Have you ever been frustrated with your involvement in a Salesforce project that seem to derail, despite the high level of technical expertise of the team members? Don’t be fooled by the term “soft skills” – many times these skills are harder to hone than “hard skills” and are key to success in all types of Salesforce work. Join me in this presentation as I share my years of experience as a Salesforce admin and consultant, offering valuable insights and practical tips around soft skills to help you not only better understand the needs of your users and business, but guide your project to successful outcomes. By attending this session, you will learn some tips and tricks on how to focus on soft skills to improve your performance in Salesforce engagements, achieve better outcomes, and differentiate yourself in a competitive job market.

1. “Soft Skills” are the new “Hard Skills”
Tips & Tricks for Salesforce Project Success

2. OUR SPONSORS

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About You

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About Me

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• New Yorker living in Prague (7 years)
• In the Salesforce ecosystem for 15 years
• 5x Salesforce MVP, MVP Hall of Fame
• 15x Certified
• Acquis Salesforce Practice Lead
Andrew Gross

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My Salesforce Journey
System Administrator
2008-2010
Business Analyst &
Consultant
2010-2012
Solution Architect
2012-2014
Project Manager
2012-2014
Engagement Manager
2014-2016
Director, Sales,
Manager
2016-2018
VP, Practice Leader
2021 - Present
Practice Lead &
Tiger Team
2018-2021

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Setting Expectations

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How do you usually set expectations in a meeting?

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1. Introductions
2. About Me
3. Soft Skills
• Two to Three Areas for Deeper
Exploration
4. A Really Hard Test
• Make sure you pay attention!!
5. Next Steps
Agenda

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What is missing in from an agenda?

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What: A ~25 minute session covering a few of topics that fall under the domain of “soft skills”
Why: To share some of the knowledge and approaches that has helped lead to successful outcomes
during meetings and projects in the past
How: A few personal anecdotes will be shared, as well as some very strong crowd participation
Outcome: The audience will receive a few practical pieces of knowledge and a couple of bigger
picture ideas they can take back to their daily jobs
Bonus points: “Does this look right to you?” / “Do we agree on what this meeting is about?”
What, Why, How, Outcome (WWHO):

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• Mostly focuses on the “what” • Adds the elements of “why” and “how”
• Sets expectations on an outcome
• Create a structure and boundaries for
the session
• Gains alignment on a path forward
“does this look right to you”
Agenda: What, Why, How, Outcome:

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• Not a preparation course for your next
Ted Talk
• Not a debate on hard skills vs soft skills
• I don’t claim to be a soft skills “expert”
What This Session Is Not About:

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• Don’t forget the “Why”
• Agendas and WWHO compliment each other
• Create boundaries
• What this is not…
Key Takeaways: Setting Expectations

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When you think of
hard skills, what
comes to mind?
When you think of
soft skills, what
comes to mind?
What the !@?! are Soft Skills?

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Hard skills are those talents
and abilities that can be
measured, usually specific
to a particular job.
Soft skills are the skills of
problem solving, thinking
creatively, communicating
clearly and sensitively, and
acting ethically by accepting
responsibility, showing
respect, and building trust.
What the !@?! are Soft Skills?

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Understanding

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Imagine a complex jigsaw puzzle
without a box cover…

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The puzzle in this box is a mystery. Don’t
even try to guess what it is. You will only be
able to unlock its secret by trying to put it
together.
With more than 400 Dowdle titles to choose
from, there’s no telling which tantalizing title
you will get.
One thing we can guarantee is that you’ll
have a magical time seeing the image come
alive.
Dowdle Mystery Puzzles come with a special
sealed black envelope. Inside the envelope is
a color print of the image. So, if you
absolutely must cheat, we’ve made it pretty
easy.
But we don’t recommend it, because as our
mothers told us “Cheaters never prosper.”

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Trying to Understand the Picture
Without the “black envelope”

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Exact Recipe “Order” Instead, a Request: Our Jobs Are To…
Not mindlessly execute on
asks.
But…
Try to gather enough
“pieces of the puzzle” to
paint the best potential
solutions.
Trying to Understand the Picture
Without the “black envelope”

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• The ask generally comes in the form of:
• A requirement
• A user story
• A feature request
• A project
• And someone else (or many other people)
have the context of “why.” So we typically
all start “discovery.” But at what level?
The Problem:

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Context
Requirements do not exist in a vacuum!

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©2023 Acquis Consulting Group, L.L.C.
The Acquis 4U Methodology
We believe that for a project to be
successful, it is critical to have a shared
understanding of the context of how
the project came to be, how it connects
to the organization’s overall objectives,
and what other circumstances are
surrounding its lifecycle.
We examine how your organization
operates with a goal of breaking down
cohesive processes and experiences
into discrete and actionable components.
We believe there is an art to decoding
a business, so that the resulting
building blocks can be used to create
a system which effectively fosters
organizational change.
We take the common understanding and
purpose gained from the Understand
phase and rebuild a new future from
the discrete components established
during the Unpack phase. We utilize an
agile approach with demos and iterative
build cycles to unite the different threads
of the Understand and Unpack phases.
The Unlock phase transforms the
landscape into the combined envisioned
future at your organization. People are
enabled, the system is ready, and we
usher in a new way of working, ensuring
that a nourishing environment exists
and the appropriate amount of support is
provided to unlock success.
Understand
T H E “ W H Y ”
Unpack
T H E “ W H A T ”
Unite
V I A “ H O W ”
Unlock
O U T C O M E S

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Epic / Scenario
Initiative / Project
Organizational Initiatives
Organizational Goals
Mission Statement
User Story / Requirement
Context

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Epic / Scenario
Initiative / Project
Organizational Initiatives
Organizational Goals
Mission Statement
User Story / Requirement
Context Project:
• Why does this project exist?
• How is this project funded?
• Who is involved?
• What do they care about?
• What does success look like?
• What might cause it to fail?
Organization:
• What are the primary business objectives?
• How is money made?
• What are the internal team structures?
• Who does this organization interact with?

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• Does that make sense?
The Inverse – Did They Understand You?

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What is problematic with “does that make sense?”

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• “Never Ask ‘Does That Make Sense?’” :
• https://hbr.org/2011/09/never-ask-does-that-make-sense
• Uncertainty on the part of the speaker about the accuracy or credibility of the content
• Doubt about the ability of the audience to comprehend or appreciate the content.
• Unlikely someone wants to admit something didn’t make sense in a wider
room.
• Instead say: “Am I explaining this in an understandable way or are there some
questions?”
The Inverse – Did They Understand You?

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• The more you widen your aperture, the more you will understand what the picture should look like
• Very rarely is there a concept of a fixed menu, which means you have the right to learn more
• Don’t stay in the kitchen, try to also become the waiter/waitress
• Get to the cherry on top of the ice cream, create solutions which have real business impact
• Never say “does that make sense” instead say “Am I explaining this in an understandable way”
Key Takeaways: Understanding & Context

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Getting Naked

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• Emphasizes the power of vulnerability, honesty, and client-
centricity in building strong and successful client relationships.
• Vulnerability builds trust: By embracing vulnerability and
shedding the need to appear perfect or invulnerable,
professionals can create an atmosphere of trust with clients. This
includes admitting mistakes, asking for help, and being open
about limitations.
Getting Naked, A Book by Patrick Lencioni

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• Do I really understand the ask?
• Does the person who is asking me to do something really understand the ask?
• Do I understand the context of this conversation?
• Do I know what the heck that acronym means?
• But I’m supposed to be the expert….
Getting Naked

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• Let me repeat what I heard, and maybe you can help fill the gaps…
• What did I get wrong?
• I don’t presume to know more about you about X since it is your business, so can explain more about…?
• I did my research and looked over your website, but can you go a little deeper on X?
• I’m not sure I got that last part, can you repeat it please?
• With the risk of sounding silly, can you please explain what X means?
Tools

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• People trust naked people more (those who admit their
vulnerabilities)
• The more you are clear about what you do not understand, the
more you can drive conversations toward better understanding
• Admitting a gap in knowledge, if positioned in the right way, can
be actually perceived as a strength
Key Takeaways: Getting Naked

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• Set Expectations
• You have the right to understand more
• Strive for organizational context
• Don’t be afraid to get naked
Summary:

38. Thank you