the origins of GTD, and he shared specific actions you can take now to enjoy your life. For more information about GTD go to https://gettingthingsdone.com/ For bonus materials of this and other episodes, subscribe via the website https://www.hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com/ Connect with me via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/yadiraycaro/  or email me at yadi@hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com

Conflict is unavoidable at work, no matter if you work in an office or remotely. If you wish you had a step by step guide for addressing conflict, Dr. Paul Marciano just wrote it. Doctor Marciano, also known as the Respect Doctor, just launched his book Let's Talk About It: Turning Confrontation into Collaboration at Work. The book gives concrete steps on dealing with conflict based on situations, personality and even how to deal with it remotely. Dr. Paul earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Yale University and he is also the author of the book Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work. In this episode he shares some of the advice from his book and specific things we can do now to deal with conflicts successfully. To connect with Dr. Paul, connect via https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulmarciano/ For bonus materials of this and other episodes, subscribe via the website https://www.hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com/ Connect with me via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/yadiraycaro/ or email me at yadi@hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com

  Forming teams is certainly not an easy  task and there is no easy formula to follow. There are many books addressing how to recruit and improve teams with very different approaches. One of the recent books I read on the topic fascinated me because it proposed a different yet successful approach. The book The Talent War (https://thetalentwar.com/) proposes that just as it is done in successful special forces teams, hiring should be based on character, not on skill. The Talent War was written by two former members of the US military, Mike Sarraille and George Randle. I spoke with George about his own experience serving in the military, the motivation to write this book and he shares critical advice for those who are recruiting and those who want to be recruited. You can find out more about the book and George’s work via https://www.efoverwatch.com/ For bonus materials of this and other episodes, subscribe via the website https://www.hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com/ Connect with me via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/yadiraycaro/ or email me at yadi@hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com

Empathy at work can bring great business value and increase our ability to become better leaders. In this episode we speak with Mimi Nicklin is the bestselling author of Softening The Edge, the host of the ‘Empathy for Breakfast’ show (www.empathyforbreakfast.com) and the ‘Secrets of The Gap’ podcast. She is an experienced marketer, communications strategist, and an empathy advocate. She spoke  from her home in Dubai and we discussed the need for empathy at work and how we can start building up this skill. Let's listen. You can find out more about Mimi on her website www.miminicklin.com or  via Instagram For bonus materials of this and other episodes, subscribe via the website https://www.hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com/ Connect with Yadi via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/yadiraycaro/  or email her at yadi@hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com