In this Human on the Inside special, we revisit the most insightful quotes from our ever-enlightening interviews with industry leaders, innovators and game-changers. 

Do you know why people love our Human on the Inside series? Because no matter which one you read, you’ll always find something to take away and apply to your life and career. That comes from the incredible self-awareness that each person brings to our conversation. Regardless of their organisation, role or career experience, they’re authentic, openly sharing their strengths and weaknesses, and offering their well-earned nuggets of wisdom for career starters and leaders alike. 

Let’s rewind and relive their best bits:

Shaun Cameron

Director, Talent & Culture at Custom Fleet 

“Whether it’s career or life advice I don’t know, but I would tell my 21-year-old self to not give a damn about what people think of me. We can spend so much time trying to please people, acting differently, and not being authentic that you tie yourself up in knots trying to fit in. This is especially true for young people in the LGBTQI+ community, which was me way back when. As RuPaul is famously quoted for saying: “If they ain’t paying your bills, pay them bi*ches no mind!” These days, I know I’m doing my job right if I’m ruffling some feathers (in the right way)!”

How to apply this human skills insight:

Shaun’s advice tells us to be our authentic selves in life and at work. Of course, authenticity begins with self-awareness. You need to know your values, strengths, why you react in certain ways, and what drives you. Being self-aware and then being authentic to yourself will help you become a better leader, build stronger relationships, and better manage your emotions. 

Jasmine Batra

Chief Digital Officer & M.D. at Arrow Digital Marketing

“Cultural intelligence. It's something I have actively worked on myself. Each one of us is shaped by cultural conditioning that goes back generations. It brings with it a set of biases and beliefs. Being aware of when they may be at play and responding accordingly is work in progress. Australia is such a great country to test and teach about it. I have clients from different nationalities and a diverse team spread geographically that requires adaptation to those settings – a conscious and constant effort.”

How to apply this human skills insight:

Cultural intelligence (CQ) takes emotional intelligence (EQ) to a new level – it’s the ability to relate to and communicate effectively with people from other cultures. For leaders especially, harnessing this powerful skill can help you unlock the potential of your people. 

Martin Cory

Partner & Global Account Director for ERM

“Across my career, and particularly as I have taken on more senior leadership positions, the one human or ‘soft skill’ I’ve had to work on is probably to demonstrate higher levels of empathy. In my experience it’s easy to tell yourself to be empathetic but harder to live and breathe. 

Certainly earlier in my career, and at times throughout, I’ve been extremely focused on objectives, performance, agility and just the fast paced nature of the work and taking on as many opportunities as I could. While I don’t regret those decisions, I can see with hindsight that this perhaps impeded my ability to be a more empathic leader. So, in short this is something I’m conscious of and continue to work on.”

How to apply this human skills insight:

Empathy is a powerful skill for leaders. It allows you to build meaningful connections, develop deeper trust, and create psychologically safe places. But as Martin says, it’s not always easy to live and breathe. The first step to develop empathy is to simply listen. Actively listening will help you understand where people are coming from and what they feel or think in a certain way. 

Polly O’Keeffe

Director, Leadership & Learning for Deloitte Australia.

“With the rapid pace of technological advancement there are many skills/jobs that can be done by machines more effectively and cost efficiently. To date, machines are unable to do the things that are innately human – empathy, love, there is a long list. There is no limit to the possibilities that exist when human skills are combined with technology. It’s this combination that has the power to solve world problems.”

How to apply this human skills insight:

As we accelerate into a world with artificial intelligence (AI), there’s still a long list of things that only humans can do. At the top of the list of innately human skills is EQ –  emotional intelligence. According to Microsoft’s 2023 Work Trend Index report, EQ is amongst the top three skills that leaders believe will be essential in an “AI-powered future” (along with analytical judgement and flexibility). So, it’s worth developing your EQ skills for the future of work. 

Billy Falkingham

Head of Brand & Content for Australian Unity

“I believe in separating the ‘person’ from the ‘professional’ in order to truly unleash the power of human skills. I see the ‘person’ as just that – an individual bringing themselves to the role. And it is their self, their diversity in life, in experience, and in their make-up, where the power lies. 

You can have supportive and challenging conversations with the ‘professional’, assuming you have already put the ‘person’ first. In my view this is the best approach to champion human skills and enable individuals to achieve their professional ambitions. And this human-centred approach can be the difference between good and great teams, organisations and outcomes.” 

How to apply this human skills insight:

How do you unleash the power of human skills? It’s the big question faced by leaders everywhere. Putting the person first means recognising that people are humans with ambitions, goals, values, and unique human skills. By helping them understand and develop their human skills, you can build self-aware, high performing individuals and teams. 

Claire Bloom

Training & Advocacy Manager for Google

“Brené Brown describes stories as ‘data with a soul’. When we connect with co-workers, stakeholders and customers, we should recognise that the stories they share with us provide us valuable data about who they are, how they work and why they do what they do. When we can acknowledge that data can occur in many shapes and sizes, it enables us to analyse situations, provide insights and take action to improve outcomes. I’ve always appreciated the stories, but I had to work hard on how to confidently translate sentiment into measurable data to ensure it held its weight in key decision making.”

How to apply this human skills insight:

We are often talking about storytelling as a human skill. Stories help us connect, share ideas, build trust, and move us to action. As Claire said, the important thing is to be able to translate the sentiment of the story into data that can be measured and used in decision making. It can be a tough skill to master but one worth learning, especially for leaders. 

Fiona Schutt

Then Executive Director – Business Performance for WorkSafe Victoria

Now Executive General Manager, Corporate Services at Melbourne Water

“I think the one trait that has served me most over my career is the way I engage others. My approach has always been focused on creating personal connections, whilst building professional elements around it. I like to understand what’s important to others, where their thinking is rooted, how they see themselves and their role, and what makes them tick. My habit is to listen, observe and ruminate. This may come from my introverted style, but allows me to really understand before trying to be understood (to quote Covey). It also builds trust, empathy and connection.”

How to apply this human skills insight:

Listen more to understand. There’s no doubt listening is an interpersonal skill worth cultivating. As Fiona notes, it helps you understand people on a deeper level and build personal connections, which can help skyrocket your career. 

Melissa Lyon

Executive Director & Experience Designer for HIVE Legal

“I love a good superpower. I feel that mine is ‘connecting the dots’. This has proven very handy for my legal, business development and innovation roles. One of my favourite sayings is that at the heart of creativity and innovation, lies the ability to connect seemingly unrelated things. I try to use my superpower every day, but must admit sometimes it becomes hard when you’re ‘in the weeds’. I’ve learned to give myself permission and time to ensure I’m looking at the bigger picture and being creative.”

How to apply this human skills insight:

Creativity is a valuable human skill – one of the most sought after by global workplaces. Melissa gets to the heart of how you can tap into yours, even when you find yourself getting stuck in the weeds. 

Laura Hill

Managing Director of Sendle

“One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received was to never stop asking questions. This relentless curiosity is something I bring to work every day and encourage others to do the same. Another one is to fail fast and learn fast. Making mistakes – and learning from them – is an important part of our growth. I believe in a workplace culture where the team has the freedom to fail but can learn something from each failure, to succeed faster the next time.”

How to apply this human skills insight:

Be curious. There’s no better advice whether you’re just starting out or growing your career. Curiosity is one of the most important soft skills for the future of work. Without curiosity you cannot make mistakes, and learn from them. But as Laura says, it’s not only down to the individual but also the workplace to create a culture where you have the freedom to be curious and fail. 

Elisa Nerone

Global Head of HR Strategy, Planning & Integrity for BHP

“Human skills are as critical as technical skills, but harder to develop in my opinion. Human skills and leadership skills are what sets organisations apart. It helps create their culture and ability to achieve its strategy.”

How to apply this human skills insight:

We couldn’t agree with Elisa more! For organisations, putting human skills first is the key to a successful future. The World Economic Forum’s The Future of Jobs Report 2023 revealed 8 out of 10 skills most valued by employers are soft skills, such as creative thinking, self-awareness, empathy, and curiosity. 

We also know that while many business leaders say they want soft skills, when it comes to the crunch, they often still prioritise technical skills training over soft skills training. To convince decision-makers that soft skills training is worth a serious investment, check out our guide to make a bullet-proof business case for soft skills. 

Inspired to put these lessons to work? Download the Hodie app to get started today, or explore our broader menu of Maxme Products & Programs for organisations and individuals. 

Prefer to talk through your options? Simply contact us at any time.

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