GM everyone -

Forgive my 2 week hiatus.

I am in the thralls of what the corporate world calls “onboarding” and, frankly, my brain was too fired to focus on anything else.

One thing has already become abundantly clear to me in this new role at a fast-paced company: you cannot afford to sit and wait around for things if you want to get shit done.

It takes action and agency anywhere - but even moreso at a fully-remote company.

One of the first things my boss and I discussed was the combo of process vs. people.

On process - you need to understand how things work. Who does what, chain of command, etc.

It’s imperative to understand company processes as soon as possible, but even moreso today, because the more you understand them early on with a fresh perspective, the more you are able to help optimize - or sometimes, disrupt them entirely.

Something akin to “learn the rules so you can break them.”

AI is extremely beneficial for this - but I’m not going to get into that here.

What I want to talk about is the people side of things.

I’ve always advocated for soft skills - those unspoken characteristics that are often hard to quantify. Charisma, chemistry, empathy, mindfulness, humor, EQ…these are just a few terms used to articulate “being good with people.”

As my boss was explaining the balance beam approach to people vs. process when “shipping” things at work, it was a friendly reminder just how relevant the human-proof approach is.

Maybe, in a typical scenario, you’d have to wait a day or two to get something approved by another person in the company before you can hit “send.”

Or maybe, if you’ve taken the time to foster a relationship with that person, you can cut the line and get their approval in minutes. Because they know you. They like you. You two have a connection beyond a name & avatar on Slack.

This is the superpower of soft skills.

Processes can be optimized, but relationships cannot. They are immune to automation, and the ability to nurture them is more valuable than ever, regardless of your domain. In an environment where people are isolated, take it upon yourself to build the bridge.

This isn’t new or groundbreaking advice. But it’s worth repeating and sharing.

Now, for this week’s playlist…

RP WEEKLY!!!!