Soft Skills

Soft Skills: The Keys to Success in Management, Marathons, and Moviemaking

Soft skills are critical for us to be successful in our personal and professional lives. They allow us to build better relationships, work more efficiently, and maximize our potential. They also guide us through very tough and challenging situations. Although a person may be technically knowledgeable and competent, they still must interact with their team members, internal and external customers, vendors, and individuals who don’t report to them. The presenter shares how the same soft skills were critically important to his success in education, business, sports, and moviemaking. These skills include

Openness to criticism
Risk taking
Analysis/Research
Storytelling
Critical observation
Verbal communication
Visual communication
Negotiation
Listening
Stress management
Thinking outside the box

The presenter earned two undergraduate and two graduate degrees in “technical/analytical” areas; mathematics, business, and accounting. He also received professional certifications in IT, accounting, project management, and supply chain management. His applications of soft skills in these technical areas led to his work being recognized by national IT and accounting organizations.

These same soft skills were used to make world history as a distance runner, being inducted into two National Distance Running Hall of Fames, and having a 3.5-hour video recording of his life story in a special section of the US Library of Congress.
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Later, these skills were used to write, direct, and produce two feature-length documentaries and thirteen related documentary shorts. The first documentary, titled "Breaking Three Hours,” was selected by fourteen film festivals in the US, Canada, and Sweden. It earned thirteen awards and won eight times. It was selected by numerous streaming services, including Amazon’s Prime Video, Tubi, and Apple TV. The second documentary, titled "We ARE Distance Runners,” was selected by fourteen film festivals in the US, India, France, Canada, and Sweden. It earned sixteen awards and won six times. It’s still competing in film festivals.
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We’d like the audience to become more aware of the power that soft skills play in making their lives, as well as the lives of people around them, better and more fulfilling. Soft skills are necessary to be successful and happy at home and the workplace. They’re truly transferable.

SOFT SKILLS MAKE HARD PROJECTS POSSIBLE.