Embracing Unicorn Qualities in Tech: The Future of Soft Skills
With AI creating art, music, and other traditional creative forays, the line between “man-made” and “artificial” is blurring. William Vanderbloemen, an executive recruiter, former pastor, and author of “Be The Unicorn” makes the case that there are 12 “soft-skill” qualities that every Unicorn, the most desirable candidate for a role, possesses. Fortunately, Vanderbloemen posits that each of these qualities can be refined and honed, so if you find yourself without a horn protruding from your forehead - fear not!
1.
Act Fast. Being quick to respond and quick to react is a great indicator of success, from responding to emails to pivoting in a business strategy decision. While we all know the phrase “fail fast” is a common refrain in startups, being fast is also a great indicator of success.
2.
Be authentic. There’s a reason why we don’t like emails that feel “salesy” or marketing that’s “gimmicky” - it doesn’t resonate with who we truly are. Being authentic isn’t just about having a genuine and personal voice, it’s also about being willing to own up to mistakes, having humility, and knowing when to connect on a personal level without oversharing.
“Discover who you are and do it on purpose.”
3.
Be agile. What new skill are you learning? What new hobby are you developing? Are you learning from history and applying the lessons to today? Agility thrives on diversity, new ideas, and fresh experiences, and these are logs you should be constantly throwing into your wood chipper. Being able to embrace diversity and also anticipate future risks is of course beneficial to your employer, but ultimately, to you.
4.
Be a solver. This is akin to complaining, and you can find yourself either on the problem side or the solution side of a task. There should be no problem raised without a solution, otherwise, this is just complaining. Refrain from using “I” or “You” when “We” can find a solution to a blameless problem.
“When they go low, we go high”
5.
Anticipate what’s next. No need to have a 10-year plan mapped out, just being able to see one or two moves ahead is enough. Keep your desired outcome in mind and keep this as the primary objective for all actions moving forward. Don’t wait to be asked, anticipate the needs and go ahead and do it.
6.
Be prepared. Do your homework, run through your pitch, and research your competition. Don’t assume you have all the information you need, and take your time to fully understand a task before jumping in.
“Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready”
7.
Be self-aware. This one has two sides: first, by knowing your strengths and playing to them. Second, by being aware of your weaknesses in order to build a team, network, and delegate. This also ties into the quality of being authentic by being honest with yourself about your limitations and your needs. Is there a certain time of day you are more productive than others? Should you really take time to write X posts, or delegate that to a summer intern? Self-awareness allows you to be a better leader and work better on a team. Humility is key here.
8.
Be curious. We learn more and retain more when it’s a subject we are curious about. Curiosity shows a willingness to learn and grow and is conducive to a constant state of growth. Asking good questions, engaging in active listening, and applying what’s learned is key. While AI can continue to learn once it has the directive, it doesn’t have the sense to get curious and make leaps.
9.
Be connected. This is about building relationships instead of about networking, which is becoming “ick”. Invest in relationships with people not based on what they can do for you, but for community, trust, love, and quality connections. Take the time to remember names. Go out of your way to help someone who asks. Make the connection.
“There is no one alive who is youer than you”
10.
Likability. This is a tough one for many go-getters to stomach, but this is key to what makes a Unicorn. Sometimes getting the promotion, job, or project is simply because one is able to play well with others. Like it or not, likability does trump competency, so you won’t land that job because of your coding skills even if you’re not a team player. This can be learned, through attempting to share others’ interests, welcoming and unifying others, and intentionally seeking out relationships. Start a round-robin coffee club at work and see what happens.
11.
Be productive. Do not confuse this with output or staying busy; this is all about the outcome. It’s okay to focus on less in order to achieve more. However, you’re able to achieve productivity works; what matters is the end result. Whether this is the Pomodoro method, setting a scale of daily tasks, or creating a tracker, the means to productivity don’t matter as long as they work for you.
12.
Purpose-driven. Perhaps the best quality is saved for last, and this is a trait I’m seeing requested more from the companies I work with. Start by understanding your “why”, and then seeking a company whose values match this. This “why” is the understanding to what motivates you, what guides you, what keeps you working long hours, and fills your intrinsic bucket. Purpose gives you passion, and this doesn’t have to be divorced from work.
AI created this without soft skills
Easy, right? Yeah, that’s what I thought. We all want to be perfect unicorns: drinking our warm lemon water in the morning, meditating every day, leading team-wide yoga at lunch, and cooking a from-scratch meal for our kids each night. It’s just not possible for the common person. For a Unicorn, however, they can be thoughtful about each one of these qualities and set intentions to work on each one a little at a time. I have no doubt it’s possible for each one of us to be referred to as a “unicorn”, and you can smile to yourself knowing the hard work it actually took to achieve the title.