What happens when you don’t improve your “soft skills”

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Candidate,

Yesterday, we talked about the often-hidden role that "soft skills" play in landing huge promotions.

Skills like how to be confident, how to own the room, how to communicate with your boss, and how to drive projects forward.

OK, so let's also talk about the other side of the equation: what happens when things go wrong.

I don't know about you, but I'm getting allergic to people only showing you the positive stuff. Let's keep it real.

That's why today, I want to show you the flip side.

Specifically...

What if you don't really change anything?

What if you just read these emails, say "LOL, good one, Ramit!" and go on with your day?

What's the worst that could happen? Realistically, nothing. Nobody is forcing you to learn all these weird soft skills. In fact, the vast majority of you will read this email, then go back to doing what you've done every day. And guess what — the truth is your life will be just fine. There won't be any floods or famines or instant bankruptcies.

I know that. You know that.

Most of us are worried about making the wrong decision — when we really should be worried about not making any decision at all.

So today, I want to share what happens when you don't do anything. What's the worst that can happen?

Well, I'll show you...

Here's a story I don't tell very often. I'm not sharing it to shame anyone, but to be candid about the costs of NOT building these soft skills.

A while ago, we hired someone to help us choose a new email service provider.

When he finally told me which service to use, I said "OK" and signed the $100,000 contract.

But there was one huge problem.

The next week, when my team logged in, they realized — to their horror — that the software couldn't perform a simple function we absolutely needed. (Without it, revenues would tank.)

By this point, we'd already paid $30,000 for the software.

I picked up the phone and called our sales rep. "Look guys, I'd appreciate your help on this. We made a mistake. We've already paid you $30,000. We discovered this today and we haven't imported a single piece of data. Honestly, this is our fault. If you want, keep the money. But I'd personally appreciate it if you could cancel the rest of our contract so we don't have to pay $70,000 for software we don't use."

Their response:

Translation: Sorry, but you screwed up and we're still collecting your $100,000

Who's to blame in this situation?

I'll tell you: ME.

By not following through and checking the details, I let a $100,000 mistake happen on my watch.

(Soft skills. Hard cost. Ouch.)

I'm sharing this story to show you that getting ahead isn't just about going through the motions. It's not even about becoming a "better" writer, designer, or programmer.

The pivotal moments in your career — where a promotion or life-changing project either goes to you or somebody else — come down to your soft skills.

People who master the art of communicating, following through, being likable and interesting — THOSE are the people who get ahead.

When you ignore the soft skills, life becomes a steady stream of opportunities that whoosh by you, day after day:

I've interviewed people with EXCELLENT technical skills, but because they couldn't stop rambling, I said "thanks for your time" and didn't hire them. Rambling is one of the pernicious social-skills breakdowns you can have because over time, people stop wanting to hear anything you have to say. (And since they're too polite to point it out, you'll just keep on "mysteriously" failing.)

People who don't build relationships at work constantly get overlooked. Sometimes for a promotion, sometimes just for happy hour. No one bothers to include them. Think of all the important conversations and good times they miss out on. Friends they'll never make. Opportunities they didn't know existed.

I lost out on thousands of dollars in scholarships because I didn't smile in interviews. It took 6 months to find out why. Imagine being in the dark that whole time. Getting pumped up, hearing "no" after "no," and not knowing why. It's a living hell.

Meanwhile, other people swoop in and snatch these opportunities right out from under you.

I refuse to let this happen to you.

That's why I created the Top Performer Package. A special bundle of 3 "hidden gem" IWT courses we almost never talk about.

If you've ever wondered how ordinary people accomplish 10x as much (in the same 24 hours you get), you're about to find out.

Here's a tiny taste of what's inside…

How to uncover the game being played around you in any field … and systematically dominate it
The #1 investment you can make (HINT: Top Performers invest in this like crazy and it's never too late to start)
How to set up meetings with "higher-status" people so they clear their schedule to talk to you
The right way to leverage accountability so you achieve your goals in half the time … even when you're feeling lazy or unmotivated (most people get this all wrong)
How I built mental toughness and the ability to say "no" without feeling guilty

There's a ton more of our very best "inner game" material inside. And I've never offered these courses in one package until now.

Click here to get instant access to the Top Performer Package.