Google set out to understand what makes their teams some of the greatest in the tech industry and discovered that it’s the soft skills of team members that made them thrive. Google’s co-founders initially hired for pure technical mastery in computer science. The findings of their two in-depth studies (one in 2013 and one in 2016) surprised them. The data revealed that the top characteristics for success were being a good coach, communicating and listening well, possessing insights into others, having empathy, being a great problem solver, and being able to make Connections between complex ideas. STEM skills ranked last on their list. The big “ah-ha!” was simply that while STEM skills are vital to the world we LIVE in today, to quote Steve Jobs, “Technology alone is not enough.” What is important to remember is that the survey is never final. Google is always adapting and improving the behaviors based on what they learned.